Don’t look now but the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are starting to make a move in the NFC West as they climbed to within just a game off Arizona for the division lead with a comprehensive 19-3 win over the San Francisco 49ers last Thanksgiving.
They can slash that advantage even further when they face the Philadelphia Eagles this coming Sunday. The Eagles are also coming off a huge division win, defeating their rivals the Dallas Cowboys 33-10 to restore their one-game advantage at the top of the NFC East standings.
This blockbuster showdown is part of a packed 16-game schedule which also includes a key NFC showdown between Dallas and Chicago and a mouth-watering clash between AFC rivals New England and San Diego. Read on below for our complete Week 14 predictions as we gear up for the exciting climax to the 2014 NFL season.
[sc:Football ]Complete NFL Week 14 Picks
Thursday, December 4
Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears (8:25 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Cowboys -3.5
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Cowboys’ old defensive problems returned at the worst possible time as they were thrashed 33-10 by the Philadelphia Eagles in a marquee NFC East showdown last Thanksgiving. Dallas allowed a season-high 464 yards as they were unable to stop the Eagles rampant offense, particularly LeSean McCoy who went berserk rushing for 159 yards and a touchdown.
They will look to get their defense back in order this coming Thursday when they face the struggling Chicago Bears. The Bears’ road woes continued last Thursday as they suffered a 34-17 humiliation at the hands of the Detroit Lions. Since Week 4, the Bears defense has allowed 34.2 points per game on the road, the worst mark in the NFL.
The good news for the Bears is that their showdown with the Cowboys will be held at Soldier Field. They have done particularly well at home recently, winning their last two games against the Vikings and the Bucs.
Sunday, December 7
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Steelers +3.5
The Cincinnati Bengals took a huge step in winning their second consecutive division title with a nerve-wracking 14-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Andy Dalton, once again had another shaky performance, completing 19 of 27 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions for the Bengals who have suddenly erected a 1 ½ game lead in the congested AFC North race.
He and the rest of the Bengals can create even further separation this coming Sunday when they face rivals Pittsburgh in an all-important division showdown. The Steelers have struggled as of late, losing two of their last three games including last night’s 35-32 defeat to the New Orleans Saints. Pittsburgh,though, can take comfort in the fact that they are 6-2 in their last eight meetings with the Bengals.
St. Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Rams -2.5
The Rams may be out of the playoff picture but that didn’t stop them from recording one of the biggest victories in their franchise history as they demolished the Oakland Raiders 52-0 Sunday. Tre Mason led the Rams’ assault as he rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries in the blowout win.
He will have his hands full this coming Sunday, though, when he faces a Redskins defensive line that allows just 102.8 yards per game on the ground this season. Washington’s problems, however, have come against the pass, allowing 26 touchdowns via the aerial route this season, third most in the NFL.
That problem surfaced against the Colts in their last game as Andrew Luck torched them for 370 yards and five touchdowns in a 22-point humiliation.
New York Giants vs. Tennessee Titans (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Giants (pk)
One struggling team will finally get to pick up a win this coming Sunday as the Giants and the Titans square off in a battle of cellar-dwellers. The Titans’ losing woes show no sign of abating as they were thrashed by the Houston Texans 45-21 Sunday to extend their losing streak to six games.
The New York Giants, on the other hand, saw their season plunge into the lowest of lows after they were defeated by the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, 25-24, Sunday. The Giants blew a huge 21-point lead in the second quarter as they stumbled to their seventh consecutive defeat.
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Saints -10
New Orleans fans can breathe a huge sigh of relief after the Saints finally snapped their three-game losing rut with a huge 35-32 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road no less. Drew Brees was the star of the show for the Saints, throwing 257 yards and five touchdowns, the ninth time he has done so in his career.
He will look to carry the momentum from this huge win into their next game against division rivals Carolina. The Panthers’ playoff hopes appear to be slipping away fast after suffering a 31-13 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings. Cam Newton struggled once again, completing 18 of 35 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown with a pick for the Panthers who have now lost six games in a row.
New York Jets vs. Minnesota Vikings (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Vikings -6
Minnesota snapped its two-game losing streak in grand fashion Sunday by crushing Carolina 31-13 to keep their dimming playoff hopes alive. Teddy Bridgewater delivered his finest performance yet in his young and blossoming career, throwing for 138 yards and two touchdowns without an interception for a career-best passer rating of 120.7.
He will look to sustain the momentum from this huge win this coming Sunday when he and the Vikings face the lowly Jets. The Jets lost for the 10th time in 11 games Monday as they blew another fourth-quarter lead in their 16-13 defeat to the Dolphins.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Miami Dolphins (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Ravens +3
The Miami Dolphins stayed in the thick of the wild-card race after edging past the New York Jets in a Monday Night Football showdown. Caleb Sturgis was the hero for Miami as he kicked three field goals, including the game-winner with 1:57 remaining to give the Dolphins the much-needed victory.
The Dolphins are now just two games behind the Patriots for the AFC East lead and will look to cut the deficit even further when they face the Baltimore Ravens this coming Sunday. The Ravens lost some ground in the AFC North after they were stunned by the San Diego Chargers 34-33 Sunday. The Ravens had the game under control but blew a 30-20 lead with 6 minutes remaining for the heart-breaking defeat. Their record now stands at 7-5, 1 1/2 games behind the Bengals for the division lead.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Cleveland Browns (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Browns +4
Johnny Manziel finally showed Cleveland fans what he is capable of when he led the Browns to an eight-play, 80-yard drive touchdown drive right after replacing the highly ineffective Brian Hoyer. The question now is: Who will start Cleveland’s next game? Will it be Manziel or Hoyer?
The answer to that question is still up in the air. One thing’s for sure, though. Whoever starts that game will have a battle in his hands as lying in wait for the Browns next week are the streaking Indianapolis Colts. Andrew Luck added another milestone to his career against Washington as he became the fifth player in NFL history to win 30 regular season games in his first three seasons after he helped the Colts crush the Redskins 49-27 on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Lions -10
Calvin Johnson reminded everyone why he is considered by many as the best wide receiver in the game today with a tour-de-force performance against the Chicago Bears last Thursday. Megatron caught 11 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns to help the Lions snap its two-game losing streak and help boost its chances of reaching the playoffs.
They will look to sustain the momentum of their huge win this coming Sunday when they face the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs’ season of futility continued on Sunday as they suffered a narrow 14-13 defeat at the hands of Cincinnati to lose for the 10th time in 12 games. The main problem for Tampa Bay is their slumping offense which is averaging just 18.3 points per game this season, fifth-worst in the NFL.
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1:00 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Texans -5
Finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars had something to celebrate after they came back from 21 points down to shock the New York Giants, 25-24, on Sunday, to snap their four-game losing streak. Blake Bortles finally notched his first game-winning drive as a Jaguar, completing four passes and two keepers as well to set up Josh Scobee’s match-winning 43-yard field goal try.
They will look to grab their first back-to-back wins of the season when they host the Houston Texans this coming weekend. It won’t be that easy, though, as the Texans have been on fire on the road recently, beating Tennessee and Cleveland in their last two away games by an average of 15 points.
Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos (4:05 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Broncos -10.5
Buffalo’s playoff hopes are very much alive after they recorded their second win in a row with a 26-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns Sunday. With New England losing later in the day, the Bills are just two games behind the Patriots in the race for the AFC East title.
They will have their work cut out for them this coming Sunday if they are to trim that deficit even further as they’ll next face the rejuvenated Denver Broncos. The Broncos maintained their one-game advantage at the top of the AFC West with a comfortable 29-16 road victory over division rivals Kansas City. Peyton Manning led the way for Denver once again as he completed 17 of 34 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. He will have his hands full, though, against a Bills secondary that is fifth in the NFL in passing defense, allowing 216.1 YPG this season.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Arizona Cardinals (4:05 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Chiefs +1.5
It’s starting to get dicey for the Arizona Cardinals as their once mighty three-game lead at the top of the NFC West standings is suddenly down to one after they lost their second game in a row on Sunday to the Atlanta Falcons.
To make matters worse, the Cards may be without Andre Ellington, Paul Fanaika and Tyrann Matheiu this coming weekend after the trio left the game against Atlanta due to various injuries. That will be good news, though, for the Kansas City Chiefs who themselves are starting to look shaky as the regular season nears its close.
The Chiefs have lost back-to-back games after tying Denver at the top of the AFC West standings two weeks ago. The onus is on Jamaal Charles to restore some order in the Chiefs’ offense. He has rushed for a total of just 115 yards without a touchdown in Kansas City’s last two defeats.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles (4:25 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Seahawks pk
The Philadelphia Eagles fortified their chances of reaching the NFL playoffs after crushing the Dallas Cowboys 33-10 in a battle of NFC East leaders. Mark Sanchez had his best game in an Eagles uniform as he completed 20 of 29 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. He also had his first scoring run in almost three years to propel the Eagles to a one-game lead in the NFC East.
He will have a fight in his hands, though, this coming Sunday, as he will face a Seattle Seahawks side that is starting to look menacing on the defensive end once again. In their last two games, they have limited their division rivals San Francisco and Arizona to just three points apiece. They are currently second in the league in passing defense (199.4 YPG) and fifth in rushing defense (86.3 YPG).
San Francisco 49ers vs. Oakland Raiders (4:25 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: 49ers -8
San Francisco’s playoff bid is in serious peril after they lost 19-3 to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. Colin Kaepernick picked the worst time to deliver the worst performance of his career as he completed just 16 of 29 passes for 121 yards with no touchdowns and two picks. His passer-rating of 36.7 was also a season-low.
He will fancy his chances of kick-starting the 49ers offense this coming Sunday when he faces a woeful Oakland Raiders side. The Raiders were thrashed 52-0 by the Rams over the weekend as they suffered their worst defeat in more than 50 years.
New England Patriots vs. San Diego Chargers (8:30 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Patriots -3.5
Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers will feel good about themselves heading into their weekend clash with the New England Patriots after completing a heart-stopping comeback over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Rivers completed 34 of 45 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns including the game-winning score with 38 seconds remaining to give the Chargers the one-point win.
The Chargers will have a fight in their hands, though, when they host the Patriots who are desperate for a victory after having their seven-game winning streak snapped on Sunday by the Green Bay Packers. The Patriots will be looking for a much better performance from their offense which was limited to just 320 total yards in their game against the Packers, way below their season average of 380.4 YPG.
Monday, December 8
Atlanta Falcons vs. Green Bay Packers (8:30 PM ET)
Writer’s Pick: Packers -12
The Green Bay Packers showed the world why they are the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season with a masterful display of all-around football over AFC leaders New England Sunday. Aaron Rodgers was once again in fine form at Lambeau Field, throwing for 368 yards and two touchdowns to extend his record of consecutive touchdown passes without an interception at home to 20.
He will look to extend that streak even further when they host the Atlanta Falcons this coming Monday. The Falcons are still in the thick of the playoff race after beating Arizona 29-18 to remain tied with the Saints for first place in the NFC South. Julio Jones starred for the Falcons as he hauled in 10 passes for a career-high 189 yards and a touchdown in the win against the Cardinals.
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