NFL Week 18 1pm Sunday Slate Spread Picks NFL Betting Odds

We had a solid showing in Week 17, hitting on seven of the 10 1PM games for a tidy little profit. Now, we’re taking a look at the Week 18 1PM early Sunday slate, which is much smaller with just a half dozen games. Though we won’t be looking at moneyline favorites, we’ll be making the best value point spread pick for each matchup thanks to all the best NFL betting odds from the top NFL betting sites and betting apps.

NFL Week 18 Sunday Slate Betting Odds - Sunday, January 7th

All odds provided by Sports Interaction.

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints - 1PM

This is one of the more intriguing matchups of the final week of the season because both of these teams are still competing for the NFC South title. The Buccaneers are in the driver’s seat, as they only need a win against the Panthers to take the division, but that won’t stop either of these sides from competing.

What it essentially comes down to in this one is the quarterback situation. 18 weeks in, and the Falcons still aren’t certain about who their guy is under center, and Derek Carr is a better quarterback than Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder anyway. Atlanta has also been awful on the road, going 2-5 ATS away from home, so we’re taking New Orleans as long as the spread stays at -3.0 or less.

New York Jets @ New England Patriots - 1PM

Neither of these teams has anything to play for apart from draft position, so this one could get ugly. However, considering this could very well be Bill Belichick’s final game as the coach of the Patriots after 21 years at the helm, you can bet that his guys are going to be playing for their general. 

Both of these teams are solid defensively, so the turnover battle is likely to be a major factor in how this one shakes out. Unfortunately, both of these teams have six takeaways over their past four games, so that doesn’t help us much. Also, the Jets are awful on the road and the Patriots are awful at home, so Belichick is really the difference here. Take the Pats to cover -1.5, which could very well be their first favorite spread of the year.

Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals - 1PM

I understand the reasoning for this spread, but it still seems a little bit excessive. The Browns are not sitting their whole roster, just the top guys like Joe Flacco and Myles Garrett. This should still be a tough matchup for the Bengals with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and company flying around.

The Bengals will be trotting out their A team, but the Jake Browning jig might be up anyway after struggling to top 17 points in either of Cincinnati’s last two outings. They’re out of the playoff picture, so it’s not like they’ll be chomping at the bit either. We expect the Bengals to win, but not by a touchdown, so roll with Cleveland and Jeff Driskel to cover +7.0 points in Ohio.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans - 1PM

This is a tough one to call for the millionth week in a row, because for the millionth week in a row, Jags QB Trevor Lawrence is waiting until the last minute to be declared in or out. With their playoff lives on the line, we’d expect Lawrence to suit up. But even if he does, he’s looked very poor without Christian Kirk in the lineup, and the wideout is unlikely to be ready for Sunday.

Will the Miami Dolphins (+2.5) cover the spread against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday?

Bet 👉 https://t.co/dQQOcw5n9U#NFL | #BUFvsMIA

— Betting Top 10 - Canada (@Bettingtop10C) January 6, 2024

The Titans will likely be starting Ryan Tannehill again after he struggled mightily against the Texans. However, much of his struggles were down to Houston’s elite pass rush, which is something Jacksonville can’t claim to have, apart from Josh Allen. Mike Vrabel will have his guys wired to spoil their division rival’s playoff hopes, so we like the Titans to at least cover +4.0 if not win outright.

Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions - 1PM

The Lions still have a chance to claim the No. 2 seed if they win and the Cowboys lose to the Commanders, but even as I wrote that, I know there’s really no chance. Anyway, would you rather play the ice cold Eagles or the red hot Rams in the first round? We’d go with the former right now.

The Vikings need a lot of help, but they’ve still got a shot at the dance, and after they were absolutely emasculated last week in prime time, they will be ready to get that bitter taste out of their mouth. If CeeDee Lamb can go for 200 on this defense, what can Jettas do? Justin Jefferson should have a field day. We like the Vikings to cover +3.5 and win this one.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers - 1PM

While the Saints and Falcons need to hope the Bucs lose, the Bucs don’t need to worry about anything but winning the game in front of them, which happens to be against the worst team in the NFL. The Panthers have looked a little friskier in recent weeks, but still, it’s the Panthers, and any spread below a touchdown against them looks juicy these days.

Tampa Bay were humbled last week against the Saints last, but they will get the last laugh here. Baker Mayfield will bounce back, and the Bucs need to run the ball early and often. It might be closer than some might like, but the Bucs should be able to do enough to cover this -4.5 spread.