Trav’s 2023 Week 18 NFL Predictions

Week 17 is in the books, and we now enter the final weekend of the 2023 NFL season. This has been an amazing season and it’s hard to believe it has come to an end. My record last week was 12-4 and my overall mark was raised to 107-60. The winning percentage rises a little from 62.6 to 64.1%. The first defeat came when the Arizona Cardinals went to Philadelphia and upset the Eagles. There is something brewing in Philadelphia seeing it was their 4^th loss in five games. The loss opened the door for Dallas to clinch the NFC East with a win in Washington. The second loss came as the New Orleans Saints went to Tampa and blew out the Bucs. With the win, the Saints can still win the division or grab a Wild Card spot.

My third defeat came when the Pittsburgh Steelers went to Seattle and beat the Seahawks. With the win, Mike Tomlin has now gone 17 consecutive seasons without a losing record. The Steelers need a win in Baltimore and some help to clinch a playoff berth. With the loss, the Seahawks will need to beat Arizona and have the Bears beat the Packers. The fourth and final loss came when the Green Bay Packers destroyed the Vikings on the road in the Sunday Night game. All the Packers must do is beat Chicago and they’re in the playoffs. There are a lot of games that will determine playoff berths, seeding, and division champions. I’ll be predicting a total of 12 games in the 2023 NFL season finale. Let’s see how this thing will turn out.

We kick things off with the first Saturday game between division rivals. The Pittsburgh Steelers will head to Baltimore to face the Ravens. Pittsburgh is on a 2-game winning streak and has scored at least 30 points in those games. Mason Rudolph looks to have firm control of the offense and the running game has come alive. Pittsburgh needs to win and losses by the Jags or the Bills. Can the Steelers beat the red-hot Ravens on the road? Baltimore has won six in a row and has clinched home field advantage in the playoffs. Will Harbaugh rest Lamar Jackson and any of the starters for the season finale? The Ravens are clearly the best team in the league and may want to continue that momentum. I’m picking the Ravens to find a way to beat the Steelers. Baltimore Win 24-17

The second game could determine who wins the AFC South division. The Houston Texans will head to Indianapolis to battle the Colts. First off, the winner of this game will hope for a Jacksonville loss to win the division. The Texans have surprised many people with their quick turnaround. C.J. Stroud will be the offensive rookie of the year and should get some MVP votes. Will Anderson Jr. is a beast on defense and continues to pressure opposing QBs. Can they leave Indy with a win? Indianapolis is another team that surprised many this season. Gardner Minshew is having an amazing season in relief of Anthony Richardson. Jonathan Taylor has missed much of the season, but they still found ways to win. This should be a great game and I’m going to ride the Colts wave and pick them. Indianapolis Win 26-24

We have an NFC North matchup as the Minnesota Vikings head to Detroit to face the Lions. The Vikings are coming off an embarrassing defeat to the Pack Sunday Night. With the defeat, Minnesota still has an outside shot at the playoffs. Will the Vikings turn back to Nick Mullens in the season finale? Mullens came in the second half of the Green Bay game and the offense looked better. The defense is missing a lot of key pieces, can they contain the Lions offense? Detroit is coming off that controversial loss in Dallas a week ago. Detroit still has a shot at the 2^nd seed in the NFC but would need a Cowboys loss. The Lions will probably be angry if they’re anything like their Coach Dan Campbell. I’m going with the Lions to defeat and eliminate Minnesota. Detroit Win 31-17

We have the Jacksonville Jaguars heading to Tennessee to take on the Titans with a chance to win the AFC South. The Jaguars had their 4-game losing streak snapped last week against Carolina. Trevor Lawrence missed his first game ever with a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. Will he be able to go this weekend? With a win by Jacksonville, they will win the division and will host a playoff game next week. Can the Jags go to Tennessee and defeat the Titans? Tennessee has lost three in a row and this franchise is facing a lot of questions during the offseason. Will Derrick Henry return? Will Mike Vrabel be coaching elsewhere next season? Who will start at the quarterback position for the season finale? I’m picking the Titans to go out with a bang and win. Tennessee Win 20-19

We have a battle in what could determine who wins the NFC South. The Atlanta Falcons will head to New Orleans to take on the Saints. Both teams will be watching the Tampa Bay game while playing. The winner of this game will claim the division and playoff berth with a Tampa loss. Who will start at quarterback for the Falcons? Atlanta turned back to Taylor Heinicke, but he was replaced by Desmond Ridder in their loss to Chicago. After losing three of four games the Falcons can still win the division. New Orleans has looked great in the last month of the season. They have won three of their last four games and that includes a dominating win over Tampa. The Saints are clicking on all cylinders now and I’m picking them to win. New Orleans Win 30-20

We have a battle between the other two NFC South teams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel up north to Carolina to face the Panthers. The Bucs had their 4-game winning streak snapped last week at the hands of New Orleans. Baker Mayfield exited the game late with a rib injury. There are reports saying he will be available for this game. Mayfield is having a great season, and a win can send them to the playoffs. Can the Bucs win and clinch the division? Carolina is coming off a horrible game. They were defeated 26-0 by the Jacksonville Jaguars and this season can’t end quick enough. Carolina is just playing for pride and to spoil the Bucs playoff chances. The Bucs will wrap up the division with a win. Tampa Bay Win 31-14

We have one of the NFL’s biggest and oldest rivalry closing out the season. The Chicago Bears head to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers. The Bears head into this final game being one of the hottest teams in the NFC. They have won four of their last five games but have a lot of questions regarding their future. What will they do with Justin Fields and the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft? Can they spoil the Packers playoff chances? The Packers have won their last two games and put themselves in playoff position. Green Bay is hoping to have Christian Watson return from his hamstring injury. If Green Bay wins this game, they are in the playoffs. If they lose, there are a couple scenarios where they still make it. I’m riding with the Pack to win and get in. Green Bay Win 27-24

We have the Philadelphia Eagles traveling to the Meadowlands to face the New York Giants. The struggles of the Eagles have been well-documented lately after losing four of five games. A.J. Brown broke his silence about the team, and it could be a turning point for this team. They still have a shot at winning the NFC East but would need to win and a Cowboys loss to do so. With the playoffs starting next week, can the Eagles turn things around? The Giants have lost 3 games in a row but would love to beat their division rival to finish the season. The season has been a disaster seeing they were my pick to win the NFC East. Can Tyrod Taylor lead the Giants to the win and end the season on a winning note? I’m picking the Giants to win it. New York Win 34-30

We have the Seattle Seahawks traveling to Arizona to face the scrappy Cardinals. The Seahawks are hoping they can still find a way to make the playoffs. After losing at home to Pittsburgh it diminished their chances to do so. Seattle needs to take care of business in Arizona for any chance to make the postseason. They would need the Green Bay Packers to lose against Chicago also. Can the Seahawks handle business in Arizona against the Cardinals? With the win over the Eagles last week, the Cardinals draft position continues to fall. They went from being the 2^nd pick overall to the 4^th with the win. Arizona will not stop there because they are as tough a team as anyone else. They fell to the Seahawks earlier in the season, but they didn’t have Murray. I’m picking the Cardinals to win in an upset. Arizona Win 26-21

We have the Los Angeles Rams traveling to San Francisco to face the 49ers. The Rams surely turned their season around after a 3-6 start. They have won 6 of their last 7 games to clinch a playoff berth. Carson Wentz will start in place of Stafford as they prepare to play next weekend. The question is, how many starters will rest in this matchup against the 49ers? San Francisco has clinched the top spot in the NFC. All roads to the Super Bowl in the NFC will have to go through the Niners. Brock Purdy will also sit out this game which will give him a couple weeks to rest. Christian McCaffrey will also sit out this game to rest his mild knee sprain. I’m going with the Niners to win as they head into their bye week. San Francisco Win 24-17

We have the Dallas Cowboys heading to the nation’s capital to battle the Washington Commanders. The Cowboys can wrap up the NFC East with a win over Washington. Dallas could try to blow them out early so they can rest some of their starters. The Cowboys will also want to prove to themselves they’re ready for the playoffs. If Dallas would’ve dropped that controversial game against Detroit it would’ve been their 3^rd consecutive loss. How will this Cowboys team respond to this one? Washington is on a 7-game losing streak and the defense has allowed at least 27 points in each of them. With so much going bad for them this season, they can do the unthinkable and that’s beat Dallas. Will it happen? I’m seeing the Commanders finishing with 8 consecutive defeats. Dallas Win 34-17

The final game of the season has more at stake than any other game. The Buffalo Bills will head to South Beach to take on the Miami Dolphins. The winner of this game will win the AFC East and be the 2^nd seed in the AFC. After being left for dead and possibly not making the playoff Buffalo woke up. The Bills have won four in a row and have put themselves in position to win the division. If Buffalo were to lose this game, they would need help in making the playoffs. Miami is coming off being blown out by the Baltimore Ravens. With a win, they clinch the division and 2^nd seed. With a loss, they still make the playoffs but as the 6^th seed. The Dolphins are dealing with a lot of injuries so I’m picking the Bills. Buffalo Win 30-28

There we are my predictions for the 2023 Week 18 NFL season. What games intrigue you the most for the 2023 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 2023 Week 18 NFL predictions.