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NFL Week 18 - early games

NFL Week 18 - late games

Fearless Rick & Coin Flip NFL Week 18 Early Games

All times Eastern

Click here for late games.

Week 17 Results: Rick: 10-6; Flip: 9-7
Cumulative: Rick: 126-125-5; Flip: 136-115-5

Saturday, January 3`

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3, 43.5) 4:30 pm - It’s win and you’re in for the Panthers. If Carolina defeats Tampa Bay, they would win the NFC South with a 9-8 record. If Tampa Bay wins, both teams would be 8-9, but, the Panthers could still take the division if Atlanta defeats New Orleans Sunday.

Atlanta is 7-9, beat the Saints in Week 12, 24-10, and they would be 8-9, along with the Panthers and Bucs. A three-way tie in a division is settled by head-to-head records and the Panthers would win, with a 3-1 mark. Tampa Bay would be 2-2, and Atlanta, 1-3.

Hopefully, it won’t come to that and Carolina will take care of business. The Bucs have lost seven of their last eight, including losses to the Saints, Falcons, and Panthers, and last week’s 20-17 loss at Miami. Count on the game ending with the Panthers picking off a Baker Mayfield pass. He’s famous for it.

Coin Flip: Tampa Bay

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Panthers 23 Buccaneers 17

Seattle Seahawks (-2.5, 47.5) at San Francisco 49ers 8:00 pm - The winner of this contest gets a first round bye in the playoffs. If it’s San Francisco, both they and the Seahawks would be 13-4, and they would get the nod, having beaten Seattle in Week 1, 17-13.

For Seattle, a win would leave them at 13-4, alone at the top, and San Francisco a wild card. Both teams have won six straight. The points here may or may not matter, but the 49ers getting anywhere from one to two points appears a logical choice.

Coin Flip: San Francisco

Fearless Rick’s Pick: 49ers 26 Seahawks 24

Sunday, January 4

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (-3.5, 43) 1:00 pm - Since Atlanta could play a part of the NFC South division race by winning this game, and thus, making Saturday’s Carolina-Tampa Bay showdown immaterial (and, the result of that game may make this game inconsequential), count on the Saints to win one for the league.

Coin Flip: New Orleans

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Saints 23 Falcons 20

Dallas Cowboys (-3.5, 49.5) at New York Giants 1:00 pm - Obviously, by winning large last week over the Raiders, the Giants don’t care about the #1 draft pick and have a very good chance of winning this game with a healthy Jaxson Dart.

Cowboys can’t wait for the season to end. They already have vacation and golf plans lined up.

Coin Flip: New York Giants

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Giants 34 Cowboys 27

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5, 44.5) 1:00 pm - The Browns whipped Pittsburgh last week, 13-6. Even though that game was in Cleveland, who’s to say that the Browns can’t win at Cincy? They lost to the Bengals in week one, 17-16, after all.

The Browns will keep this one close enough to cover or win outright.

Coin Flip: Cincinnati

Fearless Rick’s Pick: Browns 26 Bengals 24

Click here for late games.