We all know this is an unusual week in the NFL. It seems trivial to discuss games or choices after Buffalo Tickets Security Damar Hamlin collapsed on the pitch on Monday evening.
But the games are due to take place this weekend. With the proper perspective that Hamlin’s health is a much higher priority than games, let’s look at the Week 18 slate.
There’s a reason the NFL chose the Detroit Lions-Green Bay Packers game like Sunday night flex. It’s not “fair”, in terms of playing all the games that affect the NFC wild card race at the same time. But it’s not a conspiracy either. The NFL wanted grades. Aaron Rodgers And the Packers playing for a playoff berth was their best shot for television.
Also, Lions do not roll over even if they are already knocked out of a sea hawks earn.
Funny how many think the Lions will send him if the Seahawks beat the Rams (which would eliminate Detroit; the Lions need a loss to the Seahawks and a win over Green Bay to qualify for the playoffs ). First, we don’t give NFL teams enough credit for their professionalism and desire to win, especially in their last game. A few teams can’t wait until the end of the season, whether it’s because of a coach they know is getting fired, a ton of injuries, or any other reason, but bet against teams that don’t. have “nothing to play for” is a bad thing. strategy. There’s a lot of motivation for NFL teams. You should probably be more worried about teams in the playoffs, which could rightly sit players to rest during wildcard weekend, than teams whose seasons end this weekend. (And please don’t allow yourself to believe that a team is tanking to go from, say, 15th pick to 13th pick with a loss…that’s not realistic.)
The Lions will not fold. Either the Seahawks lose early and they play for a playoff berth, or they try to finish the season on a high note, with a winning record knocking out their playoff division rival. If you’ve paid any attention to Dan Campbell as a coach, you shouldn’t buy into the idea that the Lions are going to stop playing hardball.
The Lions are 4.5 point underdogs at BetMGM and I will roll with them. The Packers are playing well, but so are the Lions (aside from that total flop at Carolina two weeks ago) and they’re going to be motivated no matter what. The NFL has chosen a good game for Sunday night. He should be close.
Here are the NFL picks versus spread for Week 18 of the NFL season, with odds from BetMGM:
Raiders (+9.5) over Chiefs
The Chiefs are on a 1-7-1 ATS streak. Maybe you think that’s a sign that the Chiefs are overrated, or that odds takers are constantly inflating their point spreads because they know they’ll get some public action every week. Either way, it doesn’t pay to bet on the Chiefs as favorites, and the Raiders showed signs of not giving up last week.
Jaguars (-6) on Titans
It’s difficult to face a Mike Vrabel team that gets too many points. It’s for the AFC South Championship and the Titans will be as prepared as possible. It’s just hard to take Joshua Dobbs in his second career start, on the road, with the division title on the line. Dobbs looked competent enough last week, but I still think the Jaguars pull away in this one.
Here’s a good example of a mediocre to bad team “with nothing to play for” that will probably play pretty hard. The Falcons didn’t end the season the way they wanted, but it would still be a great end to the season to beat the Buccaneers. Even though Tom Brady insists on playing, it will probably only be a series or two. There’s no reason for the Buccaneers to overload their starters before a playoff game.
patriots (+7.5) on Bills
It’s hard to talk about the Bills in football terms this week, for obvious reasons. I don’t know how the Bills will react to what happened on Monday. No one can know. I’ll just take the Patriots, who need to win to make the playoffs and should stay close.
Vikings (-7.5) on Bears
Nathan Petermann is back in our lives. Peterman will start on Sunday, as the Bears play it safe with Justin Fields/trying to lose to possibly get the first overall pick. This line was actually Vikings -1.5 at the start of this week. It does not make sense. That line is a little too high but the Bears are terrible, sent a message that they might be trying to lose and they start Peterman. I don’t choose Chicago.
bengals (-7) on Ravens
It’s impossible to talk about games this week without knowing how the still-suspended Bills-Bengals game influences some of them. If the Bengals don’t play this Bills game, the Ravens can’t win AFC North. Is Baltimore playing it safe thinking it’s in a wild card road game to start the playoffs? Play it just in case? The same goes for the Bengals. Since it is impossible to predict, I assume that both teams play as usual. I find it hard to believe the Ravens can score enough to follow in this one.
The Texans clinch the No. 1 overall pick with one loss. There’s a lot of talk about tanking in the NFL, but it rarely happens. It’s really weird when fans talk about teams that should be tanking for draft picks when it could be the difference between the 18th pick or the 14th pick. But there’s a recent example of a team quite clearly tanking for the No. 1 pick, and it happened with Lovie Smith as head coach. A little history lesson, borrowed from the power rankings earlier this week: In 2014, the Buccaneers collapsed in the final to get the No. 1 choice. Tampa Bay pulled starters in the second half of a close game against the Saints when there was no real reason to pull them out of the game other than to influence a loss. The Bucs lost a lead with their substitutes and fell to the Saints. The NFL chose to ignore it and the Bucs took James Winston with the first choice. Before betting on the Texans, keep this history lesson in mind.
Rolls (-1) on Dolphins
I hope the Jets play like they usually do. The Dolphins will start Skylar Thompson, and while the team has been competitive with him, it’s tough for the rookie to lead a win that will keep Miami alive for a playoff spot depending on what the Patriots do. Dolphins without Tua Tagovailoa have not been the same team this season.
Panthers (+3.5) on Saints
Sometimes the disappointment you see in Week 18 is a team that had its playoff hopes at the end of the previous week. It’s possible the Panthers laid an egg after losing a fourth-quarter lead in Week 17, which would have put them ahead for the NFC South. I still think the Panthers will play pretty well, but it’s hard to count on that.
Steelers (-2.5) on Browns
I’m just going to believe that a Mike Tomlin team that’s still alive for a playoff berth — and the path isn’t that ridiculous either — will be at their best this week. We still haven’t seen Deshaun Watson play well and I don’t know why it would happen on Sunday.
Of all the Week 18 teams that have “nothing to play for” but could really get a boost from a Week 18 win, the Broncos are near the top of the list. They looked like a new team last week after Nathaniel Hackett was fired. The Chargers have something to play for, as the No. 5 seed in the AFC is much better than the No. 5 seed in the AFC. 6 seeds and Brandon Staley seem understand that too. However, the Chargers could have that fifth seed packed into the kickoff if the Ravens lose. The Chargers would be smart to rest their players in this situation and Staley is a forward-thinking coach. And I think we’ll see a Broncos team with something to prove.
Giants (+14) over Eagles
Brian Daboll indicated that he plans to play starter, which would be reckless with an upcoming game of wild cards and the No. 6 seed locked away. We’ll see. Either way, whoever plays for the Giants will play hard and try to keep the momentum going for the playoffs and destroy the Eagles’ shot at the No. 1. 1 seed. The Giants won’t win but that’s a lot of points.
Cardinals (+14) above 49ers
The Cardinals played hard last week and I guess they will do it again on Sunday. There is nothing to lose for a team whose offseason begins on Monday. The 49ers are a much better team and will likely always have their eyes on the No. 49ers. 2 seeds (which is valuable because it secures a home game in the divisional round), but two touchdowns is a lot.
Rams (+6.5) over Seahawks
The Rams are impossible to predict. One week they look like they want to end the season strong, other games they look verified. They were bad last week, so let’s expect a decent performance this week.
Cowboys (-7.5) on Commanders
Dallas must play as if the Eagles could lose and the Cowboys could win the NFC East title. It’s a tough game for the Commanders’ rookie quarterback Sam Howell. I like that Washington is giving Howell a run until the end of the season, but that could get ugly for a team that was eliminated last week.
Last week: 7-8
Season so far: 129-120-4
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