It’s do-or-die time in the NFL as the final week of the regular season approaches, and that means it’s an anxious time for both the players on the field, and football bettors who are sitting on season-long prop tickets.
Division titles are still up for grabs in the AFC East, AFC South, NFC East, and the NFC South entering Week 18. There are also three playoff spots still to be determined in the AFC and two in the NFC, setting up a wild final week of scoreboard-watching for bettors.
Buffalo Bills to win AFC East Division
Additionally, seven teams are teetering on their season win totals at bet365 with one game to play. Let’s take a closer look at each of these teams and their respective final matchups:
Philadelphia Eagles (11-5 SU, 6-7-3 ATS, 9-7 o/u)
Season win total: 11.5
Preseason odds to win division: -120
If you bet the Eagles to post 12 wins or more you’re pulling your hair out right now due to the team’s recent struggles. They’re in an absolute free fall, dropping four of their last five games heading into their regular season finale against the New York Giants, who they recently beat 33-25 in Week 16. Philadelphia has already clinched a playoff spot, but it’s deadlocked with Dallas in the NFC East with a game to play. The Eagles, who are five-point road favourites on Sunday, will need a win combined with a Dallas loss or tie, or a tie combined with a Dallas loss, to lock up the division.
Buffalo Bills (10-6 SU, 6-9-1 ATS, 6-10 o/u)
Season win total: 10.5
Preseason odds to win AFC East Division: +120
The Bills have rattled off four straight wins, including a pair of impressive victories over the Kansas City Chiefs and Cowboys, to salvage their season and vault back into playoff contention. But there’s still work to do. Buffalo controls its destiny and can clinch the AFC East Division title with a win on Sunday night against the Miami Dolphins, who currently lead the division by a game. The Bills are three-point road favourites and they hold the tiebreaker over Miami by virtue of their dominant 48-20 victory over the Dolphins in Week 4. Should the Bills lose, they can still clinch a playoff berth with a tie against the Dolphins, a Pittsburgh loss or tie, a Jacksonville loss or tie, or a Houston-Indianapolis tie. In other words, a lot would have to go wrong for the Bills not to punch their ticket to the postseason. This is Buffalo, though, and stranger things have happened.
Buffalo Bills to not make the playoffs
+450
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7 SU, 9-7 ATS, 7-9 o/u)
Season win total: 9.5
Preseason odds to win AFC South Division: -160
It looked like Jacksonville was going to cruise to a division title, but four straight losses from Week 13 to Week 16 allowed both the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans to close the gap. All three teams have identical 9-7 records heading into the final week, but the Jaguars have the inside track on the division and can simply clinch with a win on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is dealing with a throwing shoulder injury, is hopeful he can play this week. But if he can’t suit up, things could be very interesting as Indianapolis and Houston will square off against each other in their respective season finales.
Seattle Seahawks (8-8 SU, 7-7-2 ATS, 7-9 o/u)
Season win total: 8.5
Preseason odds to make the playoffs: -120
The Seahawks need a win on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals and some help to secure a playoff berth. A victory against the lowly Cardinals would also satisfy bettors that wagered on the team to win over 8.5 games before the season. This game is going to be played in Arizona, so Seattle won’t have the 12th-man advantage of Lumen Field. Arizona is coming off a shocking 35-31 victory over the Eagles and is only a three-point home underdog this week against the Seahawks.
Denver Broncos (8-8 SU, 6-9-1 ATS, 7-9 o/u)
Season win total: 8.5
Preseason odds to make the playoffs: +195
The Broncos have been eliminated from playoff contention, but they can still surpass their season win total with a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The big story in Denver is the benching of quarterback Russell Wilson down the stretch due to the vesting of his injury guarantees in his contract. That didn’t stop the Broncos from squeezing out a 16-9 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last week, though, forcing season-win total bettors to sweat out the regular season finale.
Chicago Bears (7-9 SU, 8-6-2 ATS, 8-7-1 o/u)
Season win total: 7.5
The Bears already have the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft locked up by owning Carolina’s first-round pick this year, so there was no incentive to tank after the team started the season 2-7. Bettors that wagered on the team to post 7.5 wins or less aren’t happy that the team has rattled off four wins in its last five games to put the number in jeopardy. However, the Bears have a daunting matchup with the Packers in Green Bay to close things out. The Packers, who can still nail down a playoff spot, are three-point favourites in the matchup between NFC North rivals.
Arizona Cardinals (4-12 SU, 8-7-1 ATS, 9-6-1 o/u)
Season win total: 4.5
The Cardinals had the lowest season win total (4.5) in the NFL heading into the season. Expectations were low with quarterback Kyler Murray on the shelf to start the year while recovering from a serious knee injury, but the team has played much better since his return to action in November, picking up three wins in the process. A tough closing matchup with the playoff-hungry Seahawks will decide the fate of these Arizona futures tickets.
