NFL Week 18 Picks From the MMQB Staff

Published 4:00 am Thursday, January 4, 2024

It’s Week 18! There is a lot at stake in the final week of the regular season, but there will also be plenty of weirdness with some teams resting key players before the playoffs.

The biggest game of the week is the de facto AFC East championship game, with the Miami Dolphins hosting the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football. This is a rematch of a game the Bills won easily in October, as the Dolphins seek their first division title since 2008.

There are two Saturday games, with the Pittsburgh Steelers fighting for their playoff lives against the Baltimore Ravens, who have already locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC. And the Houston Texans will face the Indianapolis Colts in a game where the winner will make the playoffs and the loser will not. Our staff is unanimously on board with C.J. Stroud and the Texans.

And get ready for cameos from [SNL credits voice] … Carson Wentz! Jeff Driskel! Tyler Huntley! Blaine Gabbert! Thankfully the playoffs will be here before you know it.

Here’s who is picking games this season.

Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter

Conor Orr, senior writer

Gilberto Manzano, staff writer

Matt Verderame, staff writer

John Pluym, managing editor

Mitch Goldich, editor

Claire Kuwana, editor

All picks are straight up. Visit SI Betting for picks against the spread. Favorites were determined as of Wednesday at noon, before some teams made decisions about which players to rest in Week 18.

Red squares denote upsets.

Marketplace