A wonderful NFL season reaches it's finale as we finalise the playoff spots after an amazing and entertaining football season ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl.
In a highly entertaining season so far, this week we’ll look at three games involving the Dallas Cowboys taking on the Washington Commanders, the Los Angeles Rams game with the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions clash with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
We’ll break down the exciting match-ups, give you our best free NFL picks, and see if we can earn you some extra cash for the end of the weekend.
Learn more about how to bet on the NFL here.
Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Commanders - 1/8/23, 16:25 ET
Dallas have had a stellar season so far and have already claimed their playoff spot, and could still potentially win the NFC East if Philadelphia are to lose in their final game of the season.
The Cowboys have so far managed to rack up a 12-4 record for the season, with two different four-game winning streaks helping them to separate themselves from the rest of their division.
They're currently on a two-game winning streak, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas eve before a win over the Tennessee Titans in their most recent outing.
The Commanders have not had a particularly good campaign so far and are already out of the running for the playoffs, having gone 7-8-1 so far this season.
Washington are winless in their last four games, tying 20-20 after overtime against the New York Giants, before three consecutive losses against the Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns.
NFL picks: Cowboys to cover the spread
The No. 1 seed is also up for grabs with an Eagles and 49ers loss and a Cowboys win, and that is why I expect them to be right up for this game.
The Commanders were eliminated from postseason contention in last week’s loss to the Browns thanks to another Carson Wentz meltdown. Washington could well look to spoil the party, but after a relatively promising start to the year they have imploded and it seems very unlikely now.
The Commanders have failed to cover the NFL point spread in four straight games. Add to that the fact that the favorites in the last eight match-ups between these two sides have gone 6-2, with the Cowboys covering the spread in their last three.
Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks - 1/8/23, 16:25 ET
It's been a horrible season for the Rams so far as they have managed to put together a record of 5-11 so far, leaving them 14th of the 16 teams in the NFC.
LA have lost eight of their last ten, which includes a a shocking run of six defeats in a row between October 30 and December 8. However they're 2-2 in their last four, claiming wins against Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos and losing to the Packers and Los Angeles Chargers.
Seattle on the other hand have had a really mixed season going 8-8, with their recent 1-3 run potentially costing them a place in the playoffs.
They beat the New York Jets last time out, snapping a three-game skid against the Carolina Panthers, 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs prior to that.
NFL picks: Seattle cover the spread
Seattle can still qualify for the playoffs with a win here, and they will be licking their lips at the prospect of coming up against the Rams.
The Rams have won two of their past four games, but they are a hard team to trust with an erratic Baker Mayfield under center and that should allow Seattle a real chance to run up the score.
The Rams have owned the Seahawks both in the win column and when it comes to covering the spread. However, this is not the same Rams team we are accustomed to seeing, and the Seahawks have got a lot riding on this game.
The home team is 5-2 ATS in the past seven games played between these two franchises so that seems like something to follow, although it will be close.
Detroit Lions vs Green Bay Packers - 1/8/23, 20:20 ET
The Lions have had a crazy season, starting off 1-6 for the campaign before managing to turn the tide and going 7-2 in their next nine games meaning they can still make it to the playoffs.
As for the Packers they started the season 3-1 before going on a run that saw them lose seven of their next eight games to hurt their chances of the playoffs.
They bounced back to win their last four games in a row to still stand a chance of participating in the post-season, and a win in their home stadium will get the job done.
NFL picks: Green Bay cover the spread
The Packers control their own destiny, needing a win over the Lions at home to get into the NFL Playoffs. Simple, right?
Both the Packers and Lions are two of the hottest teams in football right now as their recent form suggests, so this will be no easy feat for them.
However leaning on the side of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers is the right way to lean, especially when the game is in Green Bay and they'll have all the fans on their side inside the stadium.
The Packers are 4-0 against the spread in their past four games while the home team is also 6-0 ATS in their past six meetings between these two clubs.
Taking into consideration that the Lions are a different team at home versus on the road, plus the jeopardy for Green Bay, I see them getting it done in style.
