Daddy’s Hangout 2021 Week 18 NFL Predictions

Week 17 saw a lot more clarity when it came to the playoff picture. My record was 6-3, which brought my overall mark to 87-55. The winning percentage went from 60.9 to 61.3%. In the NFC, Green Bay clinched the #1 seed by beating Minnesota on Sunday Night. With that win, they propelled the Philadelphia Eagles into the playoffs also. With their loss to Arizona, the Cowboys dropped down to the 4^th spot as they could face the Cardinals in the playoffs also. The Rams and Buccaneers are 2^nd and 3^rd after they defeated their respected opponents on Sunday. The San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints are fighting for the final spot. If the 49ers beat the Rams on the road, they secure the 6^th spot. If they lose and New Orleans beat the Falcons, the Saints will claim the final spot.

In the AFC, we have the Tennessee Titans taking over the top spot heading into the final weekend. The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs behind a monster day from Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow. While the Titans can clinch things with a win over the gritty Houston Texans. The Chiefs would need to win and have the Titans to lose to take over that spot. Buffalo and Cincinnati has an outside shot but would need for the Titans and Chiefs to lose. The final two Wild Card spots is between the Colts, Chargers, Raiders and Steelers. The Colts can clinch with a win and the winner of the Chargers/Raiders game gets in also. If Indianapolis were to fall to Jacksonville that would open the door for Pittsburgh also. There will be a total of 12 games predicted and we’ll see how things fall as far as the playoffs goes.

We start things off with the first Saturday night game. The Kansas City Chiefs will head to Mile High Stadium to face the Denver Broncos. Kansas City had their 8-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Cincinnati last week. With the loss, the Chiefs dropped out of the top spot and the bye week opportunity. Kansas City still have a shot at the top spot, but they must win and have Tennessee lose their finale. Denver was eliminated from playoff consideration last week. With the loss, it guarantees them a losing season and it’s unfortunate because they have a lot of talent. They would love to prevent the Chiefs from getting that top spot or even falling further. Can they pull off the upset? I’m thinking the Chiefs are angry with their loss and will win this one. Kansas City Win 27-14

We move on to the second Saturday night game between division rivals. The Dallas Cowboys will head to Philadelphia to face the Eagles. Both teams have clinched a playoff berth and now it’s all about positioning. The Cowboys was making a run at the top spot, but they fell to the Cardinals last week. Dallas still has an outside shot for the 2^nd seed, but they would need the Bucs, Rams, and Cardinals to lose. Much of the talk from Philadelphia is will the starters play and how much will they. The Eagles clinched a playoff berth last week after the Packers beat the Vikings. I’m seeing the Eagles resting a lot of their players and we also have some on the Covid protocol. I’m thinking the Cowboys will win seeing they’ll probably play more stars. Dallas Win 26-17

We have a battle between teams representing Ohio in the finale. The Cincinnati Bengals will make that trek to Cleveland to battle the Browns. Cincinnati pulled off a huge win last week over the Kansas City Chiefs. Joe Burrow is on fire as he’s passed for the 4^th most yards in a two game span. The Bengals are still fighting for the top seed in the AFC but would need a lot of help. First off, they need to beat the Browns and have the Titans, Chiefs, Bills and Patriots to lose. Baker Mayfield will miss the finale as he has opted to have surgery on his torn labrum. Cleveland doesn’t have anything to play for but to end the season on a positive note. They would also like to play spoiler to their division rival. I’m still riding with the Bengals to win this one. Cincinnati Win 27-17

We stay in the AFC for this matchup with one team needing a win to clinch a playoff berth. The Indianapolis Colts will head south to Jacksonville to battle the Jaguars. For the Colts its simple, you win this game and you’re the 6^th seed for the playoffs. They still could make the playoffs with a loss, but they would need a few things to fall in place. Indianapolis is hoping to rebound from a tough home loss to the Raiders. Jacksonville can clinch the #1 pick for the second consecutive year in the draft with a loss. The Jaguars are just hoping to get this season over with as soon as possible. This is pretty simple to me; the Colts will clinch a playoff berth and with this game. Indianapolis Win 30-14

We have an old-school AFC North rivalry game to finish this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens. Both of these teams still have an outside shot of making the playoffs, but it would take a lot to do it. This could be the final game ever for Big Ben and the Steelers would love to win it for him. Pittsburgh could be without their top WR and center due to Covid protocols. Could the Steelers find a way to win this tough road game? Baltimore still has an outside shot of making the playoffs, but it would start with the Colts losing. The Ravens were 8-3 and on top of the division but have dropped 5 in a row. Will Lamar Jackson suite up? Either way I’m taking the Ravens to win this one. Baltimore Win 24-23

We have the top seeded Tennessee Titans heading to Houston to battle the Texans. For Tennessee, its simple all they need to do is win and they’re the #1 seed. The Titans could use the extra week off because they could get Derrick Henry back for the playoffs. Will the Titans leave Houston as the top seed in the upcoming playoffs? Houston is coming off a loss to the 49ers which ended their 2-game winning streak. Despite the record, the Texans are a tough team to play who doesn’t lay down for anyone. They would love to defeat their division rival and hurt their chances for the top spot. Unfortunately, this isn’t the scenario I’m seeing and picking the Titans to win. Tennessee Win 27-13

We have another rival game in which one of the teams still have playoff admirations. The New Orleans Saints will head to Atlanta to face the Falcons. The Saints have been decimated with injuries and Covid issues all season. They have won three of four games and put themselves in position for a chance to reach the playoffs. New Orleans would need to win their game and have the 49ers to lose theirs. Atlanta actually had a successful season and Matt Ryan proved he’s still one of the better QBs in the league. The Falcons was officially eliminated from playoff consideration last week. Atlanta would love to end the hopes of the Saints on their home field. I’m actually riding with the Falcons to beat New Orleans. Atlanta Win 20-17

The New York Jets will host the Buffalo Bills in this finale. The Jets will most likely finish the season having a top-5 draft pick. They have lost four of five, but they have played hard in most of those games. The Jets fell to the Bills 45-17 earlier in the season. With Buffalo, they are looking to clinch the division for the second consecutive year. The Bills are looking to improve their seeding also. They could move to the 2^nd seed with a win and losses by the Bengals and Chiefs. In the end, they take care of business by beating the Jets. Buffalo Win 34-20

We have a NFC West matchup with a lot riding on this game for both teams. The San Francisco 49ers will travel to Los Angeles to take on the red hot Rams. The 49ers have won three of their last four games and in position to make the playoffs. For them it’s simple, just beat the Rams and they’re in as the 6^th seed. If they were to lose and the Saints beat the Falcons, they would be eliminated. They could also make it with a loss by the Saints also. For Los Angeles they want to keep their momentum into the playoffs. With their win over Baltimore, the Rams are currently riding a 5-game winning streak. Over the years, Los Angeles have owned the Los Angeles but I’m going with the Rams in this one. Los Angeles Win 24-21

We head down south to Miami as the Dolphins will host the New England Patriots. The Patriots have already clinched a Wild Card spot, but they’re looking for more. If they can beat the Dolphins and have the Bills fall to New York they’ll win the division. It seems like the Patriots and Bills will most likely play in the first round of the playoffs. The question is, who will have the home field advantage? Miami had an amazing run that saw them in playoff contention. The loss against the Titans ended their 7-game winning streak and eliminated their chances of a playoff berth. They defeated the Patriots in the first game of the season, can they repeat that feat? I’m picking the Patriots to win as they’re a much better team now. New England Win 24-14

We have an NFC West showdown as the Seattle Seahawks travel to Arizona to battle the Cardinals. Could this be the final game in a Seattle uniform for Russell Wilson? Could this also be the final one for Pete Carroll as the coach? The Seahawks will definitely revamp and when they do it’s the end of a great run. Could they finish things off with a huge upset over the Cardinals? Arizona ended their 3-game losing streaking by defeating the Dallas Cowboys. The Cardinals will be the top Wild Card team in the playoffs, and it look like they’ll have to face Dallas again. This game doesn’t mean anything to them, but they would like to continue the momentum into the playoffs. The Cardinals should leave with the win. Arizona Win 26-17

The final game of the season is the perfect way to end the season. The winner of this matchup will punch their ticket into the playoffs. The Los Angeles Chargers will head to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. The Chargers beat the Raiders earlier in the season. Los Angeles beat Las Vegas earlier in the season and they’re hoping to do that again. The Chargers ended their 2-game losing streak by beating Denver and one of those losses was to Houston. Las Vegas has had one of the craziest seasons we have ever witnessed. We thought their season was over after they dropped five of six games. The Raiders have now won three games in a row and now could make the playoffs. This is a tough one, but I’m picking the Chargers to win. Los Angeles Win 30-28

There we are my predictions for the 2021 Week 18 NFL season. What games intrigue you the most for the 2021 Week 18 NFL weekend? What do you think about my picks? Check out the playoff matchups according to my picks. Leave some feedback below about anything NFL related or my 2021 Week 18 NFL predictions.

AFC Playoff Matchups