NFL Week 18 Parlay: Odds, Picks & Predictions

As you’d expect heading into the last week of the NFL’s regular season, there are several ways for many teams to get into the postseason. There’s a lot at stake this week, and here, we’ll build a three-leg parlay to sort through it. 

The odds on this parlay are +595 over at DraftKings Sportsbook. You can bet this now and receive a $1,000 deposit bonus when you click our link and sign up for a new account. 

Let’s dive in. 

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans

Pick: Jaguars -6.5 (-110) at DraftKings

Playing at 8:15 pm on Saturday, the Jaguars and Titans are playing in a “win, and you’re in” game. 

That’s right—the winner of this game will win the AFC South and make the postseason.

The Jaguars are nearly touchdown favorites at home, and it’s hard to dispute that.

The Titans are starting quarterback Joshua Dobbs. He’s been in the league for about half of a decade, but he never started until last week against the Dallas Cowboys. He played far better than fellow quarterback Malik Willis, throwing for 231 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

However, against the Jaguars, he’ll take on a team allowing less than 200 passing yards and 101 rushing yards per game. 

The Jaguars allow just one touchdown pass and 0.3 rushing touchdowns per game in that same span.

Meanwhile, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has played fairly efficiently, while the running game has handled business. However, if you look back to Weeks 14 and 15, Lawrence had a combined seven passing touchdowns.

The Titans will have running back Derrick Henry back, but now that there’s some tape on Dobbs and the fact that he’s on the road, the Jaguars should handle this and win by double-digits. 

Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots

Pick: Bills -7 (-110) at DraftKings

At the time of this writing, we have just heard that Bills safety Damar Hamlin is conscious and communicating via writing. While he has a long road to recovery, this is undoubtedly the best news given the circumstances. 

In fact, he even asked the doctors who won the game on Monday night, assuming they continued playing.

It’s unclear how the NFL will handle that game, whether they void it or not, but with the Bills set to play this weekend against the Patriots as just seven-point favorites, you have to think they’re going to go out there play exceedingly well on Hamlin’s behalf. 

They’re currently the No. 1 seed, but either way, they will go out there at full strength and handle business. 

This is a totally emotional pick but a valid one. 

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

Pick: Vikings -7.5 (-110) at DraftKings

There are multiple scenarios where the Vikings can move up and down in seeding, starting with a road win over the Bears. 

If the Vikings win and the San Francisco 49ers lose, they’ll get the No. 2 seed and take on whoever gets the No. 7 seed. 

However, if the Vikings lose, they’ll drop to the No. 3 seed and play the No. 6 seed. They’ll also have to go on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, or Dallas Cowboys, depending on the results of those games, should they advance in the playoffs.

All of this is to say that it’s likely that the Vikings will play their starters for the majority of the game.

The Vikings haven’t played extraordinarily well lately, but against the Bears on the road, they’ll face a team with Nathan Peterman as the starter. In his career, Peterman has completed 52.1% of his passes on 144 attempts for 612 yards, three touchdowns, and a staggering 14 interceptions. He’s also only averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. 

Furthermore, players like Jaquan Brisker and Jaylon Jones didn’t practice on Wednesday, so their health has some question marks. 

With Peterman under center, there’s no reason to have faith in this Bears offense.