NFL Week 18 expert picks straight up, against the spread

It’s the final week of the 2021 regular season and the first ever Week 18 in history. But, in many ways, this weekend will be no different than any end of the season. Each team will have a matchup within the division, several playoff positions are on the line, and many teams that have already punched their ticket to the postseason are having familiar debates as to whether to rest their starters in the final week of the season or to risk injury but stay fresh.

As a result, the final week of the season is often among the toughest to predict. In division games are always more competitive than they look on paper, and it’s hard to know what to expect from a team like the Green Bay Packers, who claim to be playing their starters, but everyone feels like they’re probably going to rest them at some point on Sunday. Vegas appears to think so, too, as Green Bay is just a 3.5-point favorite according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Regardless, as we always do, our staff made their picks for this week, hoping to make final pushes in the Pride of Detroit standings. Myself and John Whiticar are currently tied with 167-88 records straight up, while Hamza Baccouche has a slight lead over everyone against the spread.

Here’s a look at all of the games we agree on for Week 18:

• Chiefs over Broncos
• Titans over Texans
• WFT over Giants
• Buccaneers over Panthers
• Patriots over Dolphins
• Bills over Jets

Here’s a look at the rest of our picks for the final week of the season.

Note: Our pick for Lions vs. Packers will be revealed on Sunday.