🏈 5 Playoff Spots Up For Grabs

Nine teams have clinched the NFL playoffs, but we still have five spots and four division titles up for grabs, highlighted by the Texans vs. Colts and Bills vs. Dolphins. Week 18 is always excited, let's talk about some of the key games to watch 📺 (3 min read)

Author

Will Gendron
January 05, 2024

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images

End of the Road

We’ve made it to yet another New Year — hopefully you managed to ring in 2024 with friends, family and a fantasy football championship. But with another year, means the end of another NFL season, and this weekend marks the final leg of regular season play. Nine playoff spots are taken, with five still waiting to be seized. So who’s potentially in, and who’s almost certainly out? We’ve got you covered 👇

Let’s take a second to marvel at the cream of the crop, the best of the best, and this year it was none other than Baltimore San Francisco 💪

  • Lamar Jackson, threw for 24 TDs this season, which ranks number six all-time in Ravens history

  • He also owns the top spot for his 2019 season, in which he threw for 36 TDs, and the fourth spot for his 2020 season when he had 26

  • If he wins a Super Bowl this year, Jackson starts to cement a case for one of the greatest QBs of all time

Purdy on the other hand, while not nearly the player Jackson is, has been phenomenal this season and really excelled at launching deep balls 🚀

  • He threw for 11 TDs on 20+ yard throws, leading the league in that area. He was also accurate, finishing with over 300 completions, tied for fourth in the league

Now let’s talk about what we’re all here for - the NFL playoffs! The nine teams that clinched spots already are the Ravens, Niners, Browns, Eagles, Chiefs, Rams, Lions, Dolphins and Cowboys. While it may be early, here is a Super Bowl preview, at least from the perspective of the oddsmakers 🧐

  • Niners: +210

  • Ravens: +350

  • Cowboys: +850

  • Chiefs & Bills: +950

  • Eagles: +1200

  • Dolphins: +1400

  • Lions: +2200

  • Browns: +3500

  • Rams: +5000

I find it hilarious that the Bills have better odds than five teams on here that are locked into the postseason, despite not even clinching themselves. I would never fully recommend betting on some of these longer options, but the Browns at +3500 is intriguing 👀

  • Cleveland sports one of the best defenses in the league, and Joe Flacco looks to helm a fearsome passing game with Amari Cooper, David Njoku and Elijah Moore being the recipients of a revamped offense

So who needs to come away with a win this weekend? Well a number of divisions are still up for grabs in the AFC South, AFC East, NFC South and NFC East. The two most exciting matchups this weekend though have to be Houston at Indianapolis and Tampa Bay at Carolina. Both games contain playoff implications, where the teams involved control their own destiny (not the Panthers)

  • A Texans, Colts or Buccaneers win cements a playoff berth. Tampa should win, while Houston and Indy should be one of the games of the week

  • Spread: Texans -1.5

  • Moneyline: Texans -118, Colts +100

  • O/U: 47.5

The last game of the regular season will be the Dolphins hosting the Bills, with the winner taking the AFC East. No one wants to see Buffalo in the playoffs, and if this isn’t a fitting tidbit for this year’s Bills I don’t know what is 👇

  • Spread: Bills -2.5

  • Moneyline: Bills -158, Dolphins +134

  • O/U: 48.5

Trivia Question: The Cleveland Browns have managed to secure a playoff spot, thanks in part to Joe Flacco. When was the last time Flacco played in a postseason game?

Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images

For My Parlay Gurus

To end the NFL regular season, I am placing my hopes in the state of Florida, a decision that may or may not end in disappointment. Jacksonville and Tampa Bay both need to win their respective games against Tennessee and Carolina to get in. The latter two are not playing for much, with the Panthers forfeiting their right to the number one draft pick over to the Bears. Two moneylines, what could go wrong?

  • Jaguars ML @ Titans: -190

  • Buccaneers ML @ Panthers: -240

$100 on this bet would win you $116 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win an Overtime hoodie*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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Trivia Answer: In 2015, Flacco led the Ravens to the AFC Divisional round after beating the Steelers in the Wild Card. He would end up losing to the Patriots 35-31, who would then go on to beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl

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