Week 18 Panel Picks: Bills Circling the Wagons, Packers in Danger vs Chicago
Last week, Theo got several games wrong. He missed on the Cardinals upset, whiffed on the Seahawks, and— well, that’s it. The panel leader went 15-2 which tied my record that I set back in week 2. His huge week gave him a three-game cushion at the top of the panel, but with five weeks to play, it’s not over just yet. George and I are both hot as well, going 13-4 a piece in week 17. On the other side of the panel, Josh is completely and utterly hopeless. He finished two games worse than everyone else, and four games below Rahul, who he is “fighting” with to get out of last place. The full standings and week 18 picks are below.
Primetime Games
Early Window
Late Window
Most alike picks: Ray only picked 2 games differently from Jackson and Theo.
Least alike picks: 4 duos picked seen different results. George/Webb, Webb/Theo, Theo/Josh, and Josh/George all picked seven games differently.
Most upsets picked: Ray, George, and Theo each picked 2 upsets.
Least upsets picked: I went all or nothing, and picked 7 upsets.
Most picks with majority: Ray was not once in the minority.
Most picks against majority: I picked against the majority 5 times.
What Stands Out?
George and Theo were smart to pick the Chargers. They are favored by three points due to the Chiefs resting their top starters. LA will also be motivated to get their first win under Giff Smith in what might be his only opportunity as a head coach.
The Packers vs Bears showdown will be as exciting as advertised. The panel was split on that game, and with the Bears looking like a top 5 team on both sides of the ball, this Midway rivalry has the potential to be the best game of the week.
How could we not talk about week 18 without bringing up Bills vs Dolphins? Buffalo led the vote 6-1 on the panel with George being the lone Dolphins believer. If the Jaguars beat the Titans, and the Dolphins were to beat the Bills, Buffalo would miss the postseason altogether.
If the Raiders do as well as the panel thinks they will at home against the Broncos, Antonio Pierce will be likely to keep his job, especially after Mark Davis made the mistake of not re-hiring Rich Bisaccia in 2022.
Theo just needs a Bills, Jets, Eagles, or Rams win to lock up the best record in the regular season. All eyes will turn towards the playoffs where games count for double.
Playoff Picture
Let’s pretend our majority pick in each matchup won this weekend. Here would be the playoff matchups on Wild Card Weekend if that were the case.
AFC
(1) Baltimore Ravens vs BYE | For the second team in five season, Baltimore’s top starters will have three weeks of rest heading into the divisional round.
(2) Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans | Josh Allen’s first playoff start was against the Texans. The Bills lost 22-19 in OT.
(3) Kansas City Chiefs vs (6) Miami Dolphins | Kansas City beat Miami 21-14 in Munich in week 9 of this season.
(4) Jacksonville Jaguars vs (5) Cleveland Browns | This is the 4th straight year where that the AFC 5 seed has the same or a better record than the AFC 4 seed.
NFC
(1) San Francisco 49ers vs BYE | The Niners will face the Eagles in the second round of the playoffs if all the favorites win next week.
(2) Dallas Cowboys vs (7) Los Angeles Rams | Dallas beat LA 43-20 in week 8 of this season.
(3) Detroit Lions vs (6) Green Bay Packers | In both games between these two division foes this season, the road team was victorious.
(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs (5) Philadelphia Eagles | Jalen Hurts’ first career playoff game was a 31-15 loss vs Tampa Bay.
This is the last weekend with 16 games until next September. Enjoy it while it’s here!