NFL week 14 predictions

The NFL is entering week 14 and there is a lot of football left to be played before the playoffs begin in a very short five weeks.

Last week was another one of my brilliant near .500 marks which helps you absolutely none if you are using my predictions to bet which I highly recommend betting opposite of what I select. Last week I went 7-8 on Sunday but did get the Miami Dolphins game right. I also predicted that one of the best games might just be the Jaguars and Texans and it was but who would have thought the Patriots would get manhandled by the Eagles.

With the Patriots loss, the door has swung open for the Bengals and the Broncos to each get bye weeks if they can continue to win. This should make for a very interesting finish to the season as teams jockey for seeding and the rest jockey for draft slotting.

Entering this weekend the Dolphins are currently in the 15th position in the draft. The caveat is that Miami shares their 5-7 record with six other teams and whopping seven teams are sitting at 4-7. In fact 21 of the 32 teams in the NFL right now are at .500 or below. Probably not how the NFL envisioned their 50th Super Bowl season.

The Dolphins won’t play until Monday night so you get a full Sunday of watching other games or spending time with the family, getting the X-mas shopping completed, or just getting a feeling of what it will be like in four weeks when the regular season finally ends. It hasn’t ended yet though. Here is a look at this weeks games.

Giants at Dolphins

Miami is riding a one game winning streak. The Giants are riding a three game slide that has dropped them from the top of the NFC East to third. The NFCE is so bad right now that the Dallas Cowboys, winners of four games all season, are one game behind for first place. That has nothing to do with the Dolphins but it does the Giants and if the Giants want to continue to chase the Eagles and Redskins, they need to win Monday night. They won’t. The team is a mess.

Miami 21 – Giants 17

Seahawks at Ravens

The Ravens are a complete disaster right now, especially at quarterback. Sadly they were still almost good enough to beat the Dolphins last week. They didn’t of course but this week they face a surging ‘Hawks team that won’t allow it to stay close.

Seahawks 37 – Ravens 14

Atlanta at Carolina

Carolina just keeps pushing forward one game at a time. Last week New Orleans gave the Panthers a big scare but Atlanta won’t pose the same problems.

Carolina 28 – Atlanta 20

Redskins at Bears

The Redskins have won five games and are in good position to win their division. The Bears are 5-7 and are three games out of their division. Hardly seems fair.

Redskins 28 – Bears 17

Steelers at Bengals

This could be one of the best games on Sunday. The Bengals need to win to keep their current bye week and home field advantage and the Steelers need to win to keep their Wild Card hopes alive. Then there is the whole division rivalry thing. Has the makings of a great game.

Steelers 30 – Bengals 28

49’ers at Browns

And then there is this one. The 49’ers have a made a lot of bad teams look good and some good teams look bad. They are so inconsistent you don’t know which team is going to show up and play on Sunday’s. Or is it the Browns?

49’ers 20 – Browns 18

Colts at Jaguars

The Colts finally lost with Matt Hasselback at quarterback. The Jaguars simply lost again. The Jaguars are one of those teams that will be on the rise soon and the Colts are just trying to hold on to their slim NFC South lead over the Texans.

Colts  24 – Jaguars 23

Chargers at Chiefs

This was supposed to be a fun one to watch earlier in the season. Then the Chargers got hit hard with offensive injuries and the Chiefs still haven’t figured out how to use their wide-receivers. The Chiefs have a slim outside shot at the post-season. The Chargers would love to take it away. The game is in K.C. though.

Chiefs 27 – Chargers 22

Titans at Jets

The Titans are a team that is one the rise. The Jets are the same team they have always been. Good talent but inconsistent. The Jets still, believe it or not have a shot at the AFC East but it would require the Patriots to keep losing. The rest of the season. At 7-5 the Jets are still looking at the post-season but they have to win.

Jets 23 – Titans 17

Bills at Eagles

LeSean McCoy returns to Philly after being traded this past off-season. He wants revenge but the Eagles know where he is weak. The Bills need the win to keep slim hopes alive and the Eagles who have a better shot at the post-season as a division winner need the game as well. Gonna be a good one in Philly, get your cheesesteaks.

Eagles 28 – Bills 27

Oh the Rams. Oh the Lions. Oh who really cares.

Rams 24 – Lions 23

Saints at Buc’s

For the first time in a long time the Buc’s are actually enjoyable to watch. The Saints? Eh, not so much these days but this should still make for a good game.

Saints 28 – Buc’s 24

Raiders at Denver

Can Brock Osweiler continue to win in Peyton Manning’s absence? The Raiders are a tough team at home or on the road but the Denver defense is still very strong and while I think the Raiders will give the Broncos a good run that’s all it will be.

Broncos 32 – Raiders 24

Cowboys at Packers

Cowboys are still one game out of the pathetic NFC East. The Packers are holding a slim lead in the NFC North. The Packers defense is good but not great, the Cowboys have Matt Cassel.

Packers 34 – Cowboys 16

Patriots at Houston

The Texans have very little offense but they have a very good defense. The Patriots have missing players on offense and have a pretty decent defense. New England lost their 2nd in a row for the first time in who knows how long. I can’t imagine they would lose three.

Patriots 44 – Texans 27