The NFL is now entering into the first ever Week 18 in their extended history. Some teams are already locked into their playoff positions or eliminated from contention, so this week doesn’t mean all that much. Although, other teams have their seasons hanging in the balance of their upcoming game, including two matchups in the NFC.
New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons
We got to see the Atlanta Falcons upset the Saints earlier in the season when Taysom Hill was the starter. It was an ugly performance by both sides, but the Falcons came out on top. This rematch is a lot more important though. If the Saints are able to win this game, they then have a 50 percent chance to make it into the postseason, knocking out the San Francisco 49ers if they lose their own matchup. New Orleans is 8-8 on the year and have struggled mightily since Jameis Winston went down with an injury. COVID list additions, injuries and suspensions have all severely hurt the Saints this year, but they continue to persevere. The Falcons have been doing the same. With Calvin Ridley still out and there not being much talent left on offense, they keep on trucking forward with a 7-9 record. Their defense has turned into a top group in the league and their season has been better than expected because of it. I like the Saints in this game, these two teams usually don’t sweep the other all that often and with the way the last game went, New Orleans will want revenge.
San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams
If the 49ers win this game they stamp their ticket to the playoffs, if they lose and the Saints win then they get eliminated from contention. Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t currently expected to make it back onto the field, meaning we get another week of Trey Lance. Lance had a mediocre first showing against the Houston Texans last week, but the whole team turned it up in the second half and got the win. As for the Rams, they continue to be bad offensively but found a way to win. Stafford and this offense turned it over three times again. To a secondary that was missing their three best secondary players. Not a great look for this offense as they come into a critical stretch of games. San Francisco beat them earlier in the season but that was Odell Beckham’s first game with the organisation. With Lance at the helm, I would roll the dice on the Rams to win this game.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas Raiders
Probably the only other game of the week with major playoff implications. The Los Angeles Chargers got a huge win over the Denver Broncos, a team that crushed them a few weeks ago. Justin Herbert and company looked phenomenal and marched down the field with ease against a really tough Denver defense. Los Angeles saw a number of passes fall through the hands of their defenders as well. They should probably take some extra time to work on their catching because opportunities like that will need to be capitalised on. The Raiders won a huge game against the Indianapolis Colts last week. It had to come all the way down to the wire, but they pulled through in the end. It’s impressive how much the Raiders have battled through this season throughout everything that’s happened. However, I don’t think they are a better team than the Chargers. Which is why I am rolling with Los Angeles to get that playoff spot.
