We finally made it to Week 18 of the NFL season. With games on Saturday and Sunday this weekend everything is fair game for this post. This seems like an impossible week to handicap. I’m not sure there’s much I like at all with this slate, but we’ll see. I will note I won’t be giving plays for the Patriots-Bills and Bengals-Ravens games. There’s just too much up in the air right now for both of those teams at the moment. With that being said let’s dive in.

Favorite

Vikings (-5.5) vs. Bears

I don’t think I’ve bet on the Vikings all year, but this seems like a pretty good spot for them. I hate almost every favorite this weekend too so this has been tough to call for me. I’m guessing the Vikings will be playing their starters for at least half of this game because they are still playing for seeding. The Bears on the other hand are in full blown tank mode for the second pick (or the first) and are starting Nathan Peterman at QB. I think getting Minnesota by less than a TD makes sense here. Roll with the Vikes.

Charlie Murphy’s Habitual Line Stepper of the Week (Underdog)

Rams (+6.5) vs. Seahawks

I know this is a win and maybe in situation for the Seahawks, but 6.5 seems like a lot of points for a Seattle team that hasn’t played that great recently. I think there’s also something to be said for LA playing to keep a division rival out of the playoffs. The Rams also don’t have their first round pick so they aren’t motivated to lose either. Seattle might win, but I think by a field goal would be more realistic.

Over

Lions vs. Packers (49)

This should be a fun matchup to close the regular season. I was tempted to go with the Lions spread, but I’d rather see how the line reacts after the Seahawks game earlier in the day. Detroit has been an over team all year. I think Green Bay has no trouble scoring against the Lions defense and I think the Detroit offense will put up plenty of points. I see both teams in the high 20’s at the end of this one.

Under

Browns vs. Steelers (40.5)

The Browns have been a big under team since Deshaun Watson returned and I don’t think that changes on Sunday. The Steelers defense has been very good since TJ Watt’s return and their offense has only averaged 17.9 PPG this season. Have to go under here.

The Definitely Not My Lock of the Week Bonus Pick

Raiders (+9) vs. Chiefs

Same idea as last week with Kansas City. They keep getting these inflated lines because of how good they are, but 9 points to a team you beat by 1 earlier this season? That’s a bit much. I know the Chiefs have everything to play for with the 1 seed on the line and the Raiders have been eliminated, but they seem like a team that’s not going to roll over and die late in the season. They almost beat the 49ers last week and played hard. I think they hang around in this game much like the Broncos did with the Chiefs last week.

So there you have it. The last blog of the regular season. I’m not going to lie I didn’t think I’d end up making a post for every weekend, Monday, and Thursday, but here we are. Thank you to everyone (all seven of you) that read these blogs each week and played (or faded) my picks. It means a lot and hopefully you made some money along the way. This isn’t the end of the road though. I’ll be back next week with a play for all 6 Wild Card Weekend games so keep your eyes peeled. Thanks Again.

-Jake