NFL Week 18 Report – Playoff Teams Set, Wild Card Weekend On Horizon

And just like that, the 2023 NFL regular season is over. That means Sports Hub is here to provide you with its NFL Week 18 Report. It’s been a whirlwind over the last few months and the playoffs are just around the corner! 

The Wild Card Round schedule has been finalized. Just 14 teams out of the 32 across the league will compete in the postseason as they battle it out to lift the Lombardi Trophy come February 11th. 

It’s time to get serious now. You lose, you’re out, and your season is over. However, before we take a look at the schedule for next week, we need to recap last week’s action in our NFL Week 18 Report. 

NFL Week 18 Report – Bill Blatt Tops Season Charts 

It’s been a fantastic season for our handicappers and many have turned some serious profits during the 2023 NFL campaign. We’re going to recap our top cappers from the last week of the regular season a little later in our NFL Week 18 Report. 

First things first, now seems like an appropriate time to examine which experts have had the most success during the 2023 regular season. I’m sure it will come as little surprise to see names such as Bill Blatt, Randall Dickelman, Gino Russo and Seth Cohen near the top of the leaderboards over the last 90 days. 

Nevertheless, Jimmy Boyd comes out on top over the past three months. He has won around 75% of his NFL bets, earning an impressive $1527! Jimmy hasn’t exactly put in too many picks, but his selections have been well calculated. He has a superb record of 23-7. Congrats Jimmy for a wonderful 2023 betting on the NFL!

Top NFL Cappers for 2023

If we extend our picks to the last six months, which also includes preseason picks, then it’s Bill Blatt who leads our leaderboards. Boasting a profit of a whopping $2240 on the NFL over the last 180 days, Bill has clearly been one of our most consistent and reliable football experts. 

Four of our other top experts have surpassed the $1000 mark as well. Randall Dickelman, The Prez, Seth Cohen and Jimmy Boyd have all crushed it in 2023. These are the guys you need to be tracking when it comes to picks for the playoffs! Our cappers will be preparing scrupulously in order to provide you with the best picks throughout the postseason. 

We also need to mention Reggie Garrett who came out on top for the final week of the 2023 regular season. He went 5-0 to earn himself $500. 25 of our handicappers boasted a 100% record during Week 18, so our guys saw some good success to round off the campaign. 

Here’s our top cappers during the final week of the regular season in my NFL Week 18 Report:

• Reggie Garrett 5-0: Reggie finished off the regular season in style after going 100% with his five picks. He correctly called the monumental clash on Saturday in the AFC South decider between the Texans and the Colts, selecting Houston -1. He also had the Packers, Giants, Titans and Raiders all to cover. He is the star capper in my NFL Week 18 report. 
• 2-0 Records: Cappers such as Jimmy Liu, Madjack Sports, Mike Williams, Logan Wilson, Dan Kaiser, Hunter Price, Jimmy Boyd, Sports Hub Insider and Scott Wetzel all netted a $200 profit each. There’s a lot of new names in there which is fantastic to see!
• 80% Win Rate: It’s not always about having a 100% record. Ross Walker and James Acker went 4-1 during Week 18 which saw them turn a $290 profit. They both successfully bet on spreads and totals during the final week. 

NFL Week 18 Report – Trending News

In typical fashion, my NFL Week 18 Report will now take a look at the trending news across the league. A host of teams saw their fate decided during Week 18. Some were filled with joy as they made it to the playoffs, whilst it was dejection for others. 

Teams such as the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Green Bay Packers secured their place in the postseason. Meanwhile, the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks all went crashing out. 

With so much at stake during Week 18, we saw emotions get the better of a number of players and coaches. I’m sure we all saw Arthur Smith fail to keep his cool at the end of the Falcons-Saints game on Sunday, whilst there were disagreements between Dennis Allen and his offense during the final play of the game. 

The end of the regular season also signals the start of ‘Black Monday’. Some head coaches across the NFL have already lost their jobs after disappointing campaigns. We’ll recap those who are already out of the job below, as well as those on the hot seat. 

NFL Week 18 Report – Highlights

• Buffalo Clinch AFC East: By the time Bills-Dolphins got underway on SNF, Buffalo had already clinched a playoff berth. However, the 21-14 win was also significant since the Bills have now secured home field advantage heading into the playoffs, earning the No. 2 seed. They will also face the lowest seeded team during the Wild Card round in the Steelers, whilst Miami will now have to visit the Kansas City Chiefs. 
• Houston Secure Playoffs: The Texans sealed a crucial win on Saturday as they defeated the Colts 23-19 to wrap up their spot in the postseason. They were even crowned AFC South champions as the Jags went crashing out of the playoffs with a 28-20 loss at the Tennessee Titans. 
• Steelers Sneak In: It was also a huge week for the Steelers as they managed to make the playoffs. Their chances looked slim heading into Week 18, but their win on Saturday over AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens gave them hope. Results went their way and they now have a Wild Card round game to look forward to. 
• Buccaneers Win NFC South Again: The Bucs weren’t at their best against the Carolina Panthers, but they still secured a 9-0 victory to win the NFC South for the third time in a row. That meant the Saints missed out on playoff football, despite beating the Atlanta Falcons 48-17. 
• No Rodgers, No Problem: Green Bay clinched the final playoff spot in the NFC with a 17-9 win over the Chicago Bears, meaning they secured their place in the postseason without Aaron Rodgers. The Jordan Love era has gotten off to a great start for the Packers. 
• NFL Black Monday: Ending the season with a 7-10 record, time’s up for Smith as head coach in Atlanta. Ron Rivera was also sacked by the Washington Commanders. Is it over for Bill Belichick in New England? The Patriots finished 4-13 after losing 17-3 against the New York Jets in Foxborough on Sunday. He could be the next coach to depart.
• Goodbye for Derrick Henry in Tennessee?: King Henry seemed as though he was saying his goodbyes after the Titans’ win over the Jags. He has been one of the best running backs in the league now for the last half a decade. Henry will now become a free agent. 
• Rookie Record Breaker: I don’t think many would have envisioned Puka Nacua having a record-breaking rookie season for the Los Angeles Rams before the season began. The fifth-round pick has broken multiple records this season and he capped that off during Week 18. He had the most receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) in history out of all rookies! Be sure to check out our update on NFL futures later in the week. 

A look To Wild Card Weekend

What a season it has been. It’s sad to say goodbye, and our NFL Week 18 Report is coming to an end. However, we’ve still got plenty of playoff football to enjoy over the next month. That all starts on Saturday as we kick off Wild Card Weekend!

Let’s take a look at what’s coming up in Wild Card Weekend:

• Saturday: The playoffs open with Browns @ Texans (4:30 p.m. ET) in the first matchup of the weekend. C.J. Stroud will hope to continue in his stunning form throughout his rookie season. The Browns’ incredible defense will be key. 
• Saturday Primetime: Saturday games continue with Dolphins @ Chiefs (8 p.m. ET). Tyreek Hill returns to Arrowhead Stadium to face his former team. Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City haven’t been at their best in 2023, but will look to clutch in the playoffs. 
• Sunday: AFC Wild Card games finish off with Steelers at Bills (1 p.m. ET). Buffalo have won their last five entering the postseason so have fantastic momentum. Pittsburgh won their last three regular season games to clinch the No. 7 seed. 
• Sunday: It’s Packers at Cowboys (4:30 p.m. ET) in the first NFC playoff game of the season. The Packers will be looking to end a 16-game home winning streak for Dallas. 
• Sunday Primetime: Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff return to face their old teams in Rams at Lions (8 p.m. ET). It is the first home playoff game for Detroit since 1993, so they’ll be looking to put on a show for their fans. 
• Monday Primetime: The Wild Card round will conclude with Eagles at Buccaneers (8 p.m. ET). The defending NFC champions face the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium, but they have been in poor form of late, winning just one of their last six. Nevertheless, Tampa Bay still head into the game as the underdogs. 

The Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers receive byes and will enter the playoffs in the Divisional Round. They will face the lowest seeded teams left in the postseason after the Wild Card round. That will leave eight teams left to compete during the Divisional Round, with four games on show. 

My NFL Week 18 Report is over now and we are all set for the playoffs. I hope that you continue to follow Sports Hub throughout the postseason. We will still be providing you with coverage throughout, and our cappers will be working extremely hard to supply you with the best picks! We wish you all the best as playoff football gets underway this week.