It’s already the final week of the NFL regular season with still a handful of playoff berths on the line. Here are two games where we could see the home underdog pull the upset on Sunday in Week 18. Let’s see the following analysis for your NFL betting.
Here’s A Closer Look At The Week 18 NFL Upset Picks
Washington at NY Giants (+7)
This game is meaningless with both eliminated from playoff contention, but I’m fairly shocked that Washington is such a big road favorite. The WFT lost its fourth in a row Sunday, 20-16 at home vs. Philadelphia and played without injured top running back Antonio Gibson. Jaret Patterson rushed 12 times for 57 yards and a touchdown, adding five catches for 41 yards. He was the primary rusher without Gibson, who may be back this week.
Taylor Heinicke completed 27-fo-36 passes for 247 yards and an interception in the loss. Heinicke played a solid game but threw a back-breaking interception in the end zone on Washington’s final offensive play of the game. He overthrew John Bates to end the game and Washington’s fleeting hopes of making the playoffs. Heinicke added two carries for 14 yards and got sacked three times.
New York lost its fifth in a row Sunday, 29-3 in Chicago. Mike Glennon completed 4-of-11 passes for 24 yards and two interceptions in a brutal effort. Glennon got strip-sacked on his first dropback. On the Giants’ second offensive drive, the veteran quarterback tried to squeeze it into Kenny Golladay on a third-and-long, but the ball got deflected and intercepted.
The Giants had minus-10 net yards passing against the Bears. It was the lowest total by any team since the 1998 Chargers, when Ryan Leaf went 1-of-15 for 4 yards and lost 23 yards on sacks in a game. Saquon Barkley rushed 21 times for 102 yards.
Coach Joe Judge delivered an impassioned 11-plus-minute answer after Sunday’s loss about why fans should have faith the sputtering franchise will turn it around. In it were examples of the culture that has been built, a locker room that has been fumigated, and the work ethic and effort the current players demonstrate during the week and on game days.
In Week 2, Washington beat the Giants 20-19. Dustin Hopkins made a 43-yard field goal on an untimed down — after a penalty negated his miss seconds earlier — to snap a five-game win streak for the Giants in the series. Heinicke threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns. His interception set up Graham Gano’s fifth field goal of the game, which gave the Giants a 29-27 lead with 2:00 remaining. Heinicke then guided Washington back into field goal range.
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons (+3.5)
Could this be the final game in the Falcons career of QB Matt Ryan? The team might try to trade him in the offseason. The Falcons won in New Orleans 27-25 in Week 9. Ryan hit Cordarrelle Patterson for a 64-yard gain with a minute left to set up Younghoe Koo’s 29-yard field goal as time expired. The Falcons had blown an 18-point fourth-quarter lead. Ryan passed for 343 yards, connected twice with Olamide Zaccheaus for touchdowns, and the veteran quarterback also ran for a score on a bootleg.
Trevor Siemian passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns without an interception for the Saints and Taysom Hill completed both of his passes for 33 yards. But both quarterbacks were hindered by a combination of penalties, dropped passes and protection breakdowns.
It will be Hill starting here. In Sunday’s 18-10 win over Carolina, Hill completed 17 of 28 passes for 222 yards and also led the Saints in rushing with 45 yards while playing behind an offensive line missing four season-opening starters. Marquez Callaway caught six passes for 97 yards and running back Alvin Kamara had five catches for 68 yards, including his 12-yard TD in the fourth quarter. New Orleans’ defense did the rest, sacking Sam Darnold seven times. Cameron Jordan had 3 1/2 sacks, his third straight game with at least two. C.J. Gardner Johnson sealed it with an interception in the final minute,
Atlanta lost 29-15 at Buffalo on Sunday. Ryan completed 13-of-23 passes for 197 yards. Trailing 29-22 in the fourth quarter, Ryan plunged forward for a seven-yard touchdown that was called back after review since his knee was ruled down at the one-yard line. The issue is that the veteran was caught trash-talking Bills S Jordan Poyer after the play, which resulted in a taunting penalty that pushed Atlanta back to the 16-yard line where Ryan instead threw consecutive incompletions into the end zone on third and fourth down. The loss eliminated Atlanta from playoff contention.
Expert Picks
- Back the Giants and Falcons.
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