The final regular season schedule is here for football fans to enjoy and there’s plenty on the line here. Not only are some teams fighting to get into the playoffs, but there’s important seedings to be finalized as well. With that said, we have NFL Week 18 picks with Chargers favored over Raiders among the most intriguing showdowns. Which teams will record must-need wins?
It goes without saying, but the pressure is on Justin Herbert to record a win for Los Angeles this weekend going up against Las Vegas. The way things are set up here, the winner of this matchup will grab one of the AFC Wild Card spots and lock in their postseason berth. On the other side of things, the loser will have a much longer offseason, as they’ll be eliminated from contention.
For the Chargers, they’ve been inconsistent over the last month. They have what it takes to be one of the most exciting teams in the league, but then at the same time they can also record a disappointing showing. This was made clear a couple weeks back when they suffered an upset loss going up against the Houston Texans. It will be on Herbert to play at a high level.
| NFL Week 18 |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers to win | -142 | -142 | -142 | -142 |
| Raiders to win | +120 | +120 | +120 | +120 |
| Ravens to win | -230 | -230 | -230 | -230 |
| Steelers to win | +190 | +190 | +190 | +190 |
As for the Las Vegas Raiders, Derek Carr simply has to step his game up. He himself has been way too inconsistent and the turnovers are always going to be a concern. He could be getting some major help this weekend, though, as reports have surfaced saying that star tight end Darren Waller could finally make his return to the gridiron for this team. That’d be huge.
According to the best rated online sportsbooks, the Chargers hold -142 Las Vegas NFL odds. As for the Raiders, they’re underdogs at +120. This could turn out to be a memorable game, with both teams playing for their playoff lives. At the end of things, though, we’re going to have to go with the Chargers as our pick. Agree? Check out our NFL betting sites to get a wager in.
In another big meeting, the Ravens are big favorites going up against the Steelers. These two teams have hopes of potentially getting an AFC Wild Card spot as well, but the odds sure aren’t in their favor, as they’ll need the Indianapolis Colts to lose against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Regardless of that, both Pittsburgh and Baltimore will fight with everything they have on Sunday.
Pittsburgh just recorded an emotional win during Monday Night Football, as it was likely Ben Roethlisberger’s final game at Heinz Field. While Big Ben hasn’t officially announced his retirement, all signs are pointing to this being his last season with the team. He of course doesn’t want his career to end without going to the playoffs one last time. The team lost in the AFC Wild Card round to Cleveland last year.
As for Baltimore, the team suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17. Lamar Jackson once again missed that showdown due to his ankle injury, with Tyler Huntley getting the start. This team just isn’t the same without Jackson out on the field. There’s hope he might be able to play this weekend, but Jackson could end up sitting this one out as well.
Per the oddsmakers, Baltimore is the favorite regardless of who the QB is, as they hold -230 odds. The Steelers are the underdogs with +190 odds. These two AFC North rivals will be ready to put on a show on Sunday, as it could turn out to be a great game as well. While Roethlisberger will hope to try and keep his NFL days going, we’re going with Baltimore as our pick to win it.
It goes without saying, but the Colts should dominate the Jaguars in Week 18 when they face off on Sunday. The Jags have recorded one of the worst NFL seasons we’ve seen in quite some time. There was plenty of excitement for the squad after they took Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick in last spring’s NFL Draft. Instead, he’s had a rough rookie season.
Meanwhile for the Colts, they can lock in their trip to the playoffs with a win on Sunday. Carson Wentz will be motivated too after Indy suffered a tough, last-second loss to the Raiders in Week 17. Luckily for them, though, they can still make the postseason with a win to close out the regular season. To make things even better, they take on Jacksonville.
With Indy’s offensive playmakers, of course highlighted by the play of speedster Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis really should have no issues at all in taking down Jacksonville. We wouldn’t be surprised at all if they end up covering the spread, which has been set at 15.5 points. As our pick, we’re not only taking Indy to win, but we’re going with them to cover that spread too.
