A pair of divisional contests with postseason seeding are on the docket for Saturday. Is there a better way to kick off the NFL Week 18 slate?
Late in the afternoon, the 8-8 Carolina Panthers take on the 7-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the NFC South crown hanging in the balance.
The nightcap is the 13-3 Seattle Seahawks looking to take down the 12-4 San Francisco 49ers on the road and land home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Below, we’ll break down our Week 18 NFL Saturday game predictions on spread and over/unders for Panthers vs. Bucs and Seahawks vs. 49ers. With PrizePicks Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, totals, and futures and turn your picks into real money if you’re right.
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Prediction, Picks for Saturday
Date: Saturday, Jan. 3
Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: ABC & ESPN
Panthers vs. Buccaneers Prediction on Spread
Panthers vs. Buccaneers over/under, spread, and game winner payouts are via PrizePicks Team Picks. All projections are live as of writing and are subject to change.
Game Winner Payout: Panthers 2.22x | Buccaneers 1.61x
Spread: Buccaneers -2.5
Over/Under: 44.5
- The Panthers are 9-7 against the spread this season, tied for the eighth-best record in the sport. The Buccaneers are 5-11 ATS, marking the NFL’s worst record.
- Since a 6-2 start and their bye week, the Bucs are an ugly 1-7 overall. Dating back to Week 9, the Panthers have alternated wins and losses at 4-4.
- In fairness to Tampa Bay, they’re a better team on paper. They rank 19th and 21st in points per drive on offense and defense compared to Carolina’s respective ranks of 26th and 24th.
- With RBs Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, the Panthers are 17th in rush EPA, per Jefe’s Handiwork. The Buccaneers’ defense, however, is ninth against the run.
- Carolina’s poor series conversion rate (26th) and late down success rate (30th) on defense might be just what the doctor ordered to fix the Bucs’ struggling offense.
- Monitor personnel on both sides. Per NFL Pro, the Panthers opt for 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE) at the seventh-highest clip. The Bucs match that with nickel defense 89.9% of the time, which could foster a less conducive passing environment.
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers Prediction, Picks for Saturday
Date: Saturday, Jan. 3
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where to Watch: ABC & ESPN
Seahawks vs. 49ers Prediction on Spread
Seahawks vs. 49ers over/under, spread, and game winner payouts are via PrizePicks Team Picks. All projections are live as of writing and are subject to change.
Game Winner Payout: Seahawks 1.63x | 49ers 2.12x
Spread: Seahawks -2.5
Over/Under: 46.5
- Saturday features two of the best ATS teams in the sport. Seattle’s 11-5 record and San Francisco’s 10-5-1 mark both sit in the top five leaguewide.
- A strength-on-strength matchup to watch is third and fourth downs. San Fran leads the NFL in late down success rate on offense, and Seattle is second on defense.
- In his last three games, Seahawks QB Sam Darnold has 3 TDs to 3 INTs with an 82.3 passer rating. 49ers QB Brock Purdy, meanwhile, has 11 TDs to 2 INTs with a 131.5 rating.
- Via NFL Pro, Darnold turns the ball over more frequently when pressured (7.8%) than any qualified signal-caller.
- This isn’t the same abysmal San Francisco defense. According to RBSDM, it ranked 26th in EPA/play from Weeks 1-10 but is up to 16th during its six-game winning streak.
Make Saturday NFL Picks on PrizePicks
Whether it’s Panthers vs. Bucs, Seahawks vs. 49ers or another game, you have a multitude of options to turn your NFL predictions into real-money rewards if you’re right this weekend.
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