Best Bets for Week 18 of the 2022 NFL Season | Betting the NFL | LGRN

WEEK 17 RECAP

Week 17 Record: 1-3
Overall Record: 39-42-3

MY BEST PICK

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers (-3)

Final Score: Green Bay 31-17

With how well the Packers week playing going into this game by winning 4 straight games. I felt really confident in this pick because of that. Kirk Cousins did Kirk Cousins things by going 18/31 205 yards 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. They couldn’t run the ball either Cook only had 27 yards. This was due to the Packers playing much better in recent weeks causing 4 turnovers. The Packers’ focus on the run game has worked as Rodgers didn’t really have to do much in this game. The Packers are looking good going into the final week where all they have to do is win and they are in the playoffs. 

MY WORST PICK

Cleveland Browns @ Washington Commanders (-1.5)

Final Score: Cleveland 24-10

I think I just had more faith in Watson playing worse than Wentz in this game and my gamble just did not pay off. Wentz was completely terrible: 16/28, 143 yards, and 3 of the worst interceptions you will ever see. Watson wasn’t that great either despite the 3 touchdowns because he was only 9/18, 169 yards. I thought the Commanders could stop Chubb a little better than they did but when your offense keeps giving the other team the ball the defense is going to get worn down Amari Cooper had a hell of a day with just 3 catches that netted 105 yards and 2 touchdowns. Washington is eliminated by losing and with the Packers winning their game.

FAVORITES

• Straight Up
  • Week 17: 11-4
  • Overall: 161-92-2
• Against the Spread
  • Week 17: 7-8
  • Overall: 108-139-8

HOME TEAMS

• Straight Up
  • Week 17: 9-6
  • Overall: 137-107-2
• Against the Spread
  • Week 17: 8-7
  • Overall: 112-140-2

OVER/UNDER

• Week 17: 7-8
• Overall: 111-142-2

BIGGEST UPSET OF THE WEEK

New Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles (-6)

Final Score: New Orleans 20-10

Another week without Jalen Hurts and another loss for the Philadelphia Eagles this time as a 6-point favorite against a bad Saints team. The Eagles could not get much going offensively as they went 3 and out on 4 straight drives to start the game. Their 1^st first down came when there were 12 seconds left in the first half. Their final 3 drives were two turnovers on downs and a pick-six that sealed the game for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints also struggled to score points on offense even though Dalton was pretty accurate for the most part but did throw a pick. The defense won it for them in one last great effort before being eliminated by the Bucs winning the Division. 

LARGEST COVER ATS

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions (-5.5)

Final Score: Chicago 41-10

Coming off the bad loss to the Panthers, the Detroit Lions took their frustrations out on their division rivals. It was a great way to bounce back and keep their playoff hopes alive by winning seven of the last 9 games. They did it in an offensive explosion of 500 total yards and putting up 41 points. AS most teams who face the Bears defense, they ran all over them with 265 team rushing yards. Goff played well with 3 touchdowns and no picks. The Bears have lost a franchise record of 9 straight losses. Justin Fields was really good running the ball with 132 yards rushing but really bad passing 7/21 75 yards touchdown and an interception. The Lions will need to beat the Packers and have the Seahawks lose if they want to make the playoffs.

BAD BEAT OF THE WEEK

Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots (-3)

Final Score: New England 23-21

The late backdoor cover strikes again in this one. With just 2:25 left on the clock the Patriots as a 3-point favorite at home were up by 10 points and just needed to stop them to at least a field goal to cover the spread. Yet, the Patriots’ defense let 3rd string quarterback Skylar Thompson have a 9-play 61-yard drive for a touchdown that didn’t even give them the lead only allowed them to cover the spread. They were already playing the backup quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater then he got hurt so they were down to their 3rd quarterback. This should have been a much more dominant victory for the Pats at the very least cover a 3-point spread.

WEEK 18 BETS

Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-2.5)

Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season and I don’t think he will start this year. Having won 6 out of their last 8 games has put the Steelers in a position to make the playoffs although they will need some things to go their way as well. They may struggle to score points but Kenny Pickett does make plays when he has to. He did so against the Ravens last week leading 2 80-yard drives to take the lead. Despite Watson throwing 3 touchdowns I don’t think he played well in the game and he hasn’t played well since he became the starter. The main weapon for the Browns is Chubb and we have to face the Steelers’ rush defense which is ranked 6^th in the league. Pittsburgh is 5-1 against the spread in the 6 games. 

New York Giants (+14) @ Philadelphia Eagles

I am going to take Brian Daboll at his word when he says that he will play his starters despite this game not having any meaning for them. We have mentioned over and over the fact that the underdog in divisional games with big point spreads especially between two winning teams is favored. The Giants are coming off a big game against the Colts where they put up 38 points and clinched a playoff spot. The Eagles are coming off 2 straight losses the last one against the Saints where they scored just 10 points. It is still not known whether Jalen Hurts will play or not but even if the does I don’t think he will be 100%. The Giants have been great ATS going 5-1 in their last 6 games and 12-4 overall for the season. The Eagles are not so good against the spread recently going just 3-6 in their last 9 games.

Dallas Cowboys (-5.5) @ Washington Commanders

The Cowboys still have a lot to play for they can either be the 1, 2, or 5 seed with a chance to win the division depending on whether the Eagles win. But they will not know if that is the case because both games are scheduled at the same time. Washington has been an absolute mess for the past 3 weeks. They only scored 12 points against the Giants and 10 against the Browns last week. It didn’t matter who was starting at quarterback whether it was Wentz or Heinicke they struggled on offense. This week they will go with their 3^rd string quarterback rookie Sam Howell making the first start of his career. In the 10 games Dak has been back from injury the Cowboys have scored 24 points or more in every game. Even when they didn’t play very well last week against the Titans, they were still able to cover a pretty big spread as a road team on Thursday Night Football. The Cowboys are 10-6 for the season ATS and 6-2 against Washington in the last 8 matchups. Washington has been terrible ATS lately going just 1-4 in their last 5 games. 

Detroit Lions @ Green Bay Packers (-4.5)

Green Bay controls what happens to that last remaining spot in the NFC playoffs since they will jump Seattle and eliminate the Lions by beating them. The Seahawks play before this game since this game was flexed to Sunday Night Football. If the Seahawks win the Lions will be eliminated and have nothing to play for. I think the Packers have all the momentum going into this game by getting a big win against the Vikings blowing them out 41-17. They have been playing better defense as well as relying more on their run game. I think they will give Goff some problems as they have the 3^rd ranked passing defense. The Packers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins (ML -112)

I am taking the Dolphins on the money line since the line is only one point. The Dolphins are the home team with still a chance at the playoffs if they win this game. The Jets are eliminated from playoff contention and have nothing to play for going into this game. They were really bad last week even with getting Mike White back as their starter. He only completed 50% of his 46 passes scored 0 touchdowns and threw 2 interceptions as the Jets only scored 6 points against a Seahawks defense that isn’t that good, especially against the pass. The Jets’ way to win is to play good run the ball and play good defense and they didn’t do either last week. Kenneth Walker ran for 133 yards on the Jets and the Jets only ran for 75 yards as a team. I think the Jets are packing it in this week which gives the Dolphins the advantage. We are still not sure who start for the Dolphins but I think they will put everything they have into this game. The Jets are just 1-4 in their last 5 games ATS.

If you want a more in-depth look at this week’s picks, watch the YouTube video below.