We will all be waiting for when the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings meet in Game 272, the final regular-season matchup of 2024 with plenty on the line.
The winner will clinch the NFC North title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed. The loser will start the postseason on the road as the fifth seed. Multiple playoff teams will have to wait until the final game of Week 18 to find out where, when and who they’re playing on wild-card weekend.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be one of the teams waiting for the results. But, first, they need to handle business against the New Orleans Saints to clinch the NFC South. A Tampa Bay loss would open the door for the Atlanta Falcons to steal the division with a victory over the Carolina Panthers.
The AFC North is also up for grabs, with the Baltimore Ravens needing a win over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday to secure the division crown. The Pittsburgh Steelers could take the AFC North if Baltimore loses and they beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Many playoff teams will be resting their starters in Week 18, but there’s still plenty that needs to be settled before the Lions host the Vikings. Here’s everything you need to know about the five best games of the week, including Gilberto Manzano’s key matchups, Matt Verderame’s key stats, Iain MacMillan’s best bets and Conor Orr’s prediction for each game.
NFL Betting Picks | MMQB Staff Picks
SATURDAY
Cleveland Browns (3–13) at Baltimore Ravens (11–5)
When/TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ABC, ESPN+
Spread: Ravens -17.5 (over/under: 41.5)
Matchup to watch: Browns WR Jerry Jeudy vs. Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey. Baltimore’s secondary has drastically improved in the second half of the season largely because of Humphrey, who recorded his sixth interception of the season last week against the Houston Texans. Humphrey will have his hands full against Jeudy, who has a career-high 84 catches for 1,166 yards and four touchdowns this season. —
Key stat: Dorian Thompson-Robinson has thrown for one touchdown and 10 interceptions in his career, the worst ratio of any quarterback with at least five starts this century. Baltimore’s defense ranks 18th in EPA per dropback for the year but first since Week 11. —
Best bet: Ravens -17.5. DTR has no business being an NFL quarterback. He ranks dead last by a huge margin in adjusted EPA per play this season. As a result, there’s no way I can trust the Browns to cover the spread at any number, especially against the Ravens, who still need to win to lock up the AFC North. The Ravens enter Week 18 leading the NFL in net yards per play at +1.7 while the Browns are 20th at -0.9, a difference of 2.6 yards per play between the two teams. Don't be afraid of laying the big number with Baltimore. —
SI’s pick:Ravens. Until Cleveland shows me a seriousness in actually trying to win games at this point, I have a hard time picking them to beat a real contender. This really isn’t a “break down the matchup” kind of scenario here. It’s that one team is putting a better product on the field. Period. —
