The Green Bay Packers are favored to complete an improbable run to the NFC playoffs, and the Miami Dolphins are facing a true must-win game with a great deal of uncertainty at quarterback, in the early NFL lines for Week 18.
The Packers are 4.5-point home favorites against the Detroit Lions, with an outright win putting Green Bay into the postseason, something that seemed impossible on Thanksgiving.
Green Bay (8-8) has won four in a row, including 41-17 against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in NFL Week 17. The Packers were 4-8 after a stretch of seven losses in eight games.
At 3-6, the Packers faced upcoming games against the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. They defeated the Cowboys before losing to the Titans and Eagles.
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“I just felt like if we get one of those, we can win the last five, and 9-8 was going to get in,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Sunday, according to The Associated Press. “I didn’t really go around saying that because you don’t really want to say, ‘Hey, if we get just one of these three, you know, we can maybe make the playoffs.’ But in my head, that’s what I was thinking.”
Detroit (8-8) has won seven of nine, including 41-10 against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Lions need to win, and for the Seattle Seahawks to tie or lose to the Los Angeles Rams, to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“It’s where we want to be, playing in the last game of the season that means something,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff told the AP.
Seattle is a 6-point road favorite in the early NFL lines, via FanDuel. Green Bay has a 64% chance to make the playoffs, with Seattle at 20% and Detroit at 16%, according to NBC Sports
Miami (8-8) seemed well on its way to an AFC playoff berth but has lost five in a row. During a 23-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater left the game in the third quarter with a finger injury. He was playing in place of Tua Tagovailoa, who is in the NFL concussion protocol. It is unknown if Tagovailoa or Bridgewater can play in NFL Week 18 against the New York Jets.
The Dolphins, who may have to start Skylar Thompson at quarterback, are 3-point home favorites against the Jets. Miami needs to win, and have New England lose to the Buffalo Bills, to make the AFC playoffs. The Patriots are 8.5-point underdogs in the early NFL lines.
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“Our backs are against the wall,” Thompson told the AP. “What this week comes down to is fighting. We’ve got to find a way to get into the dance.”
The Philadelphia Eagles are 14-point home favorites against the New York Giants in a game they need to win to clinch the top seed and bye in the NFC, in the early NFL lines. The Eagles (13-3) have lost two in a row playing without quarterback Jalen Hurts, including 20-10 at home to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
If Philadelphia loses to New York, and the Dallas Cowboys win at the Washington Redskins, the Cowboys will win the NFC East and put the San Francisco 49ers in line for the No. 1 seed. Dallas is a 6-point favorite at Washington. The Giants (9-6-1) are locked into the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
“If Jalen’s able to go, he’ll go,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told the AP. “His health is the No. 1 priority.”
San Francisco (12-4) is a 13-point home favorite against the Arizona Cardinals, and in the game that will decide the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars are 6.5-point home favorites against Tennessee. Jacksonville (8-8), which defeated the Houston Texans 31-3, last won the division in 2017.
“A lot of distractions around this week and knowing what’s in store for next week, and I thought we handled our business today,” Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence told the AP.
The NFL will announce the dates and times for the Week 18 games on Monday. Be sure to check out our OddsShopper tool for the best NFL odds.
