My 2022-23 NFL Picks (Week 18)

Scary scene in Cincinnati on Monday night!  I don't blame them one bit for not wanting to continue after that, and the most important thing is that it looks like Damar Hamlin is going to be OK.  While I completely understand the decision to declare the game a "no contest," it definitely creates a unique AFC playoff situation.  There was no good solution in this unprecedented situation, and what they ultimately decided does seem to be the least-bad option.

Meanwhile, there are Jacksonville Jaguars fans, who are just ridiculous.  Jaguars fans (who root for a team that's been terrible for the better part of 15 years) are upset that their game against the Titans isn't on Sunday Night Football.  Really?  You're upset that your division-deciding nationally-televised game is on Saturday night instead of Sunday night?  C'mon!  It could've been the fourth regional 1:00 game on CBS like every other Jaguars game.  (Side note: The only other option for Sunday night besides Lions-Packers was Bengals-Ravens, which COULDN'T be on Saturday since Cincinnati's coming off a Monday night game.)

Chiefs (13-3) at Raiders (6-10): Kansas City-Kansas City was actually the biggest beneficiary of the Bills-Bengals no contest.  Because, despite losing to both Buffalo and Cincinnati, all the Chiefs need to do to be the 1-seed and get the bye is beat the Raiders.  Of course, the AFC Championship Game will now be at a neutral site if it's Kansas City against either one of those teams, but the Chiefs getting the bye as the only team capable of reaching 14 wins is huge.  And they should be able to do it.

Titans (7-9) at Jaguars (8-8): Jacksonville-I actually want to see the Jaguars win here.  It'd be a great story, especially considering how much of a mess they were last season with the whole Urban Meyer fiasco.  And when you consider they were 4-8 and in third place after getting smacked by the Lions in Week 13.  The Titans were in first place at 7-5 then.  So, yeah, they've been going in opposite ways, which included the Jaguars winning the first matchup between these two in Nashville.  They'll complete the season sweep and host a playoff game as the AFC South champs.

Buccaneers (8-8) at Falcons (6-10): Tampa Bay-Tampa Bay is locked into the No. 4 seed, so I wonder how much we'll see of their starters in the regular season finale.  Although, their offense has been so inconsistent, that it might not be a bad idea for them to play.  It has looked like they've finally started to click in the last two games, just in time for playoff Brady to show up.  Mostly, I just want the Bucs to win so that we don't have a sub-.500 division winner (it actually looked for a while like we certainly would get from one of the Souths, but, fortunately, we might not get one from either).

Patriots (8-8) at Bills (12-3): Buffalo-This is so much more than a football game for the Bills.  They're playing for their brother.  And the outpouring of love for Damar Hamlin all week has been truly heartwarming!  There's only one way that such an emotional week can end.  (As I write this, I'm reminded of the Bills-Patriots game I went to in 2007 where there was a surprise video message from Kevin Everett before the game...New England won 56-10 in the 16-0 season.)  Buffalo will win and wrap up the 2-seed in the AFC.

Vikings (12-4) at Bears (3-13): Minnesota-Minnesota will go into the playoffs as the NFC North champions with a negative scoring margin for the season.  The Vikings have won a bunch of close games and gotten blown out twice, including last week at Lambeau.  Now that they know they can't be No. 1, do they have a preference between 2 and 3?  If they're No. 2, they could get the Packers again.  If they're No. 3, it's a Giants team that they beat on a 61-yard field goal on Christmas Eve.  Regardless of who they play, they'll get a warmup against a terrible Bears team.

Ravens (10-6) at Bengals (11-4): Cincinnati-Baltimore is the one team that really got screwed by the AFC's playoff solution.  Because it's now impossible for the Ravens to win the AFC North.  That would've been impossible anyway had the Bengals won the Bills game, but now Baltimore can win this game to finish off a season sweep of Cincinnati and still finish second by a half-game.  And the Bengals are upset that, should they face each other again next week, the home team could be decided by a coin flip.  Of course, if Cincinnati wins, that won't be an issue.

Texans (2-13-1) at Colts (4-11-1): Indianapolis-When these two met in Week 1 in Houston, it was a very uninspiring 20-20 tie.  Which was really a sign of things to come for both teams.  They both played well against the Chiefs (Indianapolis actually beat them), but that's about the extent of the highlights for this season.  Houston clinches the No. 1 pick with a loss.

Jets (7-9) at Dolphins (8-8): Miami-So...the Jets are on FOX and the Giants are on CBS this week!  Gotta love cross-flexing!  Anyway, Miami, despite riding a five-game losing streak, still has a very realistic shot at the playoffs.  The Dolphins are in with a win and a Patriots loss.  Seeing as New England is in Buffalo, both of those things are very doable.  Miami's quarterback situation is...interesting.  But so is the Jets'!  At the start of December, it wouldn't have seemed so crazy to say the Dolphins will make the playoffs.  And that'll be exactly what happens, as they secure the 7-seed in the AFC.

Panthers (6-10) at Saints (7-9): Carolina-Even though the Panthers were really bad for most of the season, they still showed a lot of promise.  And I'll be very interested to see what they do both at coach and quarterback moving forward.  I also want to know what the Saints will do.  Especially since New Orleans finished with a much better record than I expected this season.  Will they both end up 7-10?  Or will the Saints end up 8-9?  I think it'll be Option A.  For some reason, I think Carolina wins.

Browns (7-9) at Steelers (8-8): Pittsburgh-Never count out the Pittsburgh Steelers, man!  Just when we thought they were out of it, they went on a run and are actually still alive for the final AFC wild card.  Of course, they're third in line, so it'll require a win and losses by both New England and Miami, but it's not impossible.  Will both of those other things happen?  Probably not.  (I don't see the Jets beating the Dolphins.)  But they'll do their part, and Mike Tomlin will continue his remarkable streak of never having a losing season in 16 years as Steelers coach.

Chargers (10-6) at Broncos (4-12): Chargers-Will Sean Payton be coaching the Broncos next season?  How long until they hire him?  I guess it won't be long until we find out the answer to either of those questions.  But first, they have to wrap up their seventh straight losing season since winning Super Bowl 50.  The Chargers, on the other hand, are headed to the playoffs for the first time in four years.  And they'll head into the postseason on a five-game roll.

Giants (9-6-1) at Eagles (13-3): Philadelphia-Thanks to an ill-timed two-game losing streak, Philadelphia hasn't clinched the division or the 1-seed yet.  Which means they have to play everybody (except the injured Jalen Hurts) against the Giants, who are locked into the 6-seed.  That's great news for the Eagles, who manhandled the Giants 48-22 a month ago.  They probably won't do that again.  But, with this game meaning nothing for a Giants team that's traveling next week no matter what, they do get the win and the 1-seed.

Cardinals (4-12) at 49ers (12-4): San Francisco-The Cardinals are one of those teams that can't wait for the season to be over.  And, after the 2022-23 campaign mercifully comes to its end, Kliff Kingsbury's time as Arizona's head coach will almost certainly be done, as well.  San Francisco, meanwhile, moved up to the 2-seed after Minnesota lost last week.  Now, they've even got a shot to move up to No. 1 if they win and the Eagles lose.  The first part (them winning) won't be a problem.

Rams (5-11) at Seahawks (8-8): Seattle-There will be a very interested group of Seattle Seahawks watching Sunday Night Football intently.  Just like Detroit will be keeping an eye on this game rooting pretty hard for the Rams.  Because wins by the Seahawks and Lions puts Seattle in the playoffs.  I don't think anybody was saying about either of those teams at the start of the season.  The team people expected to enter this game looking to clinch a playoff spot was the defending champion Rams.  That's obviously not gonna happen!  Seattle wins and waits.

Cowboys (12-4) at Commanders (7-8-1): Dallas-Poor Ron Rivera.  He had no idea that Washington could be eliminated last week.  Yet that's exactly what happened.  And, now that they are out of it, the Commanders will turn to a rookie quarterback in the season finale.  I'm very curious to see how Dallas approaches this game.  They can still technically be the 1-seed if they win and the Eagles lose, but they know it's far more likely they go to Tampa next week.  So, what do they do?  It really could depend on how things are going in Philadelphia.  Either way, I think Dallas takes care of business in DC.

Lions (8-8) at Packers (8-8): Detroit-Aaron Freakin' Rodgers!  You just can't get rid of that guy!  A few weeks ago, when he insisted the Packers were still alive, nobody believed him.  Yet, here we are, in Week 18, and Green Bay has a win-and-in scenario in Game 272 (or is it Game 271?).  It really is incredible to think about.  It's also crazy that the Lions are in this position!  I'd love to see Detroit get that last playoff berth, but I, sadly, don't see that happening.  After the Seahawks win, they'll be playing just to keep the Packers out.

Last Week: 11-4
Overall: 152-101-2