Week 18 Has Arrived

The last week of the NFL regular season is upon us, and with several teams still fighting for playoff spots, division crowns, and first-round byes, this weekend’s slate of games promises to be full of can’t-miss action. But for the past few days, the postseason picture has deservedly taken a backseat to a much more important storyline — the health of Bills safety Damar Hamlin 🙏

• The 24-year-old has continued to battle for his life since Monday night, and while there's still steps ahead, he's showing some extremely encouraging signs of improvement 🤞

Seeing the entire league and all of its fans rally around Damar in so many different ways has been absolutely incredible; here’s hoping more and more positive updates continue to pour in. We’re all rooting for you #3 💙❤️, and if you want to contribute here is the link to Hamlin's GoFundMe

As tough as it will be for teams around the league to return to business as usual, that’s what they’ll have to do here in Week 18, and for many, the stakes couldn’t be higher. With one game left to play, here's a look at the current playoff field 👇

Expect some shuffling among those ranks — a handful of teams currently outside the field have a chance to play their way in with a win this week (and in some cases, some extra help). NFL schedule-makers did not disappoint, with quite a few intriguing season finales awaiting ⬇️

What To Watch

You certainly can't go wrong tuning in to any of the 16 games this weekend — two tomorrow and the rest on Sunday, full schedule here — but if you're strictly in the market for matchups with massive playoff implications, you're gonna want to check out these three divisional clashes 👇

📍 Titans vs. Jaguars Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Jaguars -6.5

• Moneyline: Jaguars -295 (bet $295, win $100), Titans +240 (bet $100, win $240)

• O/U: 39.5

• When: Saturday at 8:15PM EST on ESPN

For both the Jags and Titans, tomorrow's matchup is as simple as it gets — win, and you're in, with the victor claiming the AFC South title 🏆

• Although their .500 record is hardly dominant, Jacksonville is the current division leader in line to host a first-round matchup. Thanks to a huge performance by Trevor Lawrence, they bested Tennessee 36-22 in their first meeting of the season back in Week 14

• But if the Jaguars fall to the 7-9 Titans tomorrow, the two teams would have identical records and a split season series, meaning Tennessee would claim the South crown on account of their better divisional record

So for all intents and purposes, this matchup is a play-in game, but only one of these teams has looked like a playoff-caliber team lately. Since Week 12, the Jags are 5-1, while the Titans are 0-6 — I don't see those trends changing.

📍 Patriots vs. Bills Betting Preview

• Spread: Bills -7

• Moneyline: Bills -295 , Patriots +240

• O/U: 42.5

• When: Sunday at 1PM EST on CBS

With the announcement that last week's game against the Bengals will be ruled no contest, Buffalo's path to the top seed in the AFC is a bit murky at the moment, but for the Patriots, the importance of Sunday is pretty straightforward 😳

• Currently clinging to the final Wild Card spot, a win in Buffalo would cement the Patriots' spot in the playoffs for the 19th time under Bill Belichick. But a loss leaves them vulnerable to be leapfrogged by the Dolphins or Steelers 👀

• Although they already have the East locked up, don't expect the Bills to take it easy on them. It's a tightly-contested race at the top of the AFC, and a rivalry matchup that was already circled on the calendar should be even more emotional now

If recent history is any indication, this one should lean Buffalo's way. Including last year's Wild Card game, the Bills have outscored the Patriots 104-48 over their last three matchups 👀

📍 Lions vs. Packers Betting Preview

• Spread: Packers -4.5

• Moneyline: Packers -240, Lions +198

• O/U: 49.5

• When: Sunday at 8:20PM EST on NBC

The NFL regular season will officially end at the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field, and although both of these teams are currently on the outside looking in, there's a good chance the winner finds themselves in the postseason 😎

• The Seahawks currently hold the final Wild Card spot, but regardless of their outcome this week, the Packers can jump them in the standings with a win, due to a record advantage within the NFC

• The Lions, on the other hand, need the Seahawks to lose to Rams earlier in the day if they want a chance at returning to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season. If that comes to fruition, a win over the Packers gets them to the promised land

But even if Detroit has nothing but pride to play for on Sunday night, I still expect them to give Aaron Rodgers and the Packers all they've got 😤

For My Parlay Gurus

Can't end the NFL season going entirely with favorites, right? I'm taking both the Jaguars and Bills to take care of business by at least a touchdown, but I'm also going with the underdog Lions to at least cover in Green Bay. Check out this parlay 👇

• Jaguars -6.5 vs. Titans: -110

• Bills -7 vs. Patriots: -110

• Lions +4.5 vs. Packers: -105

$100 on this bet would win you $628 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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