NFL Week 18 picks, odds: 49ers take out Rams for playoff berth, Falcons shock hated Saints
CBSN
All of Will Brinson's picks and best bets for Week 18 of the 2021 NFL season
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 NFL. Plus it gives me one more week to catch Pete Prisco in season-long picks.
And the old Week 17 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.