Casino City's Week 18 NFL Circa Million IV Pro Football Contest Picks
Now, as we look ahead to the final weekend of the regular season, we FINALLY did it! The Casino City team hit the first 5-0 week of the season bringing us back over .500. Hopefully we can maintain that record with our Week 18 picks.
The leader in the contest sits with a 57-25-3 record with eyes set on the $1 million first-place prize. Unfortunately, our team isn’t projected to finish in the money, but let’s end on a high note and we’ll aim for better results next season.
#CircaSportsMillion IV ????
— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) January 5, 2023
Week 18 Contest Point Spreads
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Jacksonville -6 over Tennessee
What a difference a year makes! Last year at this time the Jaguars were limping to the finish with an interim head coach, and the only ray of hope was the first pick in the NFL Draft. Fast forward to this Saturday, and with a win, Jacksonville, which sits at first place in the AFC South with an 8-8 overall, 3-2 in the division, not only will win the division, but will also be heading to the playoffs. In the way for the Jaguars is their division rival the Titans (7-9 overall and also 3-2 in the division), who with a win would also win the division title and head to the playoffs.
Jacksonville, which defeated Tennessee, 36-22, earlier this season on the road, could possibly still sneak into the playoffs despite a loss provided Miami, New England and Pittsburgh also lose their games. However, the Jaguars, who haven’t been to the playoffs since 2017, aren’t going to leave anything to chance as they are 4-0 against the spread during their four-game winning streak.
Pack The Bank!@tech_mahindra | #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/wOUksD8V7w
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 5, 2023
New York Jets -1 over Miami
Earlier in the season when they were 8-3, you would’ve assigned a playoff spot to the Miami Dolphins but after dropping five straight, they are on the outside looking in. Miami needs to win and hope the Patriots lose to the Bills in Buffalo in order to get in.
The biggest problem? The Dolphins could very well be using a third-string quarterback come Sunday as Tua Tagovailoa is still dealing with another concussion and Teddy Bridgewater injured a finger on his throwing hand last week against New England. The team may be forced again to turn to Skylar Thompson, a rookie out of Kansas State.
The Jets also have struggled getting quality play from the QB position. However, Mike White is expected to be the guy on Sunday. Say what you want about his inconsistency, but he is one of the tougher players on that Jets team. He has been crushed by massive hits in the backfield and he continues to fight to get back on the field to help his team.
Sure, the Jets are eliminated from playoff contention, but teams love to play the spoiler role and with a win on Sunday, they would knock out division rival Miami.
Detroit +4.5 over Green Bay
Don’t tell the Lions that this game might not matter as they have multiple reasons to go for a “W,” the least of which is to knock the rival Packers out of the playoffs as they too need to win to get into the dance. Detroit enters the game with an 8-8 overall and 4-1 NFC North record after having won seven of its last nine games. However, in order to reach the playoffs, the Lions are going to need to beat Green Bay (8-8 overall and riding a four-game win streak) and for the Los Angeles Rams to defeat Seattle earlier Sunday, which means the Lions will know that outcome before they walk onto Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Detroit defeated the Packers, 15-9, earlier this season, and make no mistake that regardless if the playoffs are on the line the Lions want nothing more than to end the season on a high note as evidenced by their 8-1 record against the spread over its last nine games. Detroit will make it 9-1 against the spread and hopefully the Rams shut down the Seahawks, so the Lions can reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Becoming the norm ?? pic.twitter.com/3jJMOsiT0O
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 2, 2023
Pittsburgh -2.5 over Cleveland
The Browns will start their offseason after the game on Sunday, but the Steelers still have some hope. The easiest way for them to make the playoffs is to beat the Browns and have both the Dolphins and Patriots lose or tie.
Pittsburgh managed to keep its hope alive with a win last Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens after rookie QB Kenny Pickett led the offense down the field and connected with Najee Harris on a touchdown pass in the final minute of the game.
A game-winning drive like that can really spark something in an offense, especially for a team that’s figured out a few things over the last month as it’s won five of its last six games. The Steelers will leave it all out on the field to ensure a win and keep their slim playoff chance alive, but they will also need help from other teams.
OH. MY.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 2, 2023
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Atlanta -4 over Tampa Bay
It may not have been the prettiest way to do it, but the Buccaneers have secured the NFC South title and are locked into the No. 4 seed for the playoffs. With no possibility of moving their position, it makes very little sense to keep Tom Brady, Mike Evans and company in the lineup for more than a half this Sunday and risk injury.
Even though the Falcons could be going up against a lot of backups if Brady gets taken out, we don’t anticipate seeing much rest on their side as Atlanta has a lot of young talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Getting reps for Desmond Ridder, Drake London and Tyler Allgeier will only help them at this stage of their careers.
With a 5-3 home record, playing against players who may not be used to the regular number of snaps, Atlanta’s young guns can really show that they can build something over the next few seasons.
Week 17 Results: 5-0
Season Record: 41-39-3