The NFL playoff picture is coming into focus, with 12 teams having locked up spots and the remaining two spot to be determined in winner-take-all matchups in Week 18.
Other key matchups will determine playoff seeding, including the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers meeting with the top seed in the NFC on the line. The loser will have to play a road playoff game.
Matt Bowen, Joe Fortenbaugh, Pamela Maldonado, Eric Moody and Seth Walder looked at the early Week 18 odds and identified which ones are worth jumping on now before potential shifts later in the week.
Bowen: Assuming Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ top offensive skills players are up for this one, I’ll take Dallas to cover the spread. Prescott has thrown for multiple touchdowns in back-to-back games, and he’ll have matchups to target at the second and third level of the field. Big plays here. Last week: Steelers -4.5 at Browns (Browns won, 13-6)
Maldonado: The Jags can carry the total on its own, averaging 27 points per game, 35 in their last three, converting in the red zone, and not going conservative when ahead. The Titans have been on an offensive surge in the last few games, more than functional. Cam Ward is showing as of late that he’s capable of pushing the Titans into scoring range when game script forces volume, which is all the over needs. Last week: Cowboys-Commanders over 50.5 (Cowboys won, 30-23)
Moody: The Bengals are expected to play their starters in Week 18, including Joe Burrow. Cincinnati has scored 82 points in its last two games, and the Browns should put up points against a Bengals defense that has allowed the second-most points per game this season. Last week: Lions -6 at Vikings (Vikings won, 23-10)
Walder: He just recorded the highest QBR game in the metric’s history (since 2006) with a 99.8 against the New York Jets on Sunday. That moves him up to being the clear leader in QBR on the season, three points clear of the next-highest player (Jordan Love). And with the San Francisco 49ers winning Sunday night, the Los Angeles Rams were knocked out of contention for the NFC West. While that shouldn’t really matter, the fact that Los Angeles will only be a wild card while the Patriots won their division and still have a chance at the No. 1 seed will likely hurt Matthew Stafford’s case in some voters’ minds.
Note: Odds by DraftKings Sportsbook and subject to change.