The NFL regular season ends with an action-packed Week 18 with plenty of playoff implications on the line. If you need help betting it, read this. We’ve analyzed the matchups and hand-picked three NFL bets most worth taking in Week 18.
Against The Spread: Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
We begin with two bitter rivals — whose playoff destinies could not be any more different. The Ravens are the AFC No. 1 seed no matter what, whereas the Steelers are attempting to lock up the No. 7 with a win and some help elsewhere. As it stands, the best NFL betting sites are favoring Pittsburgh over Baltimore on the spread. Here’s the latest odds:
The Ravens' comfortable situation is the reason they’re underdogs in spite of being at home. Essentially, there’s no reason for the team to play its starters the entire game or put max effort into their performance. If anything, coach John Harbaugh could take heat for playing quarterback Lamar Jackson in what’s essentially a meaningless game. We expect Baltimore to go easy in this matchup.
No such predicament exists for Pittsburgh that not only needs a win to enter the playoffs but needs losses from other “on the bubble” teams like Buffalo and Jacksonville. The good thing going for the Steelers is they’ve caught fire over the past few weeks. Pittsburgh has two straight wins, scoring at least 30 points in each. They had zero 30-point games before then.
What’s the reason for the offensive turnaround? Quarterback Mason Rudolph. The third-stringer got action when Kenny Picket got injured and backup Mitch Trubisky did zilch in relief. Rudolph started both prior games, going 35-of-51 for 564 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. That’s 11 yards per throw, which has really changed the offensive dynamic. Steelers suddenly have big-play potential with Rudolph under center. We’re banking that Rudolph’s hit ways continue against what will likely be an “uninspired” Baltimore defense so take the Pittsburgh spread with confidence.
Against The Spread: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
The winner of this game will be guaranteed the No. 2 seed in the AFC. With a loss, Buffalo could miss the playoffs entirely. That’s just how much is at stake in this divisional clash that was flexed to Sunday Night Football. As it stands, here’s how the Bills-Dolphins spread shakes out:
Miami is in trouble, plain and simple. Here’s a team that was just blown out 56-19 last weekend by Baltimore. Worse, they lost star pass rusher Bradley Chubb in the earning minutes to a torn ACL (scenarios like these are why you rest starters in Week 18 if nothing is on the line). The Dolphins also lost top cornerback Xavier Howard, who is out for Week 18. You can’t have all this happen and not have your mental confidence affected negatively, you just can’t.
Here's the thing: the Bills present a lot of the same issues that the Ravens did to the Phins. For one, they’re a physical team that can outmuscle a speed-based roster like Miami. Two, Buffalo is led by a mobile quarterback that’s hard to pressure. It was this formula that helped the Bills blow out the Dolphins 48-20 earlier this season.
Buffalo is getting our money here. We’re quite confident in this pick that it’s worth putting extra funds into it. The Bills are hot with four wins in a row and the Dolphins are spiraling downward, hence the confidence.
Over/Under 41 Points: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants
Here’s another game with teams on opposite ends of the spectrum. Philly is fighting for a divisional crown, while New York is contending for a top-5 draft pick. In this one, we’re inclined to bet the Eagles-Giants over/under, which is set to 41 points.
Funny enough, these two rivals met two weeks ago on Christmas Day, a game that ended 33-25 in favor of Philadelphia. That result makes us think the current over/under is a tad too low. If anything, this game might have more offense than the first.
This is because New York will have Tyrod Taylor starting under center. Tommy DeVito started the prior one before being benched at halftime for Taylor. The G-Men have a much more dynamic offense with Taylor, evident by its performance last weekend against a good Rams defense. Take the over in this one.
How To Bet On NFL Week 18?
To lock in all your NFL Week 18 betting, hit one of the sites below. Any one of these sites has you covered with dozens upon dozens of bets for this weekend, plus the postseason that follows. You realistically have a one-stop shop for NFL betting at whichever site you end up choosing. You can always read our unbiased sportsbook reviews if you want to compare sites.
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