The NFL season is quickly coming to an end, and there is an absolutely loaded slate in Week 18 of games with playoff implications. It all starts on Saturday with a couple of huge NFC matchups with division titles on the line, and continues into Sunday where the top seed in the AFC is up for grabs.
It's sad to already be at this point in the year, but this has truly been one of the most wide open and exciting NFL seasons in recent memory.
Which teams are going to be winning in games with the biggest playoff stakes this week? We're making our game picks and score predictions for each.
Week 18 NFL picks and score predictions for games with big playoff stakes
Carolina Panthers (8-8) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
Saturday, January 3, 4:30 PM ET
The artists formerly known as the "Cardiac Bucs" are on life support. The way that team has played lately, it's hard to see them coming back in this final week of the season, but that's how weird this year has been in the NFL, right?
The Panthers have been one of the most up and down teams in the NFL all year, a team with a number of extremely impressive wins and equally disappointing losses. And they're coming off of a tough one at home against Seattle.
The Bucs are favored in this game by just 2.5 points, so it's a toss-up for the folks in Vegas. I'm taking the Panthers on a walk-off field goal.
Prediction: Panthers win 23-20
Seattle Seahawks (13-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
Saturday, January 3, 8:00 PM
Both the 49ers and Seahawks are coming off of fantastic wins in Week 17 as they get set to take each other on for the #1 seed in the NFC and the NFC West title. The 49ers are looking to host all the way through the Super Bowl, while the Seahawks want to go on the road and keep rolling.
As great as the 49ers have played this year, it speaks volumes to what we've seen from the Seahawks that they are 1.5-point favorites on the road.
Given how well the 49ers just played against the Bears offensively, I wouldn't be shocked to see this game be another shootout that comes down to the wire. And right now, I'm trusting Brock Purdy a bit more than Sam Darnold.
Prediction: 49ers win 31-28