The final week of the NFL regular season is nearly here and the race for playoff spots and seeding will be resolved after one more set of games. A number of teams are locked into their positions, which means we likely won’t see some key players in action. That’s standing operating procedure for Week 18, but let’s look at which teams should be affected and what the spreads look like for the final week of action.
For starters, there is no game on Thursday this week. Instead, we get two Saturday games that will decide the AFC North. The 11-5 Baltimore Ravens are massive favorites against the Cleveland Browns to claim the division title before the 10-6 Pittsburgh Steelers take the field on Saturday. If the Ravens beat or tie Cleveland (Baltimore is favored by more than two touchdowns), they win the division. If they lose, Pittsburgh can win the division by beating Cincinnati. This is an unusual spread because Pittsburgh is actually an underdog at home against the 8-8 Bengals, who still have a chance to make the playoffs. If Cleveland somehow wins, look for the odds in Pittsburgh to move.
There is also not a game on Monday this week. There will be 14 games on Sunday, condensing all the postseason-deciding matchups into several hours of football.
Baltimore is the biggest favorite of the week, but that is not the only lopsided spread. Tampa Bay, which wins the NFC South with a win or tie against New Orleans, is favored by two touchdowns.
The biggest game of the week is on Sunday night between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. The Lions are favored at home in a game with massive ramifications — the winner gets the NFC North and the No. 1 seed.
A number of playoff teams are locked into their seeds, making Week 18 meaningless. The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the top seed in the AFC, with the Buffalo Bills locked in as the No. 2 seed. Houston has clinched the AFC South and can’t move out of the No. 4 seed. In the NFC, Philadelphia is locked into the No. 2 seed. Of that group, the Chiefs and Texans are underdogs, but Buffalo and Philadelphia are favored against teams that are in the race for the top pick in the draft. Buffalo is a small favorite at 3-13 New England and Philadelphia is favored against the 3-13 New York Giants. The Patriots, Giants, Browns and Tennessee Titans are all 3-13 entering the final week.
Here’s a look at the spreads and odds for all 16 games for NFL Week 18.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (ESPN/ABC)
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (ESPN/ABC)
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (CBS)
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (FOX)
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (FOX)
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (CBS)
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots (CBS)
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (NBC)
(Photo of Sam Darnold: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
