First off, thank goodness Damar Hamlin seems to be recovering well. Monday night was a humbling experience for many NFL fans. Football is a game this country loves and is extremely passionate about, but there's no questioning the dangers of the sport. It was incredible to see how both fanbases and NFL fans in general reacted to what happened on Monday night. All of a sudden, the magnitude of the game being played was completely forgotten as we all came together to hope and pray for this young man's health. I commend ESPN for handling an incredibly difficult and unprecedented situation with so much class, and it goes without saying that everyone involved with treating Damar that night both on the field and in the hospital deserve all the recognition they could possibly receive. Zac Taylor and Sean McDermott deserve recognition as well, as they could have easily chosen to keep playing Monday night but did what was best for everyone and showed that while the NFL is a business, the human aspect of this league can never be forgotten. Damar Hamlin is a warrior and I hope he feels the love we were all sending him.
I won't be going into great detail here with games that have little to no playoff implications as we shift our focus to what should be a remarkable postseason.
Kansas City (13-3) @ Las Vegas (6-10)
Line: KC -9, O/U 52
Last week, the Raiders looked as competent offensively as they had all year in Jarret Stidham's first start. I had been critical of Derek Carr's play all year, but I didn't think the quarterback change would lead to such immediate success with Las Vegas putting up 5 touchdowns against the league's best defense in San Francisco. Stidham showed that he's developed since the last time (and only time) we saw him play in an NFL game 2 years ago in relief of Brian Hoyer against Kansas City. Last week, Stidham extended plays in a way that we had not seen from any Raiders quarterback so far this season, and Davante Adams and Darren Waller benefitted massively. Earlier this season, the Chiefs and Raiders played one of the best regular season games of the year at Arrowhead, a game that ended 30-29 in Kansas City's favor. I'm not ready to say that Stidham is the future for Vegas by any means, but it should be an encouraging sign for Raiders fans that Josh McDaniel's offense looked as explosive as it did against the 49ers without Derek Carr. The Chiefs are trying lock up the 1-seed in the AFC with a win here in Vegas, and I expect this matchup to be as exciting as the first one this year. Kansas City has too much to play for to let this one slip out of their hands.
Score Prediction: KC 34 LV 30
Tennessee (7-9) @ Jacksonville (8-8)
Line: JAX -6.5, O/U 40
The AFC South title and a spot in the playoffs is on the line for these two teams who's seasons have gone in opposite directions over the last month and a half. Jacksonville has won 5 of their last 6 games with Trevor Lawrence emerging as a franchise quarterback, while Tennessee has lost their last 6 contests with the most injury-riddled roster in the NFL. Josh Dobbs started at quarterback for the Titans last Thursday in a meaningless game in which they rested many of their starters. Dobbs gave the Titans a spark in the passing game that they had been missing since Ryan Tannehill's injury earlier this season, and it will be imperative that he continues to build off that game in order to keep up with what has been a high-flying Jacksonville offense. Trevor Lawrence played the best game of his career the last time these teams met, throwing for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns in a game that Jacksonville ended up winning by 2 scores. Tennessee's secondary has been one of the worst units in the league this year and I think they get carved up here. If the Jaguars can stifle Derrick Henry early I don't think that the Titans will have the firepower to keep up. I believe Mike Vrabel will be able to motivate his guys enough to keep this thing close throughout.
Score Prediction: TEN 23 JAX 28
Minnesota (12-4) @ Chicago (3-13)
Line: MIN -6, O/U 43
Of the Vikings 12 wins this season, only 1 of them has come by more than one score. Each of their 4 losses have been by double-digits, including 17, 37, and 24-point losses to Philadelphia, Dallas and Green Bay. This game is meaningful for Minnesota if they want to have a chance at the 2-seed in the NFC, but they would also need San Francisco to lose to the lifeless Cardinals. Chicago is sitting Justin Fields this week, a decision I'm certainly in favor of considering how many minor injuries he's suffered this season. Trevor Siemian will start in his place as the Bears look ahead to an offseason of endless possibilities with a top-3 draft pick and over $100 million in cap space. Minnesota takes care of business here.
Score Prediction: MIN 24 CHI 13
New England (8-8) @ Buffalo (12-3)
Line: BUF -7.5, O/U 43.5
New England can make the playoffs here with a win at Buffalo, but the Bills have a lot to play for as well coming off of an emotional week for the organization. Since Tom Brady left New England, Buffalo has owned this rivalry. They've won 3 out of 4 regular season games in the post TB12 era and beat New England in last year's wild-card round. The Patriots have struggled offensively in 2022 and I expect the Bills to play a hard-fought game and continue their recent success against the Pats. This feels like a Bills team that will thrive in the wake of near-tragedy and will only become stronger with emotions swirling. They're also just simply better in just about every phase of football compared to New England.
Score Prediction: NE 17 BUF 38
Baltimore (10-6) @ Cincinatti (10-4)
Line: CIN -9.5, O/U 39.5
I'm not going to go into too much detail about how the NFL handled the Monday night game between Buffalo and Cincinatti getting cancelled. In terms of Week 18, this game matters a lot for both of these teams. If Baltimore wins, these teams would match up next week in the wild-card round, and the home team would be decided by a coin flip. If Cincinatti wins this game, that wild-card game would be held on their home turf no matter what. With the cancellation of last week's Bills-Bengals game, Cincinnati was stripped of any chance to host a playoff game in the second round of the playoffs should the Bengals and Bills win in the first round. It's tough for the Bengals, but if there's any team that I think will thrive with a chip on their shoulder it's a team with Joe Burrow at the helm. The Ravens are depleted both in terms of offensive weapons and, of course, at the quarterback position with Lamar Jackson still being out for this game. I think the Bengals come out on fire here and don't let their foot off the gas.
Score Prediction: BAL 10 CIN 30
Cleveland (7-9) @ Pittsburgh (8-8)
Line: PIT -2.5, O/U 40.5
The Steelers have a better opportunity to sneak into the AFC playoffs than anyone would have expected at midseason. Kenny Pickett has led two critical game-winning drives over the last two weeks to put the Steelers in position to play as the 7-seed in the AFC with a win and a Miami loss and a New England loss. Deshaun Watson may have thrown 3 touchdowns for the Browns last week, but was held under 200 yards passing and was gifted great field position all day by Carson Wentz and a horrific Commanders offense. He was elusive in the pocket but really didn't show much else. The Steelers offensive line and run game has improved as the season progressed and I think Najee Harris will have a big game. Pittsburgh is playing for more here and I expect them to finish the season winning 6 of their last 7 games.
Score Prediction: CLE 16 PIT 20
New York Jets (7-9) @ Miami (8-8)
Line: MIA -3.5, O/U 37
Miami has an opportunity to make the playoffs here with a win and a New England loss, but with Skylar Thompson starting at quarterback it will be a tough task against a stout Jets defense. Both of these AFC East teams have faltered down the stretch after having surprisingly great starts to the season, but a mixture of injuries and bad quarterback play has been both of these franchises downfalls. Joe Flacco will be starting for New York this week with Mike White still being bothered by a rib injury he suffered early in the season. I think Mike McDaniel will help get Miami's weapons in space enough to get the job done here despite having an inexperienced quarterback at the helm.
Score Prediction: NYJ 13 MIA 16
Tampa Bay (8-8) @ Atlanta (6-10)
Line: ATL -4, O/U 40.5
Tampa Bay will most likely sit their starters here with the NFC South title locked up. Neither team has much to play for and I expect the Falcons to get their run game going against Tampa Bay's backups.
Score Prediction: TB 17 ATL 24
Houston (2-13-1) @ Indianapolis (4-11-1)
Line: IND -2.5, O/U 37.5
This game only matters for draft positioning come April. Both teams would benefit from losing this game. If Houston wins this game and Chicago loses then the Bears would end up with the 1st overall pick, hindering the guarantee that the Texans are guaranteed their pick of their next franchise quarterback in April. Unfortunately for them, I think they win this one with Sam Ehlinger starting at quarterback for the Colts.
Score Prediction: HOU 17 IND 16
Carolina (6-10) @ New Orleans (7-9)
Line: NO -3.5, O/U 42
There's no playoff implications here and the Saints don't even have a first round pick. Carolina will play hard because it seems as if the locker room likes Steve Wilks as their interim coach, but the Saints are just a more talented team and have played their best football over the last two weeks.
Score Prediction: CAR 23 NO 27
Dallas (12-4) @ Washington (7-8-1)
Line: DAL -7, O/U 40
Wait, Washington is eliminated? Constant mediocrity with no real hope of upward mobility is the consistent theme for this organization. Hopefully they'll have a new owner soon, it's their only hope. Dallas is playing for an opportunity to win the NFC East and 1-seed in the NFC should Philadelphia lose this week, so I expect a major blowout here. Sam Howell will make his first start for the Commanders in a meaningless game for the franchise, and while he can't be worse than Carson Wentz was last week I don't expect Scott Turner to put him in advantageous situations. Expect a bunch of long-developing play-action shots with an inferior offensive line against a ferocious defensive line. Washington never makes it easy for their players and never adapts.
Score Prediction: DAL 38 WAS 14
New York Giants (9-6-1) @ Philadelphia (13-3)
Line: PHI -14.5 O/U 43
The Giants will likely rest their starters here as they are locked into the 6-seed in the NFC playoffs. What an impressive season for them, as Brian Daboll has quickly corrected a losing culture for the franchise. Philadelphia will most likely have Jalen Hurts back for this game and the Eagles will coast to the 1-seed in the NFC.
Score Prediction: NYG 6 PHI 34
LA Rams (5-11) @ Seattle (8-8)
Line: SEA -6, O/U 41.5
With a Seattle win and a Green Bay loss on Sunday night, the Seahawks would clinch the final spot in the NFC playoffs. Geno Smith bounced back after hitting a rough patch in the middle of the season last week against the Jets, and I expect Seattle to play hard here at home with a chance to make the playoffs. The Rams have played admirably considering all their injuries this season, but they don't have the tools at their disposal to steal this one on the road in Seattle.
Score Prediction: LAR 10 SEA 20
Arizona (4-12) @ San Francisco (12-4)
Line: SF -14, O/U 39.5
The 49ers have a chance to lock themselves into the 2-seed in the NFC playoffs with a win here against a Cardinals team that is decimated with injuries and frankly wasn't playing all that well when healthy. The 49ers have won 9 straight and are playing better with Brock Purdy at quarterback than they were with Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco coasts here.
Score Prediction: ARI 7 SF 30
LA Chargers (10-6) @ Denver (4-12)
Line: DEN -3, O/U 40
The Chargers don't have anything to play for here as they're locked into the 5-seed in the AFC playoffs. I expect them to rest their starters and the Broncos to get a moral victory here heading into the 2023 season.
Score Prediction: LA 10 DEN 24
Detroit (8-8) @ Green Bay (8-8)
Line: GB -5, O/U 49
If Seattle loses to Los Angeles earlier in the afternoon, this game becomes a matinee matchup to determine who gets the 7th seed in the NFC playoffs. If Seattle wins, Detroit will have nothing to play for here except for the ability to play spoiler to Green Bay's playoff hopes. No matter what the circumstance, this will be a win-and-in situation for Green Bay. These are two of the hottest teams in the NFC, with Detroit winning 7 of their last 9 and Green Bay on a 4 game winning streak. This should be a fun game regardless of playoff stakes. I expect the Packers to have the advantage here at home, with Detroit's offense not being the same away from their home dome. If Green Bay can play how they did defensively last week against Minnesota they will be a team to be reckoned with come playoff time. This game should be close throughout the contest, but I think Aaron Rodgers will make enough plays in the 4th quarter to pull away in the end.
Comments