It’s the final week of the regular season! The last lap around the league and the last chance for playoff hopefuls to clinch their spots in the postseason.
Below, we look at several pivotal matchups with playoff implications this week, distinguishing between those with early and late NFL betting value. In short: We’re looking at the best bets to bet now and bet later.
Let’s check the latest NFL odds, stats, injury reports, and NFL lines. We’ve plenty of Vegas NFL odds and NFL week 18 picks for you to consider.
NFL Odds & Lines Week 18 (Opening Lines)
- Bet Now: Chiefs vs Raiders (+10½)
- Bet Later: Giants vs Eagles (-14½)
- Bet Now/Later: Lions vs Packers (-4½ )
Bet Now: Chiefs vs Raiders (+10½)
Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham and the Las Vegas Raiders came close to pulling off the upset in Week 17 over the San Francisco 49ers, but they fell just short in the 39-36 overtime loss. Sadly, with the defeat, the Raiders are out. That in itself takes away some of Las Vegas’ motivation for this divisional matchup in the final week of the season.
Then again, it might not be so black and white. To begin with, it is going to be Stidham’s second straight start, an opportunity to showcase his wares and earn consideration for next season. Other players will be similarly motivated on an individual level to fight for their places on the roster as head coach Josh McDaniels evaluates his first year in Sin City.
Over and above these internal and organizational motivations, this is ultimately a divisional clash against a hated rival. The chance to play spoilers, too. The Chiefs are in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the AFC and a loss to the Raiders could put a damper on those ambitions.
By all accounts, the Chiefs should win this game. However, covering the spread is another matter. The Chiefs have struggled against the spread this season, putting up a modest 5-10-1 record through 17 weeks. With spreads of 10 points or higher, they are merely 1-4–0 ATS. Grab the points with the Raiders while you still can.
Bet Later: Giants vs Eagles (-14½)
The New York Giants clinched a playoff spot in Week 17, beating the Indianapolis Colts 38-10 in the process. The Giants are locked in on the No. 6 seed in the NFC, meaning that the outcome of the final week has no bearing on them either way and Brian Daboll could be moved to rest some of his starters as a result.
The same can’t be said of the Philadelphia Eagles, who are still looking to wrap up the NFC East title and, even, the No.1 seed in the NFC. Alas, they’ve seen two opportunities come and go begging with backup Gardner Minshew at the helm of the offense in place of an injured Jalen Hurts.
Mineshew and the Eagles missed the opportunity against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, losing 40-34 to their division title rivals. Last Sunday, they were left stunned by the New Orleans Saints in a 20-10 loss.
As things currently stand, the markets went to press with a whopping 14-point line for this game and it quickly jumped out to Eagles -14½ at BetUS.
Philadelphia is widely expected to win given the incentives to do so, but everything about this market stands in stark contrast with its current form. If anything, the last two weeks have underscored just how important Jalen Hurts is to the offense. So, until we know who is playing in Week 18 – especially from Philly’s camp – then side bettors should wait before pulling the trigger here for their NFL picks.
Bet Now/Later: Lions vs Packers (-4½)
The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are in the race for a Wild Card into the playoffs, putting a premium on their Week 18 matchup.
Both the Lions and Packers have raised their level down the stretch. The Lions have won seven of their last nine games and covered eight of those. The Packers have won four straight and five of their last seven games. They’re also 5-2-0 ATS during this stretch.
The markets opened with the Packers priced at -4½, up from a lookahead NFL line of Packers -3½ after Aaron Rodgers and Co. decimated the Minnesota Vikings 41-17 at Lambeau Field.
Early consensus betting online trends show that the public is high on the Packers. This betting trend could drive the line higher, suggesting Lions’ side bettors might want to wait and see if they can get a better number against the spread.
Conversely, Green Bay backers might be tempted to grab the 4½ points at early doors before the line goes up. Having said that, there’s an argument for those in this group to wait and see what happens. Mid- to late-week buyback on the Lions could drive this line back down again, potentially even toward last week’s unbiased lookahead line.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
