Patriots vs. Bills odds, prediction, betting tips for NFL Week 18

Damar Hamlin has been sick. Doctors have started giving good news about the 24-year-old Bills safety. Bills-Patriots game in Buffalo this weekend is a betting preview.

The Bills-Bengals game was canceled because of Hamlin's cardiac arrest. The Bills need to win this week to avoid being leapfrogged by the Bengals.

Cincinnati will be the second seed because of the strength of victory tiebreaker.

The Patriots are currently 8-8 and need to win to maintain their wild card spot. The Bills are 8 and they need a win over the Patriots or a loss by the Dolphins, Jets, Titans, or Browns.

Patriots vs. Bills is a must-win game for the Patriots. Dolphins, Jets, Titans and Browns could lose in Week 18.

Patriots at Bills is a one-score game. The opening lookahead line for this game was -10. It shifted to -7.5 when the calendar flipped and reopened at - 7 once the NFL announced the game would be played at 1 p.m. ET.

Patriots lead the all-time rivalry 77-48-1. Since Tom Brady took over in Tampa, the Bills have gone 5-0 against the Patriots.

Patriots are 2-6 ATS as underdogs this season. Bills are 7-7-1 against the spread as a favorite this year. Both teams have seen the OVER hit just 50 percent of the time.

The Patriots are 12-4 and control their own destiny in the AFC East. Mac Jones has thrown 11 TDs and eight interceptions this season. The team's late-game execution has been terrible. The Patriots play the Orchard park Orphans in Week 18.

Josh Allen has been more mistake-prone this season. The Bills have turned the ball over 24 times, the second-most in the NFL. New England has 27 takeaways on the season, good for 1.6 per game.

Patriots and Bills have played out a game that has been polar opposites in the red zone all season. Buffalo has the league's best RZ touchdown defense and a better offensive line. New England has a worse R Z TD scoring percentage and the 11th-worst R z TD defense.

Patriots and Bills are playing in NFL Week 18. Bills have a superior quarterback in Josh Allen. The Bills also have better offensive playmakers in Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Devin Singletary and Dawson Knox.

The Bills have won 18-2 when converting 55 percent or more of their red-zone chances into touchdowns this season. New England's red zone percentage is 58.3 percent.

Buffalo needs to win to avoid slipping to the No. 3 seed and hope for an outside shot at overtaking Kansas City for the top seed. The Bills have too much talent on both sides of the ball for Mac Jones and the Pats to be able to keep up.

Patriots vs. Bills is a game to watch in NFL Week 18. Buffalo is favored by 7 points.