This 21/22 NFL season has been a wild one, it’s been a fun one, and one that has given us many twists and turns. There have been some huge surprises, and with some teams, the “same ole, same ole” is the new normal. Losing is a way of life and the culture for more than a couple of teams and we must start with the Lions. We have given the Lions much credit for many of their close losses, but at the end of the day, close means nothing. This team is back to square one – awful. There is no other way to describe the mess with this franchise. Should the coaching staff be given another chance? YES, until a team commits to winning and the ownership is on board; winning will never happen. The Jaguars are in the same boat; however, they had the brass to fire Urban Meyer in his first year and that shows us ownership that cares. The Jaguars have taken the time to draft and acquire talent, they are a franchise that wants to win and when Trevor Lawrence turns the corner, (and he will) this team will turn the corner. Remember, this team has seen its glory day. Think back to how long it’s been for the Lions. The Texans, Jets and the Panthers are teams that are not a lick better than the Jaguars and the Lions. They somehow found a way, found a lucky bounce or two, and won a couple of games more than the before mentioned. There is parity in the NFL at three levels. There is a top-tier, a middle, and a bottom. The top-tier is exciting and it’s also crowded. Any of these teams could win the Super Bowl this year. Starting with the Packers, the Chiefs, the Bills, the Bengals, the Titans, the Colts, the Patriots, the Buccaneers, the Eagles, the Rams, the 49ers, the Cardinals, and the Cowboys. Any one of those teams just named – has a legitimate chance to win this year’s Super Bowl. The teams that are stuck in the middle and floundering are the Falcons, the Dolphins, the Raiders, the Chargers, the Saints, the Seahawks, the Vikings, the Steelers, the Ravens, and the Broncos. The teams that need a complete reboot, rebuild, or a do-over – the Browns, YES – the Browns. They need to fire all of the coaching staff once again and find people that can build a simple game plan that utilizes who could be an all-pro quarterback. What a sad mess the Browns are. Baker is not the problem. The Lions, Panthers, Texans, Jets, Jaguars, and the Giants. They are all terrible, they have terrible ownership/and or coaching, and they need to overhaul 100%. This year’s playoff run involves several teams that have a legitimate shot. There has never been a year in the NFL quite like this one. We feel that every playoff team has a shot to win the Super Bowl. Follow this year’s playoffs closely because they will be fun and we guarantee that you can win some money. Find a great offshore bookmaker, ask for a fantastic deposit bonus and start winning. The real NFL season is about to start! Chiefs -11, 45 The Chiefs head to Mile High having beaten the Broncos in 12 consecutive games. There was once a day when the shoe was on the other foot and the Broncos owned the Chiefs. The Mahomes era has ushered in a realignment of sorts, it has certainly brought confidence and swag to a team that couldn’t buy a win in Denver. The Broncos have struggled to find an identity this season, and have been searching for who they are as a team for several seasons. John Elway brought Fangio in to be the defensive guru that he was thought to be. His defense is solid and has remained steady even with the loss of Von Miller. The offense has been terrible. Every week brings some new disaster, and last week’s loss to the Chargers knocked them out of playoff contention. The Chiefs are looking to lock up a first-round bye, and home field throughout the playoffs, a win today, get them exactly what they want. Pick: Chiefs -11, Under 45 Cowboys -4.5, 43.5 The Cowboys have put together a solid football season but not the dream season the talking heads said it would be. In many ways, this Cowboys team is the same ole Cowboys that we have seen for a decade. The kicker with this team is the spread, they are 12-4 against it! Needless to say, this is a fantastic record and it’s hard to think of betting against them unless they have nothing to play for and the coaching staff would rather protect the players. Is that what we are looking at this week? It sure could be. The one thing the Cowboys have is the possibility of moving up to the No. 2 seed, which could turn into a big deal should a No. 1 seed lose somewhere along the way. Is that a possibility? Absolutely, it is. The Eagles are in the playoffs and the only real benefit to winning this game is the simple fact that it’s always nice to enter the playoffs on a winning note. Having said that, who cares more, the Eagles or the Cowboys? Pick: Cowboys -4.5, Under 43.5 Browns -6, 38 This game comes down to the battle of the Bengals backups. Are they better than the Browns without Baker Mayfield? Probably they are. Who is in and out for the Browns other than Baker, who knows, it will be a game-time decision? One would think most of the available starters would play for the Brown and that indeed, this team will play for pride. Should they win without Baker, it will mean nothing in a football conversation but will mean everything to the faithful that shows up and purchase a ticket. This game simply means nothing to the Bengals and has to mean much more to the Brown, with or without Baker. Burrow is not playing and most of the starters will not be in this game for the Bengals. Pick: Browns -6, Over 38 Packers -3, 44.5 The Packers are 13-3, they clinched the division weeks ago, they are the No. 1 seed and they will have the week off before hosting a playoff game. They have nothing to lose if they lose to the Lions. The question is, can the Lions starters beat the Packer’s backups? Without Jared Goff, it’s doubtful. Goff is a game-time decision, and of course, he wants to play. The \Lions have had some of the worst luck this season and they have been in the thick of many games they lost. Aaron Rodgers is the MVP and it matters not what any voter says. The media can say what they choose to say about Rodgers and his politics or his stance on the vaccine, but this man is the MVP. Should he play? Probably not. Will he, probably. We say he plays for most of the game and should it be a blowout at the half, then he doesn’t play the second half. Either way, he probably doesn’t play the 4th quarter. Pick: Packers -3, Under 44 Vikings -5.5, 44 The Bears have shown the faithful in Chicago, they do indeed care, and they want to win. This game is dangerous for the Vikings and well, listen, we admit it right here, we are biased against the Vikings. Sorry Vikings fans, but listen – when will your team decide they do want to win? They have not wanted to win for a very long time now. They get a great quarterback but they give him no defense and the coaching staff can’t put a game plan together to save their lives. The Bears have obvious questions at the quarterback position and they have many questions that must be addressed but think like this… Would you have thought that in week 18 of this season, the last week of the season, that the Bears would have one less win than the Vikings? Neither would we have thought this. Pick: Bears +5.5, Over 44 Washington -7, 38 The “Null” as they are called. NO, really. Some of the biggest and most well-known sports networks are calling the former Redskins, the “Null”. Well, we won’t touch that, let’s just say wow, we are living in weird times! Washington has shown some great qualities this season and they have committed to hiring a great coach in Ron Rivera. The problem we have with Washington is not the coaching that gets changed as often as dirty socks but the owner who’s doing the changing. Will Dan Snyder let Rivera coach this team? If he does, then it’s a guarantee this team will get much better and become a contender. If he follows the path of his past, there is no way he lets Rivera do anything. As bad as Washington has been, they are getting better and the Giants are getting worse. Pick: Washington -7, Under 38 Colts -15, 44 The Colts MUST win or they are out. Here is the problem, they have lost the last 6 against the Jaguars. Whatever is in the water in Jacksonville, works against the Colts. They have even beaten them in London, they have the Colt’s number. That was then, this is now. The Jaguars are awful and the Colts have the motivation to win this game and they will. They will destroy the Jaguars. This game will be a 34-10 kind of beat-down. The Jaguars have no offense of any kind and Trevor Lawrence has been terrible. We love Trevor and he will get better, however, he was doomed this year with Urban Meyer. What a disaster he and the Jaguar’s organization have lived through the last few seasons. Jonathan Taylor has had an MVP kind of season and led the field by 529 yards. He could sit out this game and still win the rushing title, he could have set out the last three games and still won it. He will run amuck over the jaguars, look for 150 yards plus. Look for the Colts to go deep in the playoffs, they can play with anybody and they can beat anybody. Pick: Colts -15, Over 44 Ravens -5, 41 As Big Ben touches down on the Tarmac in the greater DC area and walks down the jetway, he will be flooded with emotion. This game will be emotional for this great quarterback. There have been some fantastic battles between these two and Ben has been right in the thick of it all. Unless the Steelers win this game, this will indeed be Big Ben’s last game in the NFL. On the 5th of December, the Steelers eked out a win against the Raven in Pittsburgh, 20-19. That was the latest classic battle and the Ravens were favored. The Steelers have not been anything impressive this season at the number 24 spot on offense and the 21 spot on defense. The Steelers, No. 21 in all of the NFL on defense – think about the great Steelers teams that won the Super Bowl with Ben, they played stellar defense, not 21st. Times have changed but we know this, they can beat the Ravens. The Ravens are pretenders and if they do win this game, they are going nowhere in the playoffs. Roethlisberger is 16-10 against the Raven and if they make, the playoffs, not only do they need a win over the Raven, but they also need the Colts to lose in Jacksonville. We don’t see that happening on any level. The Raven can get in if they beat the Steelers combined with a Colts, and Charger’s loss, and a loss or tie by the Dolphins. It’s fairly safe to say that neither the Raven nor the Steelers are getting in but the Steelers will play .500 football for the 18th consecutive season. Big Ben gets this win. Pick: Steelers +5, Over 41 Titans -10, 42.5 The Titans simply need a win to earn a first-round bye and the AFC’s number one seed. All they have to do is show up for this game and beat a team that has notched 4 wines all season long. The Titan’s journey this year has been solid, it’s been a good one, however, they have had their share of bumps along the way, including a 13-22 loss to this team, the Houston Texans. The Titans come into this one having won three of the last five games including a smackdown over the streaking Dolphins, 34-3, a huge come from behind win, a game they were down in at home during the half, 0-10 – they clawed their way back and found a victory over the 49ers, 20-17. They took a loss to the Steelers on the 19th of December, 13-19, they bet the pants of Jacksonville, 20-0, and on the 28th of November, they lost to the Patriots, 13-36. This team has a solid offensive scheme with weapons all over the field. They can go deep on anybody or run you to death all day, they can do both very well. The defense has been inconsistent, not bad at allowing 20.6 ppg, just inconsistent. The Patriot’s loss was inexplicable. The Patriots are a solid football team and the loss was in Foxboro, but they allowed 36 stinking points! \Too many. Have they corrected the problem? They allowed 22 to the Texans. Will they keep a chip on their shoulder for this rematch? We think this one will be closer than 10 points. The Titans get the win but not the cover. Pick: Texans +10, Under 42.5 Saints -3.5, 40 The Falcons have no chance to get in the playoffs this year, they were eliminated last week. The Saints need a win over the Falcons and a 49ers loss against the Rams, in LA. We can’t lie, the Saints have been underwhelming at best. The problem we have with the Falcons is their lack of offense and their gross and utter lack of defense. They allow 26.8 points per game but only score 18.3 points per game. This team has fallen off the competitive train over the last couple of seasons and it is sad. They have one of the very best facilities to play in and a rabid fan base that hangs around at any cost, and they still have Ryan. A one-time Super bowl contender. Not just a contender but he had a huge lead over Tom Brady just a few short seasons ago. What happened to this Falcons team? They are bad, and it seems they do not commit to getting better. Even though the Saints have been a bit boring, we must give them credit for picking up the pace over the last few games and finding some big wins. The loss to Dallas five weeks ago on the 2nd was unfortunate, 17-27, they had their chances in that game but couldn’t come up with the key plays. They went on to beat the Jets, 30-9, the Buccaneers, and Brady, by a shocking final score of 9-0, then lost to Miami, 20-3, and last week they picked up a victory against the Panthers 18-10. Much like the Colts, win and in. The Saints will be motivated to make the playoffs and they win big. Pick: Saints -3.5 Bills -16, 40.5 This crazy Buffalo Bills team, they are in, but wow, did they make it interesting this season. The Bills are at full strength with one exception, Emanuel Sanders, Sanders is listed as doubtful and he probably doesn’t play. Why risk injury when he can be 100% for the playoffs? Zach Wilson is back this week for the Jets and we like Wilson, this guy is going to be a good quarterback in the NFL but he won’t be effective against the bills linebacking core, and an exceptional defensive backfield. In fact, we would set the total on Wilson’s fumbles at 3, and take the over! The Jets are awful and Wilson is back after missing all these weeks and he has to try and do something in his last game of the season against maybe the best defense in the NFL. The Jets are going to get rocked. You heard it here. Pick: Bills -16, Over 40.5 Rams -4.5, 44.5 The 49ers have a good quarterback in Garoppolo, the man can play football and he learned from the best when he was riding the bench in New England. We do not doubt his ability to play. We do, however, doubt the 49ers’ ability to win a big game. This team can’t seem to get over that hump. If they bet the Rams in LA and surprise the world, well ok, we will take our lumps, and we will apologize to all the 49ers fans in the world. That’s a lot of people to have to say “I’m sorry to”! The 49ers are a loved franchise and they certainly have their loyal fans, but this means nothing. The Broncos have loyal fans as well, the Raiders have loyal fans, the Seahawks… On it goes, can they win a big game? We don’t think so. The Monday night win over the Rams in San Francisco, yea, that was then, that was in SF, and that was different, this is now, this is in LA and this is for the Rams to say we belong here, and we will not back into the playoffs. Pick: Rams -4.5, Over 44.5 Patriots -6, 40 Much like the Jaguars Vs the Colts, the Dolphins are looking for not their 6th, but their 3 rd straight win over the Patriots. This rivalry goes way, way back. The Dolphins have hated the Patriots for decades, as well as the Patriots have hated the Dolphins for decades. This rival goes back to Marino and before. It’s a good one and this week will be no exception. The Dolphins come in healthy, the Patriots come in beat up with Folk, Agholor, Harris, and Meyers, all listed as questionable. Ronnie Perkins is on the injured reserve list. The Patriots have proven one thing – they can win without Tom Brady. We will not argue whether or not Brady is the GOAT, he may well be the GOAT but we will argue that Bill Belichick is absolutely the GOAT. Anybody that argues against the idea that Brady was a system quarterback – well, they are just wrong. Brady was indeed a system quarterback and Bill had the best system that probably ever existed. He perfected “the system”. If indeed Brady is the GOAT, he was the GOAT in a system and as a system quarterback. Bill was the best, and Brady fit in right where he needed him, and they did nothing but win together, in a system. This Patriots team is proof of the system, if they had an experienced quarterback, the Patriots would be right back where they were when Brady was still in town. Today, in this heated rival game, the Dolphins pick up this win, they are the better team on the field. Pick: Dolphins +6, Under 40 Seahawks vs. Cardinals Preview Cardinals -6.5, 48 The Rams must lose to the 49ers and the cardinals must win this game to win the NFC West. The Cardinals are in the playoffs, that’s a done deal, but we don’t believe in the 49ers. We don’t believe in the Cardinals moving past the first round of the playoffs, but we do think they win this game against the Seahawks. The Cardinals started this season out like a possessed group of players that were on a mission to conquer the world. They looked like the Rams with Kurt Warner. This team was hot and they were playing fantastic football. Then reality set in! They come into this last game having lost three of the last five games including a loss to the Lions, 12-30. The Seahawks could play spoiler in this one. No matter, it will be close, and we are taking the points. We like the cardinals on the money line win, but not -6.5. The Seahawks are still a proud franchise and Wilson would love to snag this one on the road. Coach Pete would love to snag a win. You can bet the Seahawks will be ready and play well in this final game of the season. Pick: Seahawks +6.5, Over 48 Panthers vs. Buccaneers Preview Buccaneers -8, 41.5 Vegas is playing this one with caution simply because the Buccaneers have not proven to be infallible. They are a good football team but they can be beaten. This is not you old school Patriots Tom Brady, this is an older and wiser Brady but minus a few of the weapons he once had and minus his youth. Can he win it all again, sure he can, will he? It’s anybody’s game right now. The Colts could win the Super Bowl, any playoff team is capable of winning it all this year. The Bengals could win it all. The Bucs are playing for s number 2 seed, and they will smack the Panthers. This game will never be close. Brady wants this, and he will get it. Pick: Buccaneers -8, Under 41.5 Chargers -3, 49.5 If you are from anywhere west of the continental divide, this is a fun game. This is a fun game if you love football. No matter what part of the country you are from there couldn’t be a better choice this week than the Raiders Vs. Chargers from Las Vegas. All they need is a win, and they’re in. If the Raiders win, they are in, if the Chargers win, they are in. The Raiders have won three straight to keep their hopes alive. Last week against the Colts, 23- 20, the week before against Denver, 17-13, and in Cleveland, on December 20th, 16-14. The Raiders do not have the goods to advance in the Playoffs but they just might have enough to beat their fierce rival, the Chargers. This one will be hard-fought, and close. In Vegas, we love the Raiders to win this thing. Pick: Raiders +3, Over 49.5 This week may be the last week of the regular season but the real fun is just starting. Be sure to tune in next week for the latest on the playoffs and who will win you big money going forward. There are many at least 8-10 teams that have a full-on, legitimate chance to win it all this year. Have fun this week, win some money now, stack it up and play hard come playoff time. This is what betting the NFL is all about. Find a great offshore bookmaker, one that has a great reputation for fast payouts and fair bonuses. You need a great offshore bookie to complement your domestic sportsbook. You need them to keep each other honest. Good luck this week, have fun, see you in the playoffs.Chiefs (11-5, 8-8-0 ATS) @ Broncos (7-9, 7-9-0 ATS)
Cowboys (11-5, 12-4-0 ATS) @ Eagles (9-7, 8-7-1 ATS)
Bengals (10-6, 9-7-0 ATS) @ Browns (7-9, 7-9-0 ATS)
Packers (13-3, 12-4-0 ATS) @ Lions (2-13-1, 10-6-0 ATS)
Bears (8-7, 6-9-0 ATS) @ Vikings (9-6, 10-5-0 ATS)
Washington (6-10, 6-9-1 ATS) @ Giants (4-12, 6-10-0 ATS)
Colts (11-4, 8-7-0 ATS) @ Jaguars (4-11, 5-10-0 ATS)
Steelers (8-7-1, 7-9-0 ATS) @ Ravens (8-8, 8-8-0 ATS)
Titans (11-4, 8-7-0 ATS) @ Texans (8-7, 7-8-0 ATS)
Saints (8-8, 8-8-0 ATS) @ Falcons (7-9, 6-9-1 ATS)
Jets (4-11, 7-8-0 ATS) @ Bills (8-7, 7-8-0 ATS)
49ers (9-7, 8-8-0 ATS) @ Rams (12-4, 8-8-0 ATS)
Patriots (10-6, 10-6-0 ATS) @ Dolphins (8-8, 8-7-1 ATS)
Seahawks (6-10, 8-8-0 ATS) @ Cardinals (11-5, 10-6-0 ATS)
Panthers (5-11, 5-11-0 ATS) @ Buccaneers (12-4, 8-8-0 ATS)
Chargers (9-7, 8-8-0 ATS) @ Raiders (9-7, 7-9-0 ATS)
NFL Week 18 Betting Preview | Sides and Totals
