Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again! There is now only this week left of the regular season. With that there is still a few playoff spots still open to those that want it. Those who are out of it are already looking forward past Week 18 and into the future. In this post I will post a New Years Resolution NFL style, Week 18 playoff picture, preview and picks. As well as the Early and Late TV Broadcast pairings. Let's get to work!
New Years Resolutions: NFL 2023 Edition
Atlanta Falcons: Convince Russell Wilson to join your team
Baltimore Ravens: Probably don't need to do anything but try not to be a one and done team in the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills: Keep winning and go for broke and take the AFC East from the Dolphins.
Carolina Panthers: Try to find a head coach and keep him for more than a year.
Chicago Bears: Don't move out of Soldier Field.
Cincinnati Bengals: Hope that Joe Burrow's injuries in 2023 will prove to be a healthy championship run in 2024.
Cleveland Browns: Maybe finding a quarterback in the bargain bin in Joe Flacco is better than a 100+ million dollar man in DeShaun Watson.
Dallas Cowboys: Try to not shit the bed in the playoffs.
Denver Broncos: The Russell Wilson era was probably more than an average to sad era in Broncos history.
Detroit Lions: Win a playoff game.
Green Bay Packers: Keeping a quarterback for 15+ years and torment the rest of the NFC North.
Houston Texans: Achieve a playoff spot and build your team for the future.
Indianapolis Colts: Have Jim Irsay not spend so much on things.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Actually win the AFC South by a better margin next year.
Kansas City Chiefs: Quit dropping the ball and stop blaming on refs for your own mistakes.
Las Vegas Raiders: Keep a head coach longer than a year.
Los Angeles Chargers: Get a high level head coach
Los Angeles Rams: Let other teams find diamonds in the rough, you keep finding them.
Miami Dolphins: Actually try to win a playoff game this season.
Minnesota Vikings: Win games and stop giving your fans false hope.
New England Patriots: Try not to throw a stupid interception at any moment.
New Orleans Saints: Maybe need more than just one resolution.
New York Giants: Apologize to your fans for having so many blowout losses.
New York Jets: Hope that Aaron Rodgers Achilles tendon is built by steel next season.
Philadelphia Eagles: Have your fans be nicer people. Might be a tough stretch there.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Try to get into the playoffs so that the Yinzers can calm down.
San Francisco 49ers: Not try to break a bone during the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks: find some defensive players for your team. You'll need it.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: try to win 10 games next season. You don't need to give your fans that much of a heart attack.
Tennessee Titans: give Derrick Henry the reins at quarterback and running back. Really.
Washington Commanders: Don't really need to have one. You got a new owner that isn't a POS.
NFL Playoff Picture: Week 18
With the final week of the regular season upon us, there is a few spots left for the playoffs. For those who are currently in a spot, they just have to win and in. For those who are out, looking in they have some work to do. Let's take a look at the AFC.
Week 18 Preview
The Eighteenth week of the National Football League's regular season will start in Baltimore, Maryland and will finish in Miami, Florida. Week 18 will feature a 16-game slate where all 32 teams will play. No teams are on a bye this week. Both CBS and FOX will have doubleheaders this week due to the NFL TV contract. They both had a doubleheader in Week 1 as well. Let's get to the picks!
Week 18 Picks
Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.
Pittsburgh (9-7) @ Baltimore (13-3) (ABC; 4:30 pm): TW: Steelers; CV: Ravens
The Steelers beat the Seahawks and the Ravens beat the Dolphins last week. Week 18 starts with an intriguing matchup in the AFC North. Pittsburgh needs to win and they will likely be in need of a Bills, Jaguars, or Texans-Colts ending in a tie. It feels that the other scenario will be the easier of the two. Baltimore hasn't yet said whether or not they will rest their starters or play them either some of the game or all of the game. Personally I would let them play a series and then let them rest. The Ravens won't be playing football for at least two weeks. Pittsburgh has a hot quarterback in Mason Rudolph. Baltimore doesn't have a lot to play for but pride in the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. I'll take the Steelers in the case of the Ravens resting their starters.
The Falcons lost to the Bears and the Saints beat the Buccaneers. An NFC South showdown. Atlanta needs a win to have a small chance to get into the playoffs as the NFC South division representative. Atlanta has been somewhat of a wishy washy team. Their offense has kind of played better with Taylor Heinicke whereas it has done better with Desmond Ridder. At some point it needs to get better. Bijan Robinson should be utilized a bit more. New Orleans could very well win this game as they have a solid offense where they can beat you on both the run and pass games. I don't really trust the Saints to do anything right and same for the Falcons. I'll take the Falcons to spite New Orleans.
The Vikings lost to the Packers and the Lions lost to the Cowboys last week. Detroit is having the best season in over a decade. They would like to continue their run and possibly get better seeding. They will need to win and have the Commanders provide some help and beat the Cowboys. Minnesota doesn't have a lot to play for except for pride and playing well enough for people to look at you in the offseason. They could play spoiler as well. Detroit could lose the game and won't fall a whole lot as the 4th seeded Buccaneers are at 8-8 at the moment. The Lions made it a close game against the Vikings in Week 16 and I feel it will be the same again in this one.
The Jaguars beat the Panthers and the Titans lost to the Texans last week. The road to the playoffs is simple for the Jaguars. If they win, they are in. If they lose then they might be in a bit of trouble. Fortunately by the time they start this game, the Jaguars will know that they need to win. The Texans-Colts matchup will decide itself. Maybe the big win against the Panthers might give the Jaguars the needed momentum that teams want heading into the playoffs. What they face is a Titans squad that isn't having the best of seasons. Their team is a mess judging by their record. What they could possibly do is play spoiler to the Jaguars. I know that Colts and Texans fans will like nothing more than to see the top dog fall down. I think the Jaguars will take it.
The Buccaneers lost to the Saints and the Panthers lost to the Jaguars last week. The scenario is simple for the Buccaneers, if they win, they win the NFC South for the 3rd consecutive time. If they lose and the Saints beat the Falcons, Tampa is out. Fortunately for the Buccaneers, they play against the worst team in the NFL in Carolina. I like the Bucs chances in the game as they possess a functioning offense and a defense that is halfway decent. Carolina is having a rough season. They would like nothing more than to finish it up on a high note. The high note beating the Buccaneers. Personally, I think the Panthers will attempt to give it their all in this game and to knock the Bucs out. I feel somewhat safe with the Buccaneers.
The Broncos beat the Chargers and the Raiders lost to the Colts last week. Both teams won't have much to play for. Denver is looking into the future and will throw Jarrett Stidham again into this game. Gone are the days of Russell Wilson as he will move onto greener pastures in the offseason. The take on Stidham has been kind of mixed. He threw for 224 yards with a touchdown last week. He will have a bit of a challenge against the Raiders defensive front. Las Vegas has had the season that resembles a roller coaster. At least they have won games. I think they should give Antonio Pierce the reins and help guide this team into 2024. The players like him and the fans seem to respond well to him. I'll go with the Raiders.
The Chiefs beat the Bengals and the Chargers lost to the Broncos last week. The defending champs made it to the playoffs and will be the representative for the AFC West for the 8th consecutive year. That will mean a home playoff game in Arrowhead next week. Patrick Mahomes and company haven't had the best season ever by any stretch. Maybe beating up on the cellar dweller Chargers can inspire them to stop dropping passes and play solid football. The Chargers won't be seeking more football past this week. They will have a lot of work to do to figure out who is going to be their head coach next year. At this moment I don't see them winning this game. Unless the Chiefs are actually wanting to rest their starters. I'll take the risk and take the Chiefs.
The Rams beat the Giants and the 49ers beat the Commanders last week. Matthew Stafford will be resting in this game. In his stead will be journeyman quarterback Carson Wentz. Yep that guy will be starting. The past on Carson Wentz has been mixed to probably below average. A one-year wonder in 2017 and then fell off a cliff afterwards. Hard to say whether or not his team's offense will also rest their players but he has a decent shot to give his team a backup role next season. Let alone him getting the reins after Stafford leaves. The Niners locked up the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs and will get the bye next week. They will be resting their starters likely. It could be interesting how well they can play in a couple of weeks for the Divisional playoffs. Suffice to say, I like the Rams in the matchup and think they will continue their march of momentum into next week.
The Bills beat the Patriots and the Dolphins lost to the Ravens last week. The regular season ends with the AFC East division championship up for grabs. The Bills certainly have the momentum on their side. They have the balance on offense that had been lacking in the earlier part of the season. Getting Ken Dorsey off of Offensive Coordinator duties and putting in Joe Brady in made a bit of a difference. Will be interesting to see how well they play against Miami. Miami had looked like they'd run away with the AFC East. Losses to the Titans and now the Ravens have the Dolphins reeling. They could possibly rebound. Typically the Bills tend to do rougher in Miami but that's usually because of the hot Florida sun. It'll be a bit cooler for this game. I'll take the Bills to take the cake.
Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings
Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings
CBS Early
For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2023: Week 18 Maps
Records
Week 1: 10-6
Week 5: 6-8
Week 10: 6-8
2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2
Week 1: 9-7
Week 3: 11-5
Week 10: 7-7
2019: 161-94-1
2022: 166-103-2
See you all Sunday/Monday night for the Week 18 Recap! Enjoy the games!
-Tom
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