Saturday’s NFL action: The Seahawks earned the NFC West title and the conference’s No. 1 seed with a 13-3 victory over the 49ers (+2.5). The Bucs beat the Panthers 16-14, but didn’t cover the closing -3 and will need to await the results of the Saints-Falcons game to see if they advance as the NFC South champions. An Atlanta victory would force a division tie with Tampa Bay and Carolina at 8-9 and the Panthers win a three-way tiebreaker based on head-to-head results.
AFC North Title Preview
The AFC North title and the final playoff berth will be on the line tonight in the 272nd and final NFL regular-season game.
Matt Youmans shares his thoughts on Ravens (-3.5) at Steelers (8:20 ET, NBC):
Lamar Jackson’s return should be a boost for Baltimore, but that’s debatable. The Ravens are 6-6 in 12 starts by Jackson, who has been an inconsistent passer while rushing for a career-low 28 yards per game. The point spread is inflated, partly due to Jackson’s comeback and also because Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh offense looked so pitiful without DK Metcalf.
👉 Matt’s Best Bets on this game and others.
Zach Cohen offers this opinion in his game preview:
Pittsburgh already earned a win over Baltimore this year, but it took a vintage performance from Aaron Rodgers to get it. I don’t see that happening without Metcalf, and I’m not sure the Steelers are going to have an answer for Henry’s legs. In fact, I think there’s a decent chance this game isn’t all that close.
👉 Zach’s play on the side, plus a prop bet.
Other Best Bets columns
👉 Pauly Howard (kicking props)
Josh Appelbaum will post his NFL Sharp Report this morning.
Everything we do on Week 18 will be posted here, including Makinen’s Analytics Report.
FYI: I ran the Analytics Report through ChatGPT and the top play was Bengals -7.5 vs. the Browns.
Other NFL resources
>Fantasy Points WR/CB Matchup Tool
FYI: Handy guide to player incentives heading into Week 18.
>DraftKings/Circa Betting Splits
VSiN Pro subscribers have access to the plays from hosts and guests on our NFL picks page.
Millions on the line today at Circa
The Circa Million, worth $1 million to the winner, and Circa Survivor, with $18.7 million at stake, will be decided today.
In Survivor, the final six contestants went this way:
Dylan W – Falcons
GaryA – Patriots
Real Bro – Jags
Juicy Kewchi – Vikings
Kick Up Your Knees – Vikings
Partz1 – Bengals
In the Million, there are 13 contestants within four points of the lead. >>Standings.
The top 5 consensus is already off to a 1-2 start. The most popular pick was Bucs -2.5 (L), followed by the Steelers +3.5, Seahawks -1.5 (W), 49ers -1.5 (L) and Rams -7.
COYNEHOP-1 leads the field by 1 point and went with Bucs -2.5, Seahawks -1.5, Dolphins +10.5, Giants +3.5 and Titans +1.
Check out our contest hub for complete consensus picks and individual selections.
Quick Hits
NBA: Zach Cohen‘s Best Bets and Steve Makinen‘s Analytics Report will hit around mid-morning on our NBA page. Our Opta AI NBA player props projections are here.
College Basketball: Greg “Hoops” Peterson has his Best Bet for today’s menu. Look for picks from Adam Burke mid-morning on our college hoops page.
Get real-time steam alerts from the DonBest Screen. Sign up now for a 7-day free trial at go.donbest.com. Use the promo code VSIN10 for 10% off your initial subscription.
NHL: VSiN hockey analyst Jonathan Davis will post his Best Bets around mid-day.
Soccer: VSiN soccer analyst Nigel Seeley offers his top plays for weekend EPL.
