The NFL regular season is finally coming to an end. Week 18 begins and the final 16 games of the season will be played. The 2025 NFL Playoffs begin next weekend, but the playoff spots will be finalized before then. Of course, the same goes for the first 18 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This weekend will be a difficult one to predict. Some teams have nothing to play for, some teams have everything to play for, and some teams have at least a little something to play for in the final game of the regular season. Perhaps the easiest prediction is that the Chiefs, Bills, Texans, and Eagles will probably rest some of their starting pitchers. They each have secured a playoff spot and, more importantly, a specific seed in the playoff bracket, so they don't have to play this weekend.
Teams fighting for a playoff spot include the Falcons, Buccaneers, Broncos, Dolphins, and Bengals. The Falcons and Bucks are competing for the NFC South title, and only one of them has a playoff berth. The Broncos, Dolphins and Bengals are vying for the final wild card spot.
The Ravens, Steelers, Vikings and Lions have all qualified for the playoffs, but will be competing for the AFC North and NFC North titles. On Saturday, the Ravens will play the Browns and the Steelers will play the Bengals. Vikings and Lions face off sunday night football.
Last week was a solid week, but they took a hit with a low confidence pick in Week 17. They went 11-5 overall but 2-4 with low confidence picks. I removed all four upset picks.
We're back to our weekly confidence at the end of the regular season. Below is my complete list for week 18. A game with three asterisks (***) after it indicates a game where I am choosing a losing bet to win. If a particular team surprises us and rests a starter, we may update these as news of inactivity comes in.
High reliability (40-14)
Ravens vs. Browns
Bucks are better than Saints
Moderate confidence (92-28)
falcons over panthers
packers vs bears
Broncos vs. Chiefs
charger against raider
Dolphin surpassing jet plane
Low reliability (41-42)
bengals vs steelers
Commanders who control the cowboys
titans vs texans
colts vs jaguars
Bills surrounding the Patriots
Giants vs. Eagles***
seahawks vs rams
Cardinals over 49ers
Vikings vs. Lions***
