Whether you can believe it or not, the final week of the NFL regular season is upon us. The playoff picture is already mostly complete, but there are a few games in Week 18 that will play a role in which teams claim the final vacant spots and where they will be seeded. The NFL Week 18 slate kicks off on Saturday with a couple key games in the NFC race, starting with the Panthers vs. Buccaneers at 4:30 pm ET. That NFC South showdown will be followed by an NFC West clash between the Seahawks and 49ers at 8:00 pm ET. Both games will air on ESPN.
On Sunday, there are 6 games slated at 1:00 pm ET, headlined by Browns vs. Bengals, Packers vs. Vikings, and Colts vs. Texans. At 4:25 pm ET, a 6-game afternoon slate will commence with Lions vs. Bears, Chargers vs. Broncos, and Jets vs. Patriots in the spotlight. The Week 18 and NFL regular season action wraps up on Sunday Night Football with an AFC North rivalry battle between the Ravens and Steelers at 8:20 pm ET on NBC/Peacock — one that will decide who wins the division and earns a spot in the playoffs.
Here at Pickswise, we have you covered on EVERY GAME on the Week 18 card! You can find our NFL picks for EVERY side and total, and tail our expert handicappers – who collectively boast a 274-230-4 record this season for +44.4 units of profit! But for now, let’s break down our NFL best bets from our top experts.
NFL Best Bet: Carolina Panthers vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Under 44 (-120)
Odds available at BetMGM at the time of publishing.
Saturday’s opener was set at a total that’s in limbo by all standards, and it’s not-coincidentally right around the same number (43) that their Week 16 battle ended on. At this point, neither team is trustworthy on offense.
Tampa started the season as one of the NFL’s hottest offenses. Their 6-2 run was highlighted by many big Baker Mayfield moments, catalyzed by a receiving corps that was clearly one of the deepest and most talented in the league. In those 8 games, Baker totaled 210+ pass yards in 5, with the offense soaring over 345+ total yards in the same number of games. An early injury to Mike Evans changed the offense, though, taking away the Bucs’ #1 threat. Starting running back Bucky Irving had to sit out in October and returned in the final weekend of November, too, further hampering an offense that was a top unit early on. Off and on injuries to their best offensive lineman, left tackle Tristan Wirfs, didn’t help either.
Fast forward to Week 18, and the Bucs are much healthier, with Evans, Irving, and Wirfs free of any injury designation heading into Saturday. But that’s been the case for a few weeks now, and something just feels off. Of course, Mayfield might not admit it but a left shoulder injury in Week 12 might still be slowing him down. No Liam Coen, their first-class play-caller in seasons past, might be limiting their potential, too. Tampa has failed to surpass 301 total yards in 4 of 8 games.
The Panthers’ offense is subpar by most metrics. They have a good ground game, rated in the top half of the NFL in nearly every category (122.4 per game, 11th), but they rarely produce points (18.6 on average, 27th), nor do they ever create big plays (27th in points and yards per play). They’re average, which means much better, in most of the same categories defensively, and in their first clash with the Bucs, they held Baker and company to just 20 points and 296 total yards (along with a pathetic 4.9 yards per play).
This total is rightly low but not low enough. Considering what’s on the line, the animosity between 2 rivals and the lack of consistent production from both offenses, there’s only one way to look.
Here’s our Panthers vs Bucs prediction, including picks on side and total
NFL Best Bet: New Orleans Saints +3.5 over Atlanta Falcons (-110)
Odds available at bet365 at the time of publishing.
Both New Orleans and Atlanta have played well down the stretch although each of these NFC South rivals are eliminated from playoff contention. The Saints (6-10) are riding a 4-game winning streak, coming off a 34-26 victory at Tennessee. New Orleans grabbed its 3rd victory in the last 4 tries away from the Superdome after starting 0-4 on the road. The Falcons (7-9) have avoided its 10th loss for 3 consecutive weeks, beating the Buccaneers, Cardinals, and Rams. Atlanta jumped out to a 21-0 lead over Los Angeles before holding on for a 27-24 triumph on Monday night as 7-point underdogs.
In the first matchup in New Orleans back in Week 12, the Falcons took care of the Saints, 24-10 as 2-point underdogs. Veteran Kirk Cousins made his first start of the season in place of the injured Michael Penix, Jr., throwing for 199 yards and a pair of scores. The Saints couldn’t get any offense going with their lone TD coming on an interception return. New Orleans missed a pair of field goals and turned the ball over twice, as the Falcons seek back-to-back wins over the Saints for the first time since 2016-2017.
Atlanta has struggled in its last two opportunities as a home favorite, losing to Miami (34-10) and Carolina (30-27). The Saints began the season with a 3-8 ATS record, but stormed back with 5 consecutive covers. Shough has put together back-to-back 300+ yard performances against the Jets and Titans, but posted a 74.1 passer rating in the first matchup with Atlanta. Both teams want to finish the season with a nice winning streak going into the offseason, but let’s back the Saints with the points here to capture their sixth straight cover.
Read our full Saints vs Falcons prediction
NFL Best Bet: Kansas City Chiefs -5.5 over Las Vegas Raiders (-110)
Odds widely available at the time of publishing.
The 2025 NFL season will come to an end for the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders when these 2 AFC West foes clash in Week 18 on Sunday afternoon. Neither team is going to the playoffs — not even close. Even against a team playing as poorly as Kansas City is right now, Las Vegas is pretty much an automatic fade. When the Raiders are getting less than a touchdown, it’s a can’t–miss opportunity — regardless of the opponent. My Chiefs vs Raiders pick is for the visitors to win and cover. Las Vegas was awful even when it was trying to win games earlier in the season. Now head coach Pete Carroll’s club is making no secret about its disinterest — and perhaps even its desire to lose. In Week 17, the Raiders faced the Giants in what was a battle for a stranglehold on the #1 pick in the 2026 draft. Having already shut down their 2 best players — defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers — for the season, Las Vegas unsurprisingly got clobbered by New York 34-10. That’s right; the Raiders lost to the other worst team in football by 24 points.
Kansas City may be wrapping up a horrendous season, but at least you can count on it playing hard through the finish line. The Chiefs lost to the Broncos by only 7 points on Christmas in a game that was competitive from start to finish. Their offense is obviously a problem with Patrick Mahomes sidelined, but it doesn’t have to be very good to comfortably beat Las Vegas. Moreover, head coach Andy Reid’s squad is essentially playing on a mini-bye. Give Reid extra preparation time — even for a meaningless game — and good things usually happen. I’m backing K.C. with confidence.
Don’t forget to check out our Chiefs vs Raiders prediction for picks on both side and total
NFL Best Bet: Buffalo Bills -6.5 over New York Jets (-110)
Odds available at Bet365 at the time of publishing.
This spread has dropped massively with the news that Josh Allen may miss this matchup, but it feels like a huge overreaction and it’s worth jumping all over the Bills to beat the woeful Jets by at least a touchdown. Allen’s potential absence would be a blow for Buffalo, but this Jets defense has completely collapsed in recent weeks, giving up 34, 48, 29 and 42 points across its last 4 games. In fact, New York has lost each of those games by at least 23 points, and if Tyler Shough and the Saints can inflict that sort of damage on the Jets, I have full confidence that Mitch Trubisky can do the same at a rowdy Highmark Stadium.
While the Bills are already locked into a Wild Card spot, they can still improve their seeding and we should still see a spirited effort from Sean McDermott’s team. They had won 4 straight prior to last week’s setback against the Eagles, and Buffalo will no doubt want to gain some momentum ahead of their playoff journey.
As for this Jets team, it’s unbelievable how much they’ve fallen apart in recent weeks. Brady Cook is once again slated to start under center, and while he hasn’t been completely terrible, putting him in a potential snow game in sub-zero temperatures in Buffalo is just asking for trouble. With 10 points or fewer scored in 3 of their last 4 games and the defense set to break all sorts of records by not recording a single interception all season, there’s nothing promising for the Jets here. Even if the Bills do shut down some of their starters for this one, expect them to still pummel New York by at least a touchdown.
We have bets on the side and total in our Jets vs Bills prediction
NFL Best Bet: Pittsburgh Steelers +3.5 over Baltimore Ravens (-110)
Odds courtesy of Fanatics Sportsbook at the time of publishing.
It seems like every year Baltimore and Pittsburgh battle to survive. The 2 perennial top teams in the AFC North last year met in the wild-card round of the postseason — a victory for the Ravens. The year before it was in Week 18 — a Steelers victory that secured their playoff berth, a scenario that also played out in 2021. Needless to say, few rivalries hit as hard as this one — both literally and figuratively.
The Steelers are coming off a humbling loss at Cleveland. On one hand, that feels like a pitiful stumble considering the Browns’ record. But any fan of the NFL knows that games at Cleveland, especially in December, are always weird. The weather and muck of the “Dawg Pound” can throw off even the most buttoned-up outfits. Unsurprisingly, the Steelers’ production in Week 17 wasn’t stellar — just 6 points and 291 total yards on 4.5 yards per play. Their defense played well, permitting just 262 yards and 11 first downs. However, just a single Browns touchdown was enough to secure the home team’s victory.
But as many bettors know, this is where head coach Mike Tomlin — who’s had 19 consecutive winning seasons as the Steelers’ head coach — is at his best. In his career he is 23-9-3 as a home underdog, a hit rate of 66% against the spread. The Steelers will continue to play without DK Metcalf, who was suspended for 2 games for a foolish incident with a fan in Week 16. That’s obviously a considerable problem. Their offense suffered without his presence in Week 17. On the bright side, Tomlin is reportedly “optimistic” that TJ Watt, their all-world defender, will return for this huge game.
In Week 17 the Ravens looked like the program the market has loved all season. The absence of Lamar Jackson didn’t matter, as head coach John Harbaugh apparently responded to screams from the media and fans alike that Derrick Henry needs the ball more. “King Henry” took advantage, rushing for a whopping 216 yards and 4 touchdowns on 36 carries. As a team the Ravens ran for 307, more than enough to out-pace the Jordan Love-less Packers at Lambeau Field.
The big question mark is Jackson. Rumors surrounding Charm City discuss a break in the bond between coach Harbaugh and the dynamic quarterback. No one knows how valid that is. More legitimate is a nagging back injury that kept the All-Pro out of last week’s contest. The reality is that the former MVP just hasn’t looked like himself, with various ailments affecting his performance off and on all season. Pittsburgh knows the Ravens will want a repeat performance from last Sunday, hammering the ball with Henry toward a playoff spot — which we think will put a greater onus on Jackson to lead the offense. That’s not a recipe we like, particularly with Tomlin’s prowess in these situations. We see a Steelers’ victory as very likely, thus we love getting them above a 3. The market just won’t give up on Baltimore.
Here are our Ravens vs Steelers predictions for SNF
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