Week 18 is here for the first time in the history of the NFL. It's confusing and perplexing because Week 17 has so long been the finale of the regular season. Having the regular season extend into the middle of January is throwing everything off. The calendar feels weird, my brain doesn't know how to operate and I'm expecting this weekend to be the playoffs still.But it's not! And this is the new reality moving forward for the . Plus it gives me one more week to catch Pete Prisco in season-long picks.And the old Week 17 Marwin Gonzalez Jersey rules apply: you have to handicap motivation but remember that motivation, while it may change a team's interest in winning a game, does not affect a team's interest in covering the spread. Proceed with caution.Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ETTV:ESPN/ABC|Stream:fuboTV ( )Follow: Latest Odds: Denver Broncos +11.5 This game got Saturday flex status to motivate Kansas City to play a full game. The Chiefs are still chasing the No. 1 seed but need to win or tie and have the lose to the . Andy Reid likes to rest his guys when he can but he also likely wants to hold on to the No. 2 seed and multiple home games. A win gets him to 12-5 and guarantees he can't fall below the second overall spot. is on IR so it's the full show. I think Denver can find a way to sneak through the backdoor but Kansas City is a good bet to win here. A lo s would throw an early wrench in the AFC playoff projection. is 8-0 in his career against Denver (6-2 ATS), and the Chiefs are riding a 12-game winning streak against Denver.The pick:Chiefs 28, Broncos 20Props, Best Bets: NopeSaturday, 8:30 p.m. ETTV:ESPN/ABC|Stream:fuboTV ( )Follow: Latest Odds: Philadelphia Eagles +6 The Eagles clinched a playoff berth last week and Nick Sirianni indicated he'd be willing to potentially sit players, including , who he needs to be healthy for the postseason. The Cowboys need a pretty crazy parlay to move up to the No. 2 seed, but the No. 3 seed is definitely in play. And the higher the Cowboys are seeded, the more likely Jerry Jones is to get multiple home games. The other thing for Dallas here is a need to actually look sharp on offense after struggling against Arizona. Stumbling into the playoffs with questions on offense won't do anything for the mood around Jerry World. 's been outstanding against division opponents, so unle s there's a ma sive COVID situation with Dallas or Mike McCarthy intends to sit everyone, I like Dallas in this spot. The pick:Cowboys 24, Eagles 14Props, Best Bets: Cowboys -7Sunday,1 p.m. ETTV:CBS|Stream:Paramount+ ( Roy Oswalt Jersey ) Latest Odds: Jacksonville Jaguars +14 Wildest stat of Week 18: the Colts haven't won at Jacksonville since 2014, despite the Jags having one winning season in that entire stretch (2017, of course). This is a very different situation than the last few years, Blank Jersey though, because the Colts could lose their playoff spot with a lo s to the Jags. If Indy loses, they need a lot of help to get in. Jacksonville's probably worse than at any point since 2014 -- somehow -- and it's hard to imagine the Colts not finding a win simply by feeding .The Pick: Colts 24, Jaguars 10Bets: NopeSunday, 1 p.m. ETTV:CBS|Stream:Paramount+ ( ) Latest Odds: Baltimore Ravens -3 Ma sive game here IF the Jags can pull off an upset of the Colts. If not, both these teams are eliminated regardle s of the result. We don't know whether is going to play in this game and is ripe for a "letdown" spot after winning at home with a sub-3.0 YPA effort against the on Monday. The Ravens are pretty substantial favorites here (-5 as of Friday) but if I'm looking anywhere it's the under, despite a low total of 41.5. It's looking rainy and cold in Baltimore on Sunday and neither of these teams is going to take huge shots down the field. The Pick: Ravens 17, Steelers 10Bets: Under 41.5Sunday, 1 p.m. ETTV: FOX|Stream:fuboTV ( ) Latest Odds: Minnesota Vikings -3.5 There's a decent chance both of these coaches are fired the day after this game, regardle s of the outcome. This probably isn't a great game to bet on for motivation either, considering the playoffs aren't in play. If I'm backing a team for motivational purposes, I'm probably rolling with Mike Zimmer's team, given they should have a bigger affinity for their coach. Laying anything more than a field goal with this Vikings team is dangerous, but the Bears' pa s defense is bad enough we could actually see some Anthony Gose Jersey decent points here if the Bears can manage to produce some explosive plays. I'll back the over here because Matt Nagy will probably have a YOLO game plan.The Pick: Vikings 31, Bears 24Bets: Over 44.5Sunday, 1 p.m. ETTV:CBS|Stream:Paramount+ ( ) Latest Odds: Houston Texans +11 The return of has been a huge difference-maker for , with his YPA going from 5.7 to 7.8 when Brown is on the field. The Titans can clinch the No. 1 overall seed with a win here, so they'll be motivated. The Titans should be feeling amped with the news -- who hasn't played since Halloween and he still ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing yards! -- is likely coming back for the playoffs. Get that top seed Craig Biggio Jersey and you've got to feel you can do some damage, particularly with a defense allowing le s than 10 points per game the last four weeks. I'm inclined to take the Texans with a double-digit spread, but there's definitely a chance the Titans just get loose in the run game and the Texans can't come back. Mike Vrabel's shown a willingne s to squat on small leads against bad teams and has looked sharp.The Pick: Titans 24, Texans 14Bets:Texans +10.5Sunday, 1 p.m. ETTV: FOX|Stream:fuboTV ( ) Latest Odds: Detroit Lions +4 versus . Feel the energy. The one thing that sort of sticks out with Packers -4 here is has said he and are playing. I have a hard time believing it, but in the event the starters DID play, Green Bay would be like a 14-point favorite. The Lions will play hard and could get back, so it's a little dangerous to go against them playing against backups. These teams are already a combined 19-12 to the under on the season and with backups playing we could see pretty light scoring, even if the defenses aren't exactly "stout." I'm kind of intrigued by Love in this spot but expect the Lions to keep it snug. The Pick: Packers 21, Lions 17Bets: Pa sSunday, 1 p.m. ETTV: Fox|Stream: