{"id":645888,"date":"2026-01-01T16:17:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T16:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/645888\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T16:17:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T16:17:16","slug":"denver-broncos-nfl-picks-and-predictions-for-nfl-week-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/645888\/","title":{"rendered":"Denver Broncos, NFL picks and predictions for NFL Week 18"},"content":{"rendered":"

Week 18 of the NFL regular season is finally here. I was 10-6 with my Week 17<\/a> picks. With just sixteen games left, I\u2019m 170-86 on the season. That\u2019s over 65-percent accuracy which is quite good, but far below my 70-percent average from last season. Let\u2019s see how well I do for the final week of regular season games.<\/p>\n

Saturday Football (Afternoon Game) \u2014 Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers <\/p>\n

With the Atlanta Falcons upsetting the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football, the Buccaneers\u2019 path to the postseason had a wrench thrown int. They must now win and have the New Orleans Saints defeat<\/a> the Atlanta Falcons to secure the NFC South and earn a playoff berth. That\u2019s unfortunate news for them. Can they finally end their four-game win streak and do their part to get to the postseason? I think so.<\/p>\n

Saturday Football (Night Game) \u2014 Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers<\/p>\n

This NFC West heavyweight matchup is for the division title and the number one seed in the NFC. Both of these teams have defied the odds and impressed all season. This is going to be a must-watch game for all football fans. The 49ers inched out a close victory in their first matchup in Week 1. I expect this will be another close game. I\u2019ve got the 49ers finding a way to gut this key game out in front of a hometown crowd.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Early Game) \u2014 New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons<\/p>\n

Both the Saints and Falcons have reeled off multi-game winning streaks after starting off the season horribly. As mentioned above, Tampa Bay fans are desperately hoping the Saints finish the season off on a high note and earn their fifth-straight victory. And guess what? I\u2019m predicting that to happen. Based on my picks, the Buccaneers are in the playoffs as the NFC South champions.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Earl Game) \u2014 Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals<\/p>\n

The Browns were able to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers and play spoiler last weekend. I don\u2019t expect them to have the same success against the Bengals, who have notched back-to-back wins with impressive offensive performances. I\u2019ve got Cincinnati at home in this one.<\/p>\n

Saturday Football (Evening Game) \u2014 Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings<\/p>\n

The Packers have dropped three in a row. Luckily, they already punched their postseason ticket. Meanwhile, the Vikings are riding a four-game winning streak. I\u2019m not sure if the Packers are expected to rest players or not. They are the seven seed in the NFC regardless of the outcome. My bet is that is the case. With that in mind, I\u2019ll take Minnesota at home.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Early Game) \u2014 Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants<\/p>\n

Another game, another division rivalry matchup. With the Giants beating the Las Vegas Raiders last week, they find themselves on the outside looking in with respect to the #1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Cowboys? Out of the playoffs for the second season in a row. Even so, I\u2019ve still got Dallas winning this one.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Early Game) \u2014 Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars<\/p>\n

There are some ways<\/a> the Jaguars can still be the #1 seed in the AFC. That seems improbable. With a win against the Titans, they will be the AFC South champions and get to host a playoff game. I feel confident that scenario will happen.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Early Game) \u2014 Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans<\/p>\n

After a rough start to the year, DeMeco Ryans and the Texans have really done well down the stretch. Their defense has been the strength of their team that has carried them all season long. I\u2019m predicting a win at home, which will likely lock them in as the #5 seed in the AFC playoff race.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Afternoon Game) \u2014 New York Jets at Buffalo Bills<\/p>\n

A failed two-point conversion attempt at the end of last week\u2019s game officially kicked the Bills out of contending for the AFC East title. That belongs to the New England Patriots. Regardless, I think they will find a way to beat the Jets who\u2019ve been awful the entire season. I\u2019m taking Buffalo at home.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Afternoon Game) \u2014 Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears<\/p>\n

With the Bears losing to the 49ers, they have no shot at the #1 seed in the NFC. They are assured the second or third seed no matter what happens in this game. Some thought Ben Johnson might rest his players, but he stated earlier in the week they are playing to win<\/a>\u2014indicating the starters will be a go for Sunday\u2019s division rivalry game against the Lions. Division games are always tough, and the Lions are a gritty team, but I think the Bears find a way to end the season off with a big victory. I\u2019m taking Chicago.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Late Game) \u2014 Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders<\/p>\n

It makes my heart smile the Chiefs and Raiders have had down seasons. I don\u2019t really care who wins this game. I\u2019m taking Kansas City here which will officially gift the Raiders the #1 pick next April.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Early Game) \u2014 Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos<\/p>\n

The Chargers and Broncos are both in the playoffs. Los Angeles will be a wild card team, but the Broncos can earn the AFC\u2019s top seed, first-round bye and homefield advantage by taking down their rivals in front of Broncos Country on Sunday. That\u2019s a result I\u2019m hoping for and believe will happen. Obviously, I\u2019m taking Denver.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Afternoon Game) \u2014 Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots<\/p>\n

If the Patriots beat the Dolphins and the Broncos lose to the Chargers, New England will be the top seed in the AFC. With that at stake, they will certainly be playing their starters. I believe Drake Maye, who might even be the front runner for MVP honors, is going to have another huge game and deliver the Patriots their fourteen victory of the season.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Afternoon Game) \u2014 Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams<\/p>\n

After their last second loss to the Falcons, the Rams are now relegated to being either the fifth or sixth seed in the NFC. Bummer for them. Whether they rest their starters or not, I think they defeat the Cardinals who have dropped eight games in a row. I\u2019m picking Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Sunday Football (Afternoon Game) \u2014 Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles<\/p>\n

The Eagles will be the second or third seed in the NFC no matter what happens here. They still have the perks of being the NFC East division winners and get to host a playoff game. The rumor is they may rest some starters. Even so, I think they beat Washington who\u2019ve looked terrible for the entire season.<\/p>\n

Sunday Night Football \u2014 Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers<\/p>\n

The Steelers had a chance to make the playoffs and secure the AFC North division title had they beat the Browns last weekend. Unfortunately, they didn\u2019t rise to the occasion and lost to the lowly Browns. That sets up a primetime matchup in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore was able to outduel the Green Bay Packers in Week 17. The Ravens are expected to have Lamar Jackson and a few players back for this game. It\u2019ll be a tough go of it on the road, but I think Baltimore is poised to come back and win the division. Pretty impressive given how bad they were earlier in the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Week 18 of the NFL regular season is finally here. I was 10-6 with my Week 17 picks.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":645889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2062],"tags":[232,231,258,2426,7,781,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-645888","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-broncos","8":"tag-broncos","9":"tag-denver","10":"tag-denver-broncos","11":"tag-denverbroncos","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-general","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115820746770898591","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=645888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/645888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/645889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=645888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=645888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=645888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}