Hey, did you guys just witness the interception spree that went down in Week 13? Every team in the NFL right now is playing with a lot of energy as the postseason approaches, so we can expect more of these tide-turning plays for even more unpredictable results.
Since we’re on the topic of picks and predictions already, go on and check out our weekly overview of Week 14’s slate below to get a heads-up on what to expect from yet another sizzling week of late-season football action. For an even closer look at the week’s marquee divisional matches, head on over to our previews for Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati and Oakland vs. Denver right after this.
[sc:Football ]Complete NFL Week 14 Picks
Thursday, December 10
Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals (8:25 PM ET)
Make that six-straight wins for the Arizona Cardinals, who made playing professional football look easy with the 27-3 rout of the Rams on Sunday. Arizona’s offense blew up for 524 total yards, and its defense limited St. Louis’ running game to just 66 rushing yards on 15 carries.
[sc:NFL240banner ]That’s certainly a bad omen for the Adrian Peterson-led Minnesota Vikings, who failed to get their feature back going in the 38-7 loss to Seattle on Sunday. Peterson ran for just 18 yards – the third-lowest output of his career.
Minnesota would have to overcome another formidable West Coast defense, and this time, they have to travel out to Glendale to try and stay on par with the Packers atop the NFC North standings. However, the Cardinals are unstoppable on offense right now, and the Vikes don’t have enough firepower to keep up with next week’s foes.
Writer’s Prediction: Arizona puts Minnesota’s season in jeopardy with ease, 37-19.
Sunday, December 13
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns (1:00 PM ET)
It’s hard to believe that Blaine Gabbert is keeping the San Francisco 49ers competitive nearly all by himself. Gabbert accounted for 271 total yards of offense in the 26-20 win over Chicago on Sunday, including a 44-yard dash for a score and the walk-off TD pass to Torrey Smith in overtime.
The Niners are playing some really spirited football of late, but the same cannot be said about the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland got hammered by Cincinnati on Sunday, 37-3, and has now failed to score a touchdown in two of their past three games.
With the Browns still in that eternal search for a respectable QB, and San Francisco momentarily benefitting from the resurgence of their own backup play-caller, all the signs seem to be pointing to yet another dismal outing from the Browns this coming week.
Writer’s Prediction: The Niners pile on to the Browns’ miserable 2015 season with a 24-13 win in Cleveland.
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers (1:00 PM ET)
Not even Drew Brees on his A-game could stop the Carolina Panthers from securing the NFC South title and also keep their spotless record intact with the tense 41-38 win over the Saints on Sunday. Cam Newton’s MVP candidacy just got stronger in spite of the close call as he threw five passing TDs – a rather unexpected yet welcome performance from the fleet-footed quarterback.
The Panthers can definitely make it 13 wins and no losses for the season this coming weekend when they take on another division rival: the free-falling Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons’ strong start to the season is now just a distant memory, as their 23-19 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday sent the team to its fifth-consecutive defeat.
Matt Ryan has thrown a total of seven interceptions during the five-game skid, and he’ll likely continue to shoot him own team in the foot with his picks against the Panthers, who lead the league in INTs with 18 for the season.
Writer’s Prediction: Carolina remains undefeated, 30-24.
Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles (1:00 PM ET)
The shocking 35-28 upset of New England is just what the Philadelphia Eagles needed to keep their polarizing season alive. Philly took advantage of the depleted Pats by intercepting a pair of Tom Brady’s passes on Sunday, with one of them returned for a 99-yard pick-six courtesy of Malcolm Jenkins.
The same could also be said of the perplexing Buffalo Bills, whose 30-21 victory cooled off the red-hot Texans on Sunday. Tyrod Taylor had three TD passes and no picks in the contest, while LeSean McCoy rumbled for 112 rushing yards on 21 carries.
As much as the Philadelphia defense has stepped up of late, Buffalo still has a better-rounded team in general to stay in the thick of the playoff hunt. The Bills are in the top 15 in both points scored and allowed per contest, while the Eagles are ranked no higher than 20th in both of those categories.
Writer’s Prediction: Buffalo gets back over the .500 mark with a close 22-18 win over Philly.
Detroit Lions at St. Louis Rams (1:00 PM ET)
The Detroit Lions were one Hail Mary-saving play away from sweeping the season series against the Packers, but the football gods had other plans for the Motor City faithful in Thursday’s 27-23 heartbreaker of a loss.
Still, Detroit is playing much more inspired football than the St. Louis Rams, who were embarrassingly destroyed by the Cardinals, 27-3, at home on Sunday for their fifth-straight loss. Over the past two games, the Rams were outscored by the Cards and the Bengals by a combined score of 58-10. The Lions also boast a similar potent passing game as Arizona and Cincy, so St. Louis’ skid likely won’t end this weekend.
Writer’s Prediction: The Lions maim the Rams, 35-11.
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1:00 PM ET)
At this point, all the New Orleans Saints can do is play spoiler to the other playoff hopefuls on their schedule. They definitely gave the Panthers quite a scare on Sunday with a narrow yet high-scoring affair in a losing effort. Next week, the Saints will have another chance to upend another of their division rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, the Bucs are so much feistier now than they were during the first half of the season, mostly thanks to the evolution of No. 1 pick Jameis Winston. Not only is Winston doing his part, but even Tampa Bay’s D has become quite a threat. That unit shut down the typically high-flying Falcons on Sunday and has now limited their past five opponents to less than 20 points per contest.
New Orleans can certainly stay toe-to-toe on offense against their rivals, but the Buccaneers have something that the boys from the Big Easy don’t: an adequate defense.
Writer’s Prediction: The Saints keep things interesting, but the Bucs still pull away with the 29-27 win.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (1:00 PM ET)
Both the Steelers and Bengals are hot off impressive victories in Week 13. They both needed such convincing wins entering their clash against each other next Sunday because nothing will come cheap that afternoon, especially with the division title at still at stake.
The Bengals stifled St. Louis on Sunday to just a measly field goal the entire game, and Andy Dalton needed just a little over 200 passing yards to dispatch the stumbling Rams. On the other hand, Ben Roethlisberger powered the Steelers with over 350 yards through the air and four TDs against the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts, while the defense limited the then-undefeated Colts QB Matt hasselback to just 10 points on offense.
These Steelers-Bengals matches over the years have certainly been thrilling and heated, but it’s the Steelers who are coming off a more convincing win than the Bengals this week, so we’re predicting their season series to be split down the middle for even more pre-playoff drama waiting to unravel over at the AFC North.
Writer’s Prediction: Pittsburgh makes its division race with Cincy all the more interesting after the 34-29 victory in Week 14.
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (1:00 PM ET)
After being held to just a field goal by Kansas City on Week 11, the San Diego Chargers replicated that same pathetic output in their 17-3 loss to the Broncos this past Sunday. Philip Rivers still cannot find any viable receiver who can score a touchdown, and his team continues to cough up possessions (four fumbles with two lost, and one interception against Denver’s stout D).
Another three-point day for the Chargers could be in store for us as the surging Kansas City Chiefs – winners of six-straight games – will be ready for round two versus the Chargers this campaign. Unlike Rivers, Alex Smith is doing his part well at securing the football for his team, as he has not thrown an interception since Week 3.
The Chiefs D also picked-off Derek Carr thrice on Sunday, and that should give San Diego’s Rivers more problems to worry about other than finding a teammate in the end zone.
Writer’s Prediction: Make that seven-straight wins for Kansas City, 29-21.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars (1:00 PM ET)
The humbling loss to the Steelers on Sunday night has finally put a damper on Matt Hasselbeck’s storybook comeback this season. The 40-year-old QB accounted for three of the Indianapolis Colts’ four turnovers in the defeat, and the defense gave Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger all day to decimate its coverage.
Luckily for the Colts, they are still alive in the AFC South race, and they’ll get a chance to bounce back against the Jacksonville Jaguars, whom they have defeated over the past six meetings. Then again, the Jags’ offense is relatively potent, and they’d love nothing more than cripple the Colts’ slowly-fading hopes of winning the division crown, let alone secure a wild card berth in the postseason.
Expect the tandem of Blake Bortles (322 passing yards and five TDs on Sunday) and Allen Robinson (five catches, 153 receiving yards, three TDs) to expose Indy’s leaky secondary.
Writer’s Prediction: The Jags send the Colts to a new low, 28-15.
Tennessee Titans at New York Jets (1:00 PM ET)
Watch the skies, because the New York Jets are soaring through the air right now as true playoff contenders.
We know that the team’s defense is playoff-worthy, but the offense has come to life just in time as well, particularly wideout Brandon Marshall. Marshall, who’s in his 10th year and fourth team in the league, may finally make it to the postseason for the first time in his career. He certainly looks determined in doing so, as he became the first player in NFL history on Sunday to have 1,000-yard seasons with four different teams, which also happened to be the eighth instance in his career to reach the thousand-yard receiving mark for a season.
Speaking of offenses coming to life, the Tennessee Titans also exploded for 42 points in the victory over Jacksonville this past Sunday. Marcus Mariota went bananas with 380 total offensive yards and four touchdowns with 112 of those yards and one of the four TDs coming from his feet.
However, beating the Jags is not really something to brag about, and the Titans only won the shootout by just three points on their own home field. That being said, the Jets simply have too much talent and more motivation to prevent an upset from happening.
Writer’s Prediction: New York wins big, 28-12.
Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears (1:00 PM ET)
Both the Washington Redskins and the Chicago Bears are entering their matchup teary-eyed from their respective heartbreaking losses in Week 13. Washington still cannot find a way to string together back-to-back wins this season after sloppy play (nine penalties for 73 yards) and an inept offense handed the team its first home loss this season since Week 1. But even with the defeat, the Redskins remain in a three-way tie with the other bumbling NFC East division title “contenders”.
Perhaps Chicago had a more miserable Week 13. The lowly 49ers shocked the Bears in overtime at Soldier Field, 26-20, on a 71-yard walk-off touchdown courtesy of Blaine Gabbert and Torrey Smith. Jay Cutler’s dark side reared its ugly head on Sunday after throwing no TDs and a pick with a 40.9 QBR. And yet, considering that the Redskins will be travelling to Chicago for this game and that they have never won a road game yet this season, the Bears can certainly bounce back to keep their own lofty postseason dreams alive for another week.
Writer’s Prediction: Chicago prevails from another nail-biter, 23-19.
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos (4:05 PM ET)
For the Oakland Raiders, next Sunday’s date with the Denver Broncos will be the team’s most important game this season. A win could have them back in the playoff picture, but a loss will all but guarantee another postseason-less campaign for the Silver and Black.
Unfortunately, the Broncos are still in superb form even with Brock Osweiler at the helm of the offense in place of Peyton Manning. Plus, the Raiders are coming off a three-turnover game against the Chiefs, while Denver caused three takeaways themselves in the win over San Diego.
The battle for the AFC West is certainly more interesting this season, but Denver still sits atop the pecking order and will remain so after Week 14.
Writer’s Prediction: The Broncos trample over Oakland, 34-21.
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers (4:25 PM ET)
Fortune favored the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers this past week, but both of them had to earn their respective victories virtually on the very last play.
Dallas survived a three-turnover, eight-penalty day on MNF with a 19-16 win over the Redskins by way of automatic Dan Bailey’s game-winning field goal. Meanwhile, the Packers had yet another rough outing facing the Lions this season and were literally saved by a Hail Mary pass as time expired to steal a victory with an otherwise mediocre performance.
But in the end, Green Bay is still a force in the NFC that’s just struggling to find its second gear, and the Cowboys are never the same without Tony Romo running their offense.
Writer’s Prediction: Packers bounce back with an emphatic 42-17 rout in Lambeau.
New England Patriots at Houston Texans (8:30 PM ET)
The plethora of injuries have finally caught up to the New England Patriots, so it seems. New England’s 35-28 loss to the Eagles on Sunday marked the team’s first back-to-back losses in over three years. Sure, three of Philly’s five unanswered touchdowns in the game came from defense and special teams, but three dropped passes in the final and supposed game-tying drive proved that the Pats are replete of weapons on offense.
How will the Patriots fare against another tough defensive unit coming from the Houston Texans this weekend? Well lucky for them, the Texans defense just gave up 30 points in a loss to the Bills on Sunday. But during the four-game win streak that preceded that defeat, Houston did allow just two field goals apiece in three of those contests, including the formidable Bengals.
Then again, New England showed its mettle by nearly coming back from a Philly’s three-possession deficit, and you can bet that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will pull out all the stops to prevent a three-game skid from happening right in the thick of the playoff race.
Writer’s Prediction: The Patriots get back on track, 29-22.
Monday, December 14
New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins (8:30 PM ET)
Both the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants have 5-7 records to date, and both are still in talks of postseason contention. Miami may have gotten a much-needed 15-13 win over the Ravens this past Sunday, but the team scored all those points in the second quarter, with one TD being a pick-six thrown by interception factory and Baltimore quarterback, Matt Schaub.
On the other hand, the Giants lost to the Jets in overtime that same afternoon no thanks to a missed 48-yard field goal by kicker Josh Brown, which happened to be his first missed field goal this entire season in 26 attempts. That loss also marked New York’s fifth defeat this season wherein it failed to hang on to a fourth quarter lead.
It’s foolish to say that the Giants’ misfortunes have hinged primarily on tough luck, because figuring out how to close ball games should’ve been part of the team’s game plan all along before they even began collapsing in such clutch situations. But in the end, they still trump the Dolphins in terms of team chemistry and big-play ability.
Writer’s Prediction: The G-Men hold onto their late-game lead this time around to seal the 28-19 win.
Create a betting account now while there’s still time for you to place your stakes on any or all of these exciting games for Week 14.
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