NFL Week 18 Matchups: Can Cincinnati Wrap Up the AFC North Title?

Injured Buffalo Safety Damar Hamlin On Minds of All NFL Teams and Players

New England Looks to Secure Final Playoff Spot in AFC

The NFL is still reeling after seeing Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin receive CPR on the field after going into what medical personnel said was cardiac arrest.

Even as the league prepares for the NFL Week 18 matchups, NFL officials are treading carefully to make certain that they don’t do anything that makes it appear like playing the games is more important than the health of a player who almost died on the field.

Naturally, the Cincinnati-Buffalo game was stopped and no plans have been announced for when to resume the game that will have a say in what team earns home-field advantage for the AFC playoffs.

The uncertainty with that contest carries over into Week 18 with both Buffalo and Cincinnati having their games being played on Sunday and televised by CBS. The Buffalo-New England game has a 1 p.m. ET kickoff and so does the Bengals-Ravens game.

New England and Pittsburgh are among the teams fighting it out for the final playoff spot in the AFC while Cincinnati can clinch the AFC North Division title with a win. On the other end of the spectrum, a loss by Houston would give the Texans the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Game of the Week

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

Date & Time: Sunday, Jan. 8, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
Moneyline: New England +280, Buffalo -350
Line: Buffalo -7.5
Streaming: Live Stream Sports

The Patriots might have saved their season with a Week 17 win over Miami. Now comes the ultimate challenge in one of the most anticipated games among the NFL Week 18 matchups. Winning at Buffalo is difficult during normal circumstances. However, facing a Buffalo team that will be playing for teammate Damar Hamlin will be a different story.

Until the NFL comes up with a contingency plan regarding the completion of the Bills-Bengals game, it is uncertain what this game will mean in Buffalo’s quest to earn home-field advantage in the playoffs.

As for the Patriots, a win would put them into the playoff field. A loss could make things a little more interesting.

The New England Pats receivers DeVante Parker and Jakobi Meyers are among the players listed as questionable.

The game opened with Buffalo favored by 10.5 points, but the line has moved to -7.5


Other Games to Watch

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

Date & Time: Sunday, Jan. 8, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Moneyline: Houston +120, Indianapolis -140
Line: Indianapolis -2.5
Streaming: Live Stream Sports

When pondering the Week 18 NFL scores, somebody has to win this game.

The Indianapolis Colts have dropped six games in a row as the decision to appoint Jeff Saturday as the interim coach without any previous coaching experience above other high level candidates has generated predictable results.

None of the quarterbacks have been particularly effective for either team and you can expect both teams to use the draft to address the position.

A loss would give the Houston Texans the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft and the Texans could go with a quarterback there or use the selection from the Cleveland Browns, which could be in the top 10, to snare a QB. Currently, the Colts would pick fifth.

The Colts have been outscored 97-16 since halftime of the Minnesota Vikings game when the Colts squandered a 33-0 lead.

Indianapolis and Houston were outscored 69-13 in Week 17 so this is hardly one of the more anticipated games of the 2022 NFL season.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers

Date & Time: Sunday, Jan. 8, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
Moneyline: Cleveland +130, Pittsburgh -150
Line: Pittsburgh -3
Streaming: Live Stream Sports

There is an extra incentive for both teams to finish off the 2022 regular season with a win and that makes a game to watch among the NFL Week 18 matchups.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won three games in a row to improve to 8-8 and remain alive for the final playoff spot in the AFC. Meanwhile, Cleveland wants to win since its first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft belongs to Houston as part of the Deshaun Watson trade.

Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett hasn’t been asked to do much in the last two games as he has thrown for 412 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. One of the TDs was a game-winning toss to running back Najee Harris. Harris’ strong play is one reason why the NFL Week 18 spreads list the host Steelers as the favorite.

Speaking of Harris, he has 250 rushing yards and eight receptions during the three-game winning streak.

The Cleveland Browns have won two of its last three games with Amari Cooper snaring touchdown catches of 46 and 33 yards in last week’s win over Washington.

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

Date & Time: Sunday, Jan. 8, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati
Moneyline: Baltimore +230, Cincinnati -280
Line: Cincinnati -6.5
Streaming: Live Stream Sports

As is the case with the Buffalo games, there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding this game and the playoff picture implications when looking at the NFL Week 18 matchups.

If the Cincinnati Bengals win, they take the AFC North Division title. Obviously, if the NFL announces that the game against the Bills goes down as a no-content or tie, that would also give the division crown to the Bengals.

However, until a decision is made about last week’s suspended game against Buffalo, it is unknown how this game will impact Cincinnati’s quest to earn the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

The Bengals have won seven games in a row while Baltimore Ravens have dropped two of its last three games.

Tyler Huntley threw for 130 yards in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh and 100 of them went to tight end Mark Andrews so obviously Baltimore missed injured quarterback Lamar Jackson.

For Cincinnati, Ja’Marr Chase needs 40 yards to join teammate Tee Higgins with 1,000 receiving yards this season.

Jackson joins cornerback Marcus Peters and defensive tackle Calais Campbell as key Baltimore players listed as questionable while it is worth monitoring the status of Cincinnati defensive end Sam Hubbard as well.

Follow us on Twitter


Want more articles like this? Check these out:

 

Back to top button

pointspreads

WHO WILL WIN?

Submit your vote and view the results
Hey Again

vote all you can

pointspreads

PS-email

PS-email

Robot_subscription sombras
Subscribe to get
get_expert_img
Thank you for subscribing subscribed_icon