Colts vs. Jaguars Week 18 Picks: Can Indy Lock Up Playoff Spot?

The Indianapolis Colts will clinch a playoff spot if they can beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville on the final Sunday of the regular season. Can they cover the spread? Read on our Colts-Jaguars picks.

Indianapolis can clinch a wild-card seed by inflicting a ninth consecutive defeat on its divisional rival Jacksonville. The Colts lost 23-20 to the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend, but they're still 9-7 straight-up for the season, and their destiny is in their own hands.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, own the worst record in the league with 14 losses from 16 contests. The Colts are 10-6 against the spread this season, while the Jags are 4-12, which is also the worst ATS record in the league.

Here are my picks and predictions for the NFL Week 18 matchup between the Colts and Jaguars (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

Colts vs. Jaguars Game Info

Date/Time: Sunday, Jan. 9, 1 p.m. ETTV: CBSLocation: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FLWeather: Warm, mostly sunny, 10-mph winds

Colts vs. Jaguars Odds Analysis

The Colts are the overwhelming favorites to win this game. Some books have Indianapolis as the -1200 Moneyline favorite, and the best price you can find is -1101 at PointsBet. FanDuel makes Jacksonville the +750 underdog.

Most books favor the Colts by 15. DraftKings and Caesars lead the way with -110 on Indianapolis -15, while FanDuel has a market-leading -105 on the Colts -15.5. If you want to bet on the Jags to cover, BetMGM has -105 on Jacksonville +15 and -110 on Jacksonville +15.5. The total points line is set at 44. Most books have -110 on Over, and BetMGM has the best price of -105 on Under.

Colts vs. Jaguars Picks

Colts -15.5 (-105) ???Over 44 (-110) ???

SEE ALSO: NFL Week 18 Odds, Lines, and Picks

Colts vs. Jaguars Predictions

Colts -15.5 (-105)

Indy went into its Week 17 game against the Raiders as an 8.5-point favorite, having won six of its previous seven games. It's hard to see the Colts dropping the ball again in this must-win game against a Jags team that needs to lose to lock up the No. 1 overall draft pick for the second straight year.

Jacksonville has gone 0-7 ATS in its last seven. The Jaguars were 17.5-point underdogs against the New England Patriots in Week 17 and lost by 40.

The Colts are 6-0 in their last six road games and should crush the Jags, and you can get attractive terms for them to do so at FanDuel by pushing it out to -15.5.

Over 44 (-110)

The Colts are more than capable of scoring at least 30 in this game against a Jacksonville team that allowed 50 a week ago against New England. And there should be a blistering start to the proceedings, as Indy will want to quickly lock up its postseason spot.

The favorites may then start to rest key players in the latter stages of the game to avoid injury, which should allow the Jags to score some points. Jacksonville's offense isn't too bad; it has enough quality to surpass its team total prop target of 13.5 points.

Ten of 16 games featuring the Colts this season have gone Over 44 points, and this should be another high-scoring clash. These teams have allowed a combined 49.1 points per game for the campaign, so Over 44 looks like a sensible play, and -110 appeals when some books are offering just -115 on Over.

SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com's community forums and betting tools.

Colts-Jaguars picks made on 1/7/2022 at 7:25 a.m. ET.