Happy New Year, Pickswise Nation! NFL Week 18 is upon us and with it tons of excitement as the race to make it to the postseason reaches its climax. With a bunch of AFC and NFC teams still in contention for the playoffs, we should be in for a chaotic weekend. Our Pickswise NFL handicappers have been on fire all season long, and that rings true especially for our'NFL best bets. Our experts went 7-0 on Best Bets in Week 17 , taking their overall record for the season to a staggering 55-37 and +34.11 units of profit! We’ve also got NFL picks for every matchup this week, but for now, let’s get the best bet from 3 of our best NFL handicappers for Week 18.
Chris Farley: New England Patriots -1.5 over New York Jets (-110)
There's obviously not a lot to anticipate about this contest from a football perspective. Both teams are far and away outside the playoff picture, and each program has been vilified for tremendously disappointing seasons. The Jets are a little less responsible for their downtrodden results this year, though, since big-name QB Aaron Rodgers went down to an injury just minutes into the 2023-24 regular season. Of course, we all thought Robert Saleh and the Jets' front office may still be fighting for their jobs, but owner Woody Johnson has made it clear that Saleh and GM Joe Douglas will return for the next campaign. New York would love nothing more than to end its season with a W over a big rival – a Patriots franchise that has defeated the perennial loser of an opponent in 15 straight contests. Bill Belichick's outfit also beat the Jets this year in Week 3, in one of their best defensive efforts of the season, holding Gang Green to just 171 total yards and halting their offense on 12 of 14 third-down attempts. Saleh announced that if Zach Wilson is healthy, he will be the Jets' starter this weekend – the same guy who went a putrid 18 of 36 for 157 yards and took 4 sacks against the Pats back in September.
While Saleh's job is secure, the same cannot be said for Belichick and I think that will make all the difference this Sunday. The esteemed “GOAT” among NFL coaches has been under the microscope since Tom Brady's departure, and rightfully so – he is 29-36 as the Pats' head man since TB12 exited the building. Still, the 8-time Super Bowl winner (don't forget his ring with the Giants as defensive coordinator back in 1990) obviously has plenty of fight left, as he has scratched and clawed and made adjustments all season to try and turn his current roster into a winning program. It hasn't worked out well, but I imagine Belichick will go out with a bang this Sunday. In case you need even more reason to believe: if he loses this Sunday, he'll tie former Dallas Cowboys head coach Tom Landry for the most losses in NFL history. Ya think Belichick has enough motivation this weekend? Same.
No coach has brought as much success to any sports franchise as Belichick has to the New England Patriots, and I'm sure their fans appreciate it. I expect Gillette Stadium to be raucous in his final appearance, just as I expect the Patriots' players to be ultra-motivated to get Bill one last game. But players, schemes, agendas – not much matters in this kind of scenario. As a professional handicapper we cannot ignore the enormity of the moment. And since the NFL is often as much a soap opera as it is a sport, I can't imagine Belichick doesn't get the final victory he deserves in New England. This will be defense vs. defense this Sunday, and the defensive mastermind that is Belichick has my trust.