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Welcome to Week 18, the craziest of them all to try to pick winners against the spread in the NFL.

There are all kinds of things to consider. There are …

—  Good teams that need to win to make the playoffs.

—  Good teams that could improve their seeding with a win but have to weigh the risk-reward of exposing their top players to injury.

— Middle-of-the-road teams on an upswing or downswing.

— Bad teams that are still somewhat dangerous or are totally done.

Add to this landscape the fact that though the NFL schedule-makers group relevant teams into the same time slot, results on the scoreboard can change teams’ motivation in real-time.

The thing is, a lot of these factors are reflected in the point spreads, and the biggest one that jumps out is the Eagles being 14-point favorites against the Giants on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

That number can be justified by the Eagles’ desire to clinch the NFC’s top seed and the coveted bye, Jalen Hurts’ return from injury and the team’s 48-22 blowout win at MetLife Stadium on Dec. 11.

That massive spread, however, presumes the Giants will not be going full out because they are locked into the No. 6 playoff seed. Brian Daboll doesn’t have a track record with this decision, but if he limits Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley and sits starters with any injury concerns, this could get out of hand.

Eagles vs. Giants pick: Eagles -14

It was strange to see the Jets favored against a team that still can get into the playoffs. This line flip was all about whether Teddy Bridgewater can play with his dislocated finger or if it will be Skylar Thompson, whom the Jets beat handily in October. But late Thursday the favorite switched back on news that Mike White might not be able to play.

Though I would expect the Jets’ corners will clamp down on Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, speculation on White might not be ready forced this lean. I don’t think I could get behind Joe Flacco, who seems to have checked out of the inn long ago.

Obviously the linesmakers don’t buy Todd Bowles’ assertion he will play the starters after already having clinched the NFC South. I doubt Bowles is dumb enough to let Tom Brady get hurt behind a banged-up offensive line in a meaningless game. This should be one of those mail-ins.

Never thought I’d be backing Nathan Peterman this season, but the alternative is to lay more than a touchdown on the road with a Vikings team that has a minus-19 point differential and only scant motivation to move up to the NFC No. 2 seed. I think Kevin O’Connell tries to get in and out of Soldier Field with a healthy team.

The emotions that come out of scary Damar Hamlin incident could play out any which way, but I’d imagine if Hamlin’s condition continues to improve, it will serve as impetus for the Bills to hammer the Patriots again.

Normally wouldn’t want to give this many points to the playoff-bound Ravens, but the team seems to be in a bit of purgatory as it tries to get Lamar Jackson healthy for next week. It’ll be hard for the Ravens to deny the rolling Bengals the AFC North title.

OK, so I’m taking a team that has been outscored 97-16 in its past 2 ¹/₂ games. That’s because the alternative is the Texans, who are just 60 minutes away from securing the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.

The Saints are finishing the season strong, coming in with three wins in a row and a five-game stretch in which they have given up an average of 13.6 ppg.

Cleveland is 3-2 in Deshaun Watson’s five starts, but the offensive results aren’t much different from what Jacoby Brissett put up. I don’t expect for it to click now against a Steelers team that has allowed 17 points or fewer in each of the past six games.

The Chargers would be locked into the No. 5 AFC seed if the Ravens lose to the Bengals earlier on Sunday. Should that happen, I can’t see Justin Herbert (shoulder) and his top mates being placed under much risk here. Hence the strange line I believe the oddsmakers have gotten right.

The Niners still could get up to the NFC 1 or 2 seed with help, but those scenarios could fade as the day goes on. Again, remember, the favorite’s goal here is any win, not necessarily by more than two touchdowns.

We saw last week that the 12th Man can still be whipped into quite a frenzy by some good Geno Smith-Kenneth Walker football. Baker Mayfield’s magic wore off last week, and Lumen Field is not a place where a bad team wants to play out the string.

Another game in which the scoreboard could serve as a disincentive, in this case to the Cowboys’ hopes of winning the NFC East. With Carson Wentz back in mothballs, hoping first-time starting QB Sam Howell will give the Cowboys a good go.

The final 17 percent of the Lions’ playoff chances most likely will be extinguished by kickoff at 20-degree Lambeau Field, but I doubt Dan Campbell will let that get them down. This team has had a resurgent season, is finishing strong and should leave one last forget-me-not.

Best bets: Commanders, Titans, Saints
Lock of the week: Commanders (Locks 8-9 in 2022)
Last week: 7-8 overall, 1-2 Best Bets.