NFL Week 18 Outlook; Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022 12:00pm CST

The final week of the NFL regular season has arrived. It’s going to be an epic week of football. There is a mix of meaningful matchups and dud games on the slate. However, betting makes every game interesting.

If you want to win money on the NFL, you need to prepare. We have one final slate of games to make this happen. Let’s go to work and finish the regular season on a high note.

Here is your week 18 outlook. We will look at Green Bay Packers vs Detroit Lions.

Green Bay Packers Travel to Detroit to Face the Lions Sunday

Green Bay needed to win their remaining games or the Cowboys to lose one of theirs to confirm the No. 1 seed. The Cardinals dealt Dallas that loss, and with the Packers subsequently going out and beating the Vikings, they wrapped up the top seed.

The Green Bay Packers have clinched the first seed in the NFC. Therefore, Aaron Rodgers and many of the starters will likely not even dress for the game on Sunday. Rodgers is battling a broken toe, so do not expect him to practice or take one drive this week.

With the extra rest, they can now use that game to ease their starters as desired, which, when combined with the first-round bye awarded to the top seed, will give them two weeks of game rest before resuming action in the Divisional Round.

This is why the spread is so tight on Sunday. The Detroit Lions have been good against the spread, but I still do not think they are as talented as the Packers’ B team.

Packers vs Lions Betting Insight

67% of bettors like the Lions at +2.5, which is an intelligent bet considering they want to win. The total is set at 44.5. Detroit has money line value at +125.

The betting line was published later than usual for this game, suggesting that there is some doubt about whether the Packers will rest starters. The argument against it is that two weeks without competitive football is harmful. Shouldn’t they be allowed to play at least part of the game versus Detroit rather than throwing them in cold in a second-round playoff matchup?

Both Adams and Rodgers said they would like to play part of the game on Sunday.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.