Sunday's NFL Week 18 betting tips and predictions

Where to watch

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sky Sports NFL, 6pm Sunday

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
Sky Sports NFL, 9.25pm Sunday

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Sky Sports NFL, 1.20am Sunday night

Best bets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -13.5
2pts 5-6 Coral, Ladbrokes

Kansas City Chiefs +10.5
1pt 10-11 general

Detroit Lions -2.5
2pts 20-23 Betfair, PaddyPower

Miami Dolphins
3pts 19-20 Betfair, PaddyPower

Washington Commanders -4.5
2pts 8-11 BoyleSports

Under 36.5 points in Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
2pts 10-11 general

Bijan Robinson Over 96.5 Rushing Yards
3pts 10-11 bet365

NFL Week 18 acca predictions

Green Bay Packers -10 vs Chicago Bears
Indianapolis Colts to beat Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins to beat the New York Jets
Washington Commanders to beat Dallas Cowboys

Pays 6.19-1 with bet365

This week's NFL TV game predictions

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers predictions

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, knowing that victory will secure them the NFC South title and a place in the playoffs, and the hosts should have no trouble earning the win.

Tampa Bayhave been impressive on offence all season despite losing wide receiver duo Chris Godwin and Mike Evans for a period. Todd Bowles's team recorded a 48-14 win over the Carolina Panthers last week, with quarterback Baker Mayfield recording 359 passing yards and five touchdowns.

Mayfield has now thrown 39 touchdown passes for the season and the Bucs will be motivated to add to that total.

Tampa just have to win but they should come out firing and look to punish a Saints defence that has allowed the sixth-most passing yards in the NFL.

New Orleans have collapsed towards the end of the seson with quarterback Derek Carr sidelined, and they were thumped 34-0 by the Green Bay Packers on a Monday night game before losing 25-10 to the Las Vegas Raiders last week.

The Saints have failed to score 20 points in any of their last five games, and even though Carr may play this week, the Saints look set to struggle to keep up with their hosts.

Tampa have held three of their last four opponents to 17 points or fewer and they have given up the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the NFL. The Bucs beat the Saints 51-27 in October so expect another comfortable win.

Verdict by Andrew Wilsher

The lowdown

Venue Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Surface Bermuda Grass
Weather Cloudy, 14C
Vegas line Buccaneers -14.5
Points line 43.5

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos predictions

The Kansas City Chiefs have already secured the top seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs as they prepare to take on AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will get a rest this week and week thanks to the Chiefs' first-round bye. Head coach Andy Reid has yet to confirm who else will be rested, but TE Travis Kelce, RB Isiah Pacheco, DE Chris Jones and OT Jawaan Taylor are all expected to watch from the sidelines.

Denver are 10.5-point favourites for Sunday's encounter, but covering that line is a tall order due to the strength in depth Kansas boast. Backup Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz has plenty of experience and will not be nervous going into this contest.

Sean Payton's team have been impressive on occasions but they have not blown teams away on a regular basis. Denver go into the game following successive defeats to the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals and they also need to win to secure a spot in the playoffs.

Kansas won the first contest between the two teams 16-14 in Week Ten, and if the rematch is also close-fought, the Broncos will struggle to score the points needed to cover the spread.

Verdict by Ricky Dimon

The lowdown

Venue Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Surface Grass
Weather Sunny, 3C
Vegas line Broncos -10.5
Points line 40

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions predictions

NFL fans are in for a treat in Week 18 as the two best teams in the NFC go head-to-head as they fight for the number one seed in the NFC and for the NFC North title.

The Detroit Lions welcome the Minnesota Vikings to Ford Field, with both teams tied with 14-2 records. NFL history will be made in the early hours of Monday, as it will be the first time that two teams with more than 12 wins face off in the regular season.

Both organisations have proved throughout the season that they are elite, and the Lions won 31-29 when the teams met in Week Seven. That contest was even throughout, but the Lions just had a bit too much experience in the closing stages.

The main difference between the two is Detroit's experience in big games, thanks to their impressive campaign last year under coach Dan Campbell, and that should help them home once again.

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has been in incredible form all season but he has not played in crunch games while opposite number Jared Goff has. Detroit's home advantage should also come into play as they try to secure a historic win in what should be one of the games of the season.

Verdict by Chris Farley

The lowdown

Venue Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
Surface Artificial
Weather Indoor
Vegas line Lions -3
Points line 56

Tom Hill's Week 18 best bets

Best money line bet

Miami Dolphins
3pts 19-20 Betfair, PaddyPower

The Miami Dolphins are still in the hunt for the playoffs in the AFC but they need to beat the New York Jets and hope the Denver Broncos slip up this weekend.

Miami beat the Jets 32-26 after overtime in Week 14, and while they will be without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, they have enough quality to get the job done.

The Jets have been woeful all season and failed to live up to the hype while their roster gave up a long time ago. Aaron Rodgers and co lost 40-14 to the Buffalo Bills last week, and while Rodgers should start Sunday's battle as he chases his 500th touchdown pass, it would be no surprise to see him benched after another poor game.

Best handicap bet

Washington Commanders -4.5
2pts 8-11 BoyleSports

The Commanders have already secured their playoff spot, but they are playing for seeding in their meeting with the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas beat their NFC East rivals 34-26 in Week 12 but the Commanders have since averaged 32 points per game. The Cowboys have lost six times at home this season and they are 2-8 against the spread in their last ten games at the AT&T Stadium.

Washington will want to build confidence for the playoffs so expect them to put on a show against Dallas.

Best points bet

Under 36.5 points in Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots
2pts 10-11 general

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has confirmed he is planning to start Sunday's game in Foxborough but he will not finish the contest against the Patriots.

Buffalo should rest their starters by the second half and New England are also expected to rest quarterback Drake Maye. The Patriots are set to pick first in next year's draft so expect Jerod Mayo's team to go through the motions in their final game of the season.

Best prop bet

Bijan Robinson over 96.5 rushing yards
3pts 10-11 bet365

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson should end the season in style as he faces the Carolina Panthers on home soil.

The Panthers have conceded a league-high 176.9 yards per game on the ground this season, and Robinson will be busy once again.

He has recorded at least 17 carries in five games on the spin, picking up 90 yards in each of those contests.The Falcons need to win to have any chance of making the playoffs so Robinson will do all he can to help his team over the line.

Pickswise is the #1 destination for US sports betting, covering the NFL, NBA, MLB and more in unrivalled detail.

For all your US sports betting needs, make sure to check out Pickswise, the home of stateside picks, predictions and odds.

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.