Week 14 NFL Predictions

Ah yes, it is indeed week 14! Only 1/4 of the season remains, and there are a lot of keys games this week. Let's check em out

Cleveland takes on Pittsburgh on Thursday night football. Should be a good match-up with Cleveland having one of the better secondaries in the NFL and BIG Ben coming off a very strong performance to defeat the Bengals last week. Pitt needs the win, since Baltimore plays a very weak Indianapolis team. Steelers win 17-14

One of my favorite match ups this week is Houston vs Cincinnati. The Bengals need a win to stay in the very close wild card race in the AFC and still have a slight chance of catching up to either Pitt or Baltimore with some key losses. Houston pulled off a surprising victory over Atlanta last week with third string QB T.J Yates at the helm. The leagues number one defense and rushing attack still makes them a very strong team, lots of credit to Wade Philips. Houston continues to win games and wins this week 27-24

Minnesota vs Detroit is a meaningful game for only one of these teams, and that is of of course the Detroit Lions. After starting 5-0 the Lions have dropped off significantly. Suh their top DE is still serving his 2 game suspension and are coming off a tough 31-17 loss to New Orleans. I see them rebounding against the lowly Vikings. Lions on top 31-21

New Orleans vs Tennessee is quietly a great match-up simply because no one has been paying attention to the Titans this year. They are 7-5 and in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Chris Johnson is finally playing up to his potential, and Matt Hasselbeck has been working with the receivers that he has had without No. 1 option Kenny Britt. Drew Brees and the Saints are looking for a fifth straight win tonight, and vomited on the Detroit D last week. The Saints keep rolling 45-34

Philadelphia vs Miami is not that intriguing, but if I were Andy Reid, I would not want to play the Dolphins right now. They are hot, and are looking to keep winning games, despite their lackluster season. Miami wins 28-27

Kansas City vs New York Jets. The Jets season hangs in the balance, and the chiefs have been super streaky this season. Mark Sanchez and the Jets do capitalize when they reach the red zone and are 5-1 at home. It is tough to play at Metlife Stadium and the Jets have everything on the line. Jets win 30-17

New England vs Washington has blow out written all over it. New England looks to keep pace in the AFC and retain that number seed going into the playoffs. Pats win it 34-10

Atlanta vs Carolina is also a must win for the Falcons who are coming off a gut wrenching defeat to Houston last week 17-10. The Falcons won last time and gave the Panthers a heavy dosage of Michael Turner. Falcons will have to lose this one on their own. Should be a win for the Falcons 31-20

Tampa Bay vs Jacksonville is a battle for instate supremacy. TBay has the better of the two offenses, which is not saying much. Jacksonville struggles greatly to score TDs with only 14 in twelve games....Tampa wins in a low scoring affair 17-7

Indianapolis vs Baltimore is a game that is being overshadowed by the Andrew Luck controversy in Indy. Frankly, If I were Luck I'd be the most excited kid in the world if I knew that Peyton Manning was going to be my mentor. I'd take a back seat and watch and still get paid millions of dollars to watch one of the best QBs ever do his thing. Early playing time is nice...but look what happened to Ryan Leaf of Jamarcus Russel. Any who, Baltimore should crush the Colts, even without the future HOFer Ray Lewis.

Chicago vs Denver is made so much more intriguing because of Tim Tebow. He just refuses to lose! It will be fun to watch how he does against one of the better defenses in the league, and to see how Urlacher and Co. handle the option offense of the Broncos. I'm going to get shot for writing this in Colorado, but Chicago wins it with Colorado State Alumni QB Caleb Hanie at the helm. Chicago wins 24-23

San Francisco vs Arizona should be an easy win for the 49ners. Alex Smith has blown up this year into everything we all initially thought he could be, and Frank Gore is just a BEAST! Plus Arizona had no right winning last weeks game vs Dallas. Niners win 37-20

Oakland vs Green Bay is not looking to bright for the Raiders. After a successful start, they are heading into a very tough match up versus the still undefeated (knock on wood) Packers. Aaron Rodgers had a key last minute drive to set up the game winning 37 yard field goal for Mason Crosby to win against the Giants. The Packers can use this to their advantage, and they know that no matter what, the Packers are always in every game. Packers roll 45-24

Buffalo vs San Diego is a must win for both teams. Both sit at 5-7 and they both got off to such hot starts. And of course they are both still in the playoff hunt. One of these teams dreams will die (baring a tie) and I think the Chargers will come out victorious 28-27

New York Giants vs Dallas Cowboys. This is my favorite match-up of the week, not only because of my loyalty to the Cowboys, but also because of its implications. The Giants are one game back of the Boys and both teams suffered heart breaking losses last week. Dallas should walk into this game extremely confident, because they won that game against Arizona. On the flip side, Eli lead the Giants down the field for a TD to tie the game against the best team in the NFL right now, so they should also walk into Dallas with a large amount of confidence. The deciding factor to this game will come down to the QBs. Can Romo shrug off his December struggles, and can Eli prove he is a big time player. This is only the first meeting between the two teams and Dallas needs some separation heading into the last 1/4 of the regular season. Dallas wins in a nail biter 34-33

St. Louis vs Seattle was a sweet game to end the season last year, but only one of these teams can realistically win the NFC west. Lynch and crew keep rolling win by a large margin 34-7