Henry Roldán
As the NFL’s Week 18 approaches, one of the most thrilling regular seasons in recent memory is coming to an end. Due to this, next weekend is expected to be quite emotional. As always, at JefeBet, we provide you with the best NFL predictions for all of the week’s games.
Without further ado, here are our predictions for the 16 games that will be played between January 7 and January 8 in the National Football League.
All odds shown are courtesy of BetMGM..
[the_ad_placement id=”sports-nfl”]
Predictions, Odds and Betting Previews for All 2022 NFL Week 17 Games Running from January 7-8, 2023
Kansas City Chiefs (-450) vs Las Vegas Raiders (+350) / Saturday, January 7 / 4:30 PM E.T.
- Chiefs Spread: -9.5.
- Raiders Spread: +9.5.
- Over/Under: 53
Pending the Bills-Bengals matchup, the Chiefs have a great opportunity to close the campaign on the right foot and even be crowned the best team in the American Conference. After their 24-27 victory over the Broncos, Kansas City has a 13-3 record and is on track to fulfill its role as the favorite to win the Super Bowl with what is considered the best offense in the league with the presence of Patrick Mahomes.
On the Raiders’ side, for the umpteenth time this campaign, the team from Las Vegas was not able to define a game and last weekend they were eliminated after losing in overtime against the 49ers by a score of 37-34. With Derek Carr sidelined, the Raiders will surely have the incentive to give their division rival a lick and improve their record to 6-10.
Prediction: Over.
[Chiefs vs Raiders NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Tennessee Titans (+240) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (-300) / Saturday, January 7 / 8:15 PM E.T.
- Titans Spread: +6.5.
- Jaguars Spread: -6.5.
- Over/Under: 38.5.
The AFC South title will be on the line this Saturday when the Titans and Jaguars face off in NFL Week 18.
After Tennessee appeared to have clinched the division at mid-season, six consecutive losses have them up against the wall and in desperate need of a win in Jacksonville. The Titans are 7-9 after losing 27-13 to the Cowboys. For this game, their quarterback will be Joshua Dobbs after Ryan Tannehill was placed on IR. Derrick Henry, their star running back, is also doubtful due to hip discomfort.
While the Titans have gone from bad to worse, the Jaguars have won four consecutive games, including the one in Tennessee in Week 14. Jacksonville has everything in its control to earn a spot, and even if they lose, certain events combined could still allow them to in as the final AFC wild card. However, they arrive prepared to add another victory to their record of 8-8 after trouncing the Texans 31-3.
Prediction: Jaguars Spread.
[Titans vs Jaguars NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Baltimore Ravens (+240) vs Cincinnati Bengals (-300) / Sunday, January 8 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Ravens Spread: +7.0.
- Bengals Spread: -7.0
- Over/Under: 42.5
The Ravens lost their chance to challenge the Bengals for the AFC North title after their 16-13 loss to the Steelers. Without Lamar Jackson, Baltimore’s offense has not found a way to get going and needs a win in its visit to Cincinnati to avoid losing the first wild card of the Conference if the Chargers come out on top in their game. Baltimore, a team with a 10-6 record, has one of the best offenses in the circuit, but without Jackson they haven’t been able to do much to maintain it.
Meanwhile, the Bengals need a win to keep their hopes of clinching the NFC lead pending the resumption of their game against the Bills. Cincinnati has already been crowned AFC North champion and has what’s necessary to fight for its second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Under Joe Burrow, this team has one of the most dangerous aerial offenses; this is the main reason why this team has eight victories in a row and a 12-4 record.
Prediction: Ravens Spread.
[Ravens vs Bengals NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+140) vs Atlanta Falcons (-165) / Sunday, January 8 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Buccaneers Spread: +3.0.
- Falcons Spread: -3.0.
- Over/Under: 40.5
Tampa Bay secured a postseason berth last week after clinching first place in the NFC South after several days of uncertainty. The Buccaneers defeated the Panthers, their closest challengers, 24-30, to clinch their division with an 8-8 record. Todd Bowles has already stated that he will not save his starters for this game.
Meanwhile, Atlanta has been eliminated for a couple of weeks now, despite a 19-20 win over the Cardinals last weekend. The Falcons will play this game in an effort to avoid placing last in their division and to determine their position in the next NFL Draft.
Prediction: Under.
[Buccaneers vs Falcons NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
New England Patriots (+275) vs Buffalo Bills (-350) / Sunday, January 8 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Patriots Spread: +7.5.
- Bills Spread: -7.5.
- Over/Under: 42.5
Thanks to their 21-23 victory over the Dolphins, the New England team has a ticket to the postseason in their hands if they can get a win in their visit to Buffalo. With a record of 8-8, the Patriots are the owners of the third wild card in the AFC, the same one that is being sought by three other teams. There is no doubt that the team coached by Bill Belichick will have a tough test against the AFC leader and in order to come out on top, they must rely on their powerful defense, the same one that has brought them this far.
The sad circumstances surrounding safety Damar Hamlin for the Bills not only caused the NFL to postpone the game against the Bengals, but it also remains to be seen how it will impact the team’s morale knowing that their teammate is still receiving serious care. Buffalo would continue to be the best club in the National Conference with a victory, and the NFC standings would not be known until the Cincinnati game’s final result.
Prediction: Patriots Spread.
[Patriots vs Bills NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Minnesota Vikings (-175) vs Chicago Bears (+145) / Sunday, January 8 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Vikings Spread: -3.5.
- Bears Spread: +3.5.
- Over/Under: 45.5
With last week’s 17-41 loss to the Packers, Minnesota lost any chance of contending for the best record in the National Conference. Already qualified for the postseason with a 12-4 record, the Vikings are just waiting to find out where they will finish in the conference and who they will face as NFC North champions.
For their part, Chicago is the second-worst team in the league, with a 3-13 record after nine consecutive losses. The Bears defense was a complete disaster in the second half of the campaign, and it would even be beneficial for them not to win this game against the Vikings in order to get a better position in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Prediction: Over.
[Vikings vs Bears NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Houston Texans (+120) vs Indianapolis Colts (-145) / Sunday, January 8 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Texans Spread: +2.5.
- Colts Spread: -2.5.
- Over/Under: 38.
With their victory over the Titans two weeks ago, Houston proved that they are professional and won’t lose games intentionally in order to gain the top pick in the next draft. But these Texans don’t struggle to lose, and they just suffered a 31-3 defeat at the hands of the Jaguars, dropping their record to 2-13-1.
Indianapolis is another of the big disappointments of this campaign, and with six consecutive losses is one of the five worst teams in the league. For their part, the Colts have just been outscored 38-10 by the Giants and, with a 4-11-1 record, are in third place in the NFC South, only behind the Texans. It’s worth remembering that these two organizations met in Week 1: this game ended in a 20-20 tie.
Prediction: Under.
[Texans vs Colts NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
New York Jets (-105) vs Miami Dolphins (-115) / Sunday, January 8 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Jets Spread: +1.5.
- Dolphins Spread: -1.5.
- Over/Under: 38.
The Jets were officially eliminated last week after posting their fifth straight loss and falling to a 7-9 record. The offense was once again the main issue for New York, a squad that has now gone 12 seasons without making the playoffs and that just suffered a 6-23 loss to the Seahawks. With this result, the Jets cannot reach the last AFC wild card held by the Patriots and for which the Dolphins are also fighting.
Miami must win in this matchup while waiting for other outcomes, like New England’s demise (the Dolphins lost to them last week with a score of 21–23, which eliminated them from playoff contention). They are in the middle of a five-game losing run and will likely have to play this game again without their two starting quarterbacks, Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater, who are injured (concussion protocol and right hand injury respectively).
Prediction: Under.
[Jets vs Dolphins NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Carolina Panthers (+155) vs New Orleans Saints (-190) / Sunday, January 8 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Panthers Spread: +3.5.
- Saints Spread: -3.5.
- Over/Under: 41.5.
The Panthers came close to pulling off the upset last week by leading Tampa Bay until the third quarter, but Tom Brady and his combination with Mike Evans came along to crush their hopes. Carolina ended up losing that game 24-30 and now, with a 6-10 record, they will face the Saints with the mission of not finishing at the bottom of the most mediocre division in the league, the NFC South.
The New Orleans team was also fighting until last week for the division, but Tampa Bay’s win eliminated them from the postseason despite their big 20-10 win over the Eagles. The Saints’ defense once again showed how good it is, but ultimately the team ended up paying for the large number of fumbles on offense throughout the season, which places them with a 7-9 record.
Prediction: Under.
[Panthers vs Saints NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Cleveland Browns (+125) vs Pittsburgh Steelers (-150) / Sunday, January 8 / 1:00 PM E.T.
- Browns Spread: +3.0.
- Steelers Spread: -3.0.
- Over/Under: 39.
The Browns come into the game eliminated but on a mission to spoil their opponent’s party for the second week in a row. The Cleveland team already knocked off the Commanders last week with their 24-10 win, and this week they might do the same against a division rival like the Steelers. With a late awakening, the Browns came close to sneaking into the wild card fight, but in the end it wasn’t enough.
Those who did manage to wake up on time were the Steelers with six wins in their last eight games. That great streak, which they maintained last week with a 16-13 win over the Ravens, has them in with a chance of sneaking into the third wild card in the AFC with a win and losses by the Patriots and Dolphins. This is a complex scenario but not impossible to happen.
Prediction: Steelers to win.
[Browns vs Steelers NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
New York Giants (+650) vs Philadelphia Eagles (-1000) / Sunday, January 8 / 4:25 PM E.T.
- Giants Spread: +14.0.
- Eagles Spread: -14.0.
- Over/Under: 42.5
The Giants sealed their first postseason berth since 2016 last week after a 10-38 win over the Colts. New York established itself as the second wild card in the NFC with a 9-6-1 record, and it remains to be seen how many of its regulars take to the gridiron this Sunday heading into next week’s playoffs.
The Eagles will undoubtedly have every tool at their disposal to win the National Conference and finish first in the NFC East. They’ve failed to achieve it with two straight defeats, and they’re hoping that their star quarterback, Jalen Hurts, will be back this Sunday to try to get the crucial win.
Prediction: Over.
[Giants vs Eagles NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Dallas Cowboys (-200) vs Washington Commanders (+165) / Sunday, Jan. 8 / 4:25 PM E.T.
- Cowboys Spread: -4.0.
- Commanders Spread: +4.0.
- Over/Under: 42.
The Cowboys hope to unseat the Eagles from first place in the NFC East and, why not, to take home the conference’s best record as the season comes to a close. Even though for the latter they also need a 49ers loss, Dallas is in fantastic form after routing the Titans 27-13 last week, and they won’t hold anything back when they visit Washington,
For their part, the Commanders were unable to put together a great second half of the season and were eliminated last week after being outscored 10-24 by the Browns. Carson Wentz, who returned to the starting lineup, underperformed and was unable to keep his team in contention for the NFC’s third wild card after dropping his record to 7-8-1. This Sunday, however, they have a great opportunity to finish with a positive winning percentage for the first time in the last five years and give their divisional rivals a licking.
Prediction: Over.
[Cowboys vs Commanders NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Los Angeles Chargers (-175) vs Denver Broncos (+145) / Sunday, January 8 / 4:25 PM E.T.
- Chargers Spread: -3.0.
- Broncos Spread: +3.0.
- Over/Under: 40.5
The Chargers are coming off a strong finish to the campaign, and last week they won their fourth game in a row with a 10-31 victory over their crosstown rivals, the Rams. With a victory and a Ravens defeat, Los Angeles, which has already qualified for the postseason, could clinch the first American Conference wild card. Five weeks ago, when they were trying to avoid going into the red, this seemed unimaginable.
On the Broncos’ side, the situation is completely different. Despite battling the Chiefs, they were outscored 24-27 and sit at the bottom of the AFC West with a 4-12 record. Denver’s poor season ended with the firing of Nathaniel Hackett a couple of weeks ago and we’ll see if Russell Wilson and company will bid a dignified farewell to a very disappointing campaign after their arrival with fanfare.
Prediction: Chargers to win.
[Chargers vs Broncos NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Los Angeles Rams (+240) vs Seattle Seahawks (-300) / Sunday, January 8 / 4:25 PM E.T.
- Rams Spread: +6.5.
- Seahawks Spread: -6.5.
- Over/Under: 41.5.
The Rams, the defending NFL champions who said goodbye to the playoffs and lost again last week after being defeated 10-31 by the Chargers, must be at the top of the list of the most disappointing teams of the year. Baker Mayfield fixed one of the worst offenses in the league, and this Sunday, they will be looking to avoid finishing among the worst records in the circuit with a 5-11 record.
The Seahawks need a win and the Packers to lose to the Lions to get into the postseason. The Seattle team is one of the great revelations of this championship and comes from winning its last game after beating the Jets with a 6-23 slate. Geno Smith has been a luxury replacement for Russell Wilson and together with one of the best offenses in the circuit, Seattle is dreaming of returning to the playoffs.
Prediction: Seahawks to win.
[Rams vs Seahawks NFL Week 18 full betting preview]
Arizona Cardinals (+600) vs San Francisco 49ers (-900) / Sunday, January 8 / 4:25 PM E.T.
- Cardinals Spread: +14.0.
- 49ers Spread: -14.0.
- Over/Under: 40.
The Cardinals are one of the worst teams of the season, and this Sunday they will not have an easy matchup to close out the regular round schedule when they take on the 49ers. In addition to not having Kyler Murray on the roster, Arizona has six straight losses and is last in the NFC West with a 4-12 record.
San Francisco still has a chance to qualify as the best team in the National Conference with a win and another Eagles loss. The 49ers have nine consecutive wins and are one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl after leading the NFC West with a 12-4 record. Since they’ll play at the same time as Philadelphia, the Bay Area should go all out in search of another victory.
Prediction: Over.
[Cardinals vs 49ers NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
Detroit Lions (+180) vs Green Bay Packers (-225) / Sunday, January 8 / 8:20 PM E.T.
- Lions Spread: +4.5.
- Green Bay Spread: -4.5.
- Over/Under: 42.5
The NFL’s regular round schedule and Week 18 close with a gripping Sunday Night Football between the Lions and Packers.
By the time of the game, Detroit will know if they are eliminated from contention or if they are still in with a chance of making the postseason. The Lions need a loss by the Seahawks and a win against the Packers to qualify as the third wild card in the NFC. However, a Seattle win automatically eliminates them from the postseason by losing the head-to-head matchup against them. Let’s recall that the team from Detroit, who own an impressive offense, is 8-8 after winning seven of its last nine games.
Green Bay, meanwhile, needs just one win in front of its home fans to make a historic comeback to the postseason. With four straight wins, most recently last Sunday’s 17-41 win over the Vikings, Aaron Rodgers and company have the pass in their hands. It doesn’t really matter how the Seahawks perform early, as with a victory over Detroit, the Packers would have a better winning record against Conference teams.
Prediction: Over.
[Lions vs Packers NFL Week 18 full betting preview here]
