NFL Week 14 Picks

First off lets talk a little soccer. Seriously. I am no soccer expert and I'm not going to pretend to be but I love the World Cup. Love it. My excitement took a little bit of a hit when I saw that the USA landed in Group G along with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana. Not exactly an easy road considering a country like France get to play Switzerland, Honduras, and Ecuador. But after a few minutes I thought even though it's tougher for the US to advance now, who cares? We are going to get to see three awesome games regardless and when did anybody ever say it was supposed to be easy for the United States to win the World Cup? Basically all I'm saying is that I'm pumped up and GO GO USA.

Anyways, can you believe that it's already Week 14? That means we are down to four weeks left and then it's already the playoffs. The NFL season goes by way too quickly. So enjoy the last few weeks of football. My picks are still going well. Last week I went 12-4 for outright games and 5-1-1 for the spreads, counting my Thanksgiving picks. Hopefully that trend continues.

Overall: 117-71  Spread: 27-25-2

Steelers 17, Dolphins 14 --- I'll say this about the Dolphins, they have impressed me ever since the Richie Incognito ordeal. I've picked them to lose the past three weeks but they have gone 2-1 and are right in the AFC playoff picture. With that being said, I'm not sure today is their day in Pittsburgh. The forecast calls for snow and strong winds, not exactly Miami weather. The Dolphins have also not beaten the Steelers since 1998 (0-5) and they haven't won in Pittsburgh since 1990. Plus the Steelers get to face former teammate Mike Wallace today, so I'm fairly certain Ike Taylor and the rest of the defense will do all they can to prevent Wallace from having a big day. I think it will be a close game but if Le'Veon Bell is healthy and can run effectively the Steelers should get the home win.

Colts 24, Bengals 21 --- Before you say this is a biased pick against the Bengals, just hold on a minute. Andy Dalton hasn't been good for the past four weeks (6 TDs, 9 INTs). The Colts have not been playing great football lately either but they have proven earlier in the season they can get up for big opponents (49ers, Seahawks, Broncos). The Bengals are 5-0 at home so I could be wrong about this one but I think the Colts have something to prove today.

Packers 24, Falcons 21 --- The Packers are 0-4-1without Aaron Rodgers and are off a beating by the Lions on Thanksgiving. The good news is that they return home today against the 3-9 Falcons. I'm not too sure that the Packers are the better team without Rodgers but they have to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Plus, Matt Flynn is much better at Lambeau Field. In his career he has seven touchdowns and only two interceptions (sure six TD's came in one game in 2011) but he played alright against the Vikings in week 12.

Patriots 34, Browns 17 --- NE -10 The Patriots have only won three games by 10 or more points so they haven't been blowing teams out. I think that changes a little bit today. The Browns have been really bad in the past seven weeks, other than Josh Gordon. Bill Belichick has always been great at taking away teams number one option and it's pretty clear that Gordon is the only option on the Browns at the moment. I just don't see the Brownies staying close in this one.

Raiders 20, Jets 6 --- OAK +3 I just can't pick the Jets anymore. I've been giving them the benefit of the doubt if they are at home, where they are 4-2 this year, but after last weeks 23-3 loss to the Dolphins I've given up hope on the offense. The Jets have scored six points in the past two weeks. Geno Smith has been brutal for the past five games. Granted, it won't be easy for the Raiders to play in the 1 PM Eastern time game but if they get into double digits they should be able to win.

Eagles 23, Lions 17 --- The Eagles have something special going with Nick Foles. They have won four in a row and are 5-0 for the year in games he starts and finishes. The Eagles defense is also very underrated. In their past eight games they have not allowed an opponent to score over 21 points, which is pretty good when your offense averages 25 PPG. I also just don't trust the Lions to win this game. They are 3-3 on the road this season but two of those wins are over Cleveland and Washington. The Eagles should be able to get their eighth win of the year.

Bucs 24, Bills 20 --- The Bills are not a good road team. They are 1-4 this year with three losses coming by 13 or more points. The Bucs have won their past two home games and with the exception of last weeks game against the Panthers have looked pretty good after their 0-8 start. I'll take the Bucs at home but it's a game against two teams that aren't going to the playoffs so it could go it either way.

Redskins 31, Chiefs 27 --- WAS +3 First off that line stinks. Why are the 3-9 Redskins, who have lost four straight games, only a three point underdog at home against the 9-3 Chiefs? I not only think the Redskins are going to cover the spread but I think they pull the upset today in DC. The Chiefs defense has collapsed recently allowing 34 points per game in their past three. Sure, the Redskins haven't scored over 17 in their past three games. Something just seems strange about this one, I'll take the Skins.

Ravens 27, Vikings 20 --- The Vikings have played two straight overtime games so it wouldn't shock me if they play a bit more fatigued compared to the Ravens who haven't played since Thanksgiving. The Ravens have won three of four and need to win this one because it's their easiest game remaining on the schedule (Lions, Patriots, Bengals). The Vikings are also 0-5-1 on the road so unless Adrian Peterson runs wild the Ravens should get their seventh win.

Broncos 35, Titans 21 --- This one seems pretty simple. Peyton Manning vs Ryan Fitzpatrick. I'll take the QB with the higher football IQ. Plus the Titans haven't beaten a team with a winning record this season.

Cardinals 28, Rams 21 --- The Cardinals have the fourth ranked run defense, allowing only 83 yards per game. That could be a problem for the Rams. Since Sam Bradford was lost for the season, they have relied heavily on Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham. In three of five games they have rushed for over 100 yards. If the Cardinals can put the kibosh on the run game and force Kellen Clemons to beat them they should be in good shape to get their eighth win of the year.

Chargers 24, Giants 21 --- The battle of the 2004 Rookie QB's. Imagine if Eli Manning (or Archie) didn't demand a trade before the draft and he was the Charger, while Phil Rivers was in New York or even worse if Big Ben hadn't ended out with the Steelers. I think it worked out pretty well for all teams (Chargers probably wished they had a ring but oh well). Anyways as for the game, the Chargers sort of blew their playoff chances last week when they lost to the Bengals at home and even though the Giants have won five of six they are still two back in the NFC East. The loser of this game will almost officially be out of the playoff hunt. I'll take the Chargers because they are at home and Phil Rivers has always been good in December but this one could go either way.

Seahawks 20, 49ers 13 ---  SEA +3 The past two times these teams have meet the Seahawks have outscored the Niners 71-16, both of those games were in Seattle. I think the Seahawks are in the Niners heads right now. 71-16 is domination. The Seahawks are the best team in the NFC at the moment and they want to prove once again that they are better than the 49ers. The Niners only have one win against a team with a winning record this year (Cardinals in week 6). I think the Seahawks are rolling right now and I don't think the Niners are the team that will stop them.

Saints 27, Panthers 17 --- I think what happened to the Saints last Monday night in Seattle is about to happened to the Panthers tonight in New Orleans. Meaning the SuperDome is going to be electric and the home team is going to get off to a quick start. The Saints are a different team in New Orleans. They are 6-0 at home this year. Drew BREEEEEESSSSSSSS at home this season has a QB rating of 122.2 with 19 TDs and only 3 INTs. The Saints are also going to want to redeem themselves from their dismal performance on Monday so I think they end the Panthers eight game win streak. I don't necessarily think the Saints are the better team in the long run but tonight I think being in New Orleans will be the difference maker.

Cowboys 27, Bears 24 --- This game appears to be a game that will be played by two teams going in opposite directions. DA BEARS have lost three of four while the Cowboys have won three of four. It is December however and we all know that this isn't exactly Tony Romo's best month. I'll still pick the Cowboys to win this one though because the Bears cannot stop the run. The issue with that is that the Cowboys refuse to give the ball to DeMarco Murray on a regular basis. If they do though he could have a big night and the Cowboys could win easily.


Enjoy the games people.