Week 18 NFL Picks: Chargers, Raiders meet in likely winner-takes-everything finale

Game of the Week

L.A. Chargers astatine Las Vegas

If Indianapolis beats Jacksonville successful Sunday’s early-game window, this AFC West match-up is winner-moves-on/loser-goes-home. The Chargers are a two-point favorite, but the Raiders person won 3 consecutive games (allowing 47 full points) and volition hand-cuff Los Angeles’ offense.

Raiders 27, Chargers 24

Lock of the Week

Tennessee astatine Houston

The Titans are a 10 1/2-point favourite and astatine involvement is the AFC’s No. 1 effect and a first-round playoff bye. Add successful that Houston embarrassed them successful the teams’ archetypal gathering (22-23 successful Week 11). Tennessee has allowed zero, 19, 17 and 3 points successful its past 4 games (three wins).

Titans 40, Texans 13

Upset of the Week

Pittsburgh astatine Baltimore

The Steelers are a 5 1/2-point underdog and traveling to play a part crippled connected a abbreviated week. We don’t care. There is nary mode Pittsburgh is going to suffer backmost Ben Roethlisberger’s last crippled and it volition instrumentality vantage of a fading Ravens squad that volition decorativeness with six consecutive losses. Wow.

Steelers 23, Ravens 17

Around the AFC: Pittsburgh walk rusher T.J. Watt nears single-season sack record

Gene J. Puskar, The Associated Press

Pittsburgh Steelers extracurricular linebacker T.J. Watt (90) celebrates with extracurricular linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) aft sacking Cleveland Browns backmost Baker Mayfield successful the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot game, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, successful Pittsburgh.

Colts inactive alive. Indianapolis does similar making it pugnacious connected itself. Last week, unvaccinated backmost Carson Wentz missed the full week of signifier and the Colts were 3 of 11 connected 3rd down successful a 23-20 nonaccomplishment to Las Vegas successful which they fell into a 13-3 hole. Now 9-7, each they request to bash is bushed the Jaguars Sunday arsenic a 15 1/2-point favorite, but they’ve mislaid six consecutive successful Jacksonville. Wentz has 10 touchdowns and nary interceptions successful 7 roadworthy games and tin go the archetypal backmost to commencement 8 roadworthy games successful a play and not propulsion an interception.

Watt nears record. Pittsburgh extracurricular linebacker T.J. Watt’s pursuit of the single-season sack people is simply a chill subplot Sunday. Watt has 21 1/2 sacks successful 14 games (he missed 2 games), and is simply a half-sack from tying 3 players (the Jets’ Mark Gastineau successful 1984, Minnesota’s Jared Allen successful 2011 and Kansas City’s Justin Houston successful ’14) and 1 sack from tying the Giants’ Michael Strahan (2001). The league began keeping sacks arsenic an authoritative statistic successful 1982. The large Pro Football Reference tract dug into the archives past summertime to way sacks and it has Detroit’s Al Baker arsenic the all-time grounds holder (23 successful 1978).

Jacksonville clown show. Upset with the reported determination by proprietor Shad Khan to clasp wide manager Trent Baalke, Jaguars fans are starting a question to amusement up for Sunday’s crippled dressed arsenic clowns. No, really. They agelong agone changed their Twitter avatar to a clown with a Khan-like mustache. No, really. What a debacle. Shoot, they didn’t adjacent bash that erstwhile I was covering seasons of 2-14, 4-12, 3-13, 5-11 and 3-13 from 2012-16. Keeping Baalke (the Jaguars are 2-30 since helium joined the team) volition stay a enigma until Khan either defends it oregon debunks the report.

Around the NFC: Everything should beryllium connected array to alteration successful Minnesota

Jim Mone, The Associated Press

Minnesota Vikings backmost Kirk Cousins (8) throws nether unit from Seattle Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks (56) successful the archetypal fractional of an NFL shot crippled successful Minneapolis, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021.

Vikings changes possible. Good happening for George Paton helium near Minnesota past January to articulation the Broncos arsenic wide manager. Minnesota’s rollercoaster play — 1-3, 3-3, 3-5, 5-5, 5-7, 7-7 and present 7-9 — ends Sunday against Chicago and the Vikings could acquisition sweeping changes, starting with manager Mike Zimmer. He appears retired of answers, his defence is 31st successful yards allowed (385.4) and 24th successful points allowed (25.6) and the Vikings person lone 1 person (second-year receiver Justin Jefferson). Quarterback Kirk Cousins, information Harrison Smith and moving backmost Dalvin Cook missed games this twelvemonth connected the COVID-19/reserve database (all were unvaccinated). Cousins has a 2022 headdress fig of $45 million, truthful who would privation to commercialized for him?

Cowboys amended connected road. Dallas (11-5) has won the NFC East truthful it volition big astatine slightest 1 playoff game, but its penchant should beryllium to travel. The Cowboys are 5-3 astatine home, including a 30-16 thumping by the Broncos successful November that wasn’t astir arsenic adjacent arsenic the people and past week’s 25-22 nonaccomplishment to Arizona successful which they fell down 22-7. There is simply a accidental the Cardinals caput backmost to Dallas for a first-round playoff game.

Bears occupation charismatic … maybe. Chicago is expected to determination connected from manager Matt Nagy, but however charismatic is the job? Over The Cap has the Bears with $40,935,664 of spending space, wealth the Bears volition request to walk to upgrade their roster. Quarterback Justin Fields is the instauration of a rebuild, but who volition beryllium doing the rebuilding? If wide manager Ryan Pace, for immoderate reason, gets to prosecute a 3rd coach, that could marque the campaigner excavation shallower. Pairing a caller wide manager with a caller manager is the champion course.