Week 14, down to the nitty gritty! Here we go!
GAME OF THE WEEK – Los Angeles Rams (11-1) at Chicago Bears (8-4), LAR by 3 – This is a matchup I’ve been interested in seeing for a while, because it could tell us what to expect out of both these teams in the postseason. So far the Rams have only been challenged by teams capable of putting a lot of points on the board. Will the Bears be able to slow them down with their tenacious defense? The Bears are very close to clinching a highly unlikely division title, and a win here would be massive for them, but not particularly necessary. I’m going to take the Rams, but expect this to be a really interesting game. Rams 30, Bears 20
THURSDAY NIGHT – Jacksonville Jaguars (4-8) at Tennessee Titans (6-6), TEN by 4.5 – Boy, who’d have expected the Jaguars to be last in the division going into week 14 this year? What a crazy fall from last season. The Titans have been maddeningly inconsistent, and I expect that to continue this week. But still, playing at home on a short week in a divisional matchup is too much for them to blow, I think. Titans 19, Jaguars 16
Baltimore Ravens (7-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (10-2), KC by 7.5 – The Ravens are now only a half game out of first place in their division, thanks to the slip ups by Pittsburgh, but unfortunately they’re traveling to Kansas City and have had injuries to their top two quarterbacks. Gonna be tough to pull this one off. Chiefs 34, Ravens 17
Indianapolis Colts (6-6) at Houston Texans (9-3), HOU by 4.5 – The Texans can clinch a division title if they win their 10th straight game this week. They’re currently the hottest team in the NFL. The Colts, however, have had a good couple months as well. They had a pretty pathetic showing against Jacksonville this past week, but if they recapture the magic they can at least make this game interesting. Texans 24, Colts 19
Carolina Panthers (6-6) at Cleveland Browns (4-7-1), CAR by 1 – Boy, what the hell has happened to the Panthers? This seems like another upset special with the Panthers being unable to win a game and the Browns playing feisty football. UPSET! – Browns 27, Panthers 24
Atlanta Falcons (4-8) at Green Bay Packers (4-7-1), GB by 6 – Two of the most disappointing teams in the NFL facing off in a meaningless game at Lambeau Field. Hard to believe the Packers are favored, let alone by 6 points, but perhaps the post-coach-firing buzz will propel them to a victory? I’m not going to count on it. UPSET! – Falcons 33, Packers 16
New Orleans Saints (10-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7), NO by 8 – Weird slip up for the Saints this week, while the Bucs shocked the Panthers to pick up a big win. The Bus are basically playing spoiler at this point, but they’ve already beaten the Saints once this year. Why not again? That being said, I don’t see them catching lightning in a bottle twice with the Saints this year. Saints 30, Bucs 10
New York Jets (3-9) at Buffalo Bills (4-8), BUF by 3.5 – After dabbling in the playoffs for a year, the Bills are right back where they belong—playing meaningless football in December. Bills 20, Jets 10
New England Patriots (9-3) at Miami Dolphins (6-6), NE by 8 – Don’t count out the Dolphins here—the Patriots tend to struggle in Miami. That being said, the Pats are still always the safe bet late in the season. Patriots 30, Dolphins 17
New York Giants (4-8) at Washington (6-6), WAS by 1.5 – It’s Mark Sanchez time… which means Washington’s season is over. UPSET! – Giants 23, Washington 13
Denver Broncos (6-6) at San Francisco 49ers (2-10), DEN by 6 – The Broncos are fighting hard to avoid their first back-to-back losing seasons in more than four decades. A win against a downtrodden Niners squad will sure help out. Broncos 27, 49ers 17
Cincinnati Bengals (5-7) at Los Angeles Chargers (9-3), LAC by 14] – Yeah, it’s all over for Cincinnati. Is this finally the year the Bengals get rid of Marvin Lewis? Chargers 31, Bengals 10
Detroit Lions (4-8) at Arizona Cardinals (3-9), DET by 2.5 – The Cardinals beat the Packers largely due to the Packers’ incompetence, not because they did anything particularly well. Lions 23, Cardinals 19
Philadelphia Eagles (6-6) at Dallas Cowboys (7-5), DAL by 4 – Huge matchup in the NFC East. Suddenly the Eagles are back into the thick of the division race, while the Cowboys are just starting to find a little momentum. If the Cowboys win this one, they can essentially wrap up a division title, barring an epic collapse. If the Eagles win, it’s going to be a sprint to the end of the season. Huge stakes, and I like the Eagles to pull it off. UPSET! – Eagles 20, Cowboys 17
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4-1) at Oakland Raiders (2-10), PIT by 11 – A date with Oakland is just what the Steelers need to pick themselves back up after a tough loss against the Chargers. Steelers 34, Raiders 20
Minnesota Vikings (6-5-1) at Seattle Seahawks (7-5), SEA by 3.5 – Huge race for the NFC playoff picture. The winner of this game has probably punched themselves a ticket to the wild card round. The loser is still in it, but has a bit tougher of a road as they try to contend with teams like Carolina, Dallas and Philadelphia. Seahawks 27, Vikings 20