Week 14 of the NFL season kicks off out west at Sofi when the Rams host the Raiders, and the matchups don't cool down. In the early window of Sunday games all but one of the matchups are division games! As we have Jets-Bills, Browns-Bengals, Texans-Cowboys, Vikings-Lions, Jaguars-Titans, Eagles-Giants, and Ravens-Steelers. In the late slate of Sunday games we have Chiefs-Broncos, Buccaneers-49ers and Panthers-Seahawks. To end off Sunday we head back to Sofi for Primetime as we get to watch Dolphins-Chargers. For this week's Monday Night Football we head to Arizona to watch Patriots-Cardinals. So now, let me share my thoughts and predictions for each game.
Raiders (5-7)@Rams (3-9) LV -6.0 THU 8:15 PM ET
Raiders:
The Raiders carry a 3 game win streak into Los Angles. The Raiders favorite thing to do when they get the ball is, run the ball with Josh Jacobs. Jacobs currently supports an NFL-best 1,303 rushing yards. When the Raiders do turn to the pass they do pretty well. Derek Carr (the Raiders quarterback) has went 258/414 62.3 CMP% with 20 TD and 8 INT's while averaging 248.3 yards per game. when Carr does load up to throw his favorite target is Davante Adams. Adams has 79 catches for 1,176 yards and 12 scores. I think that if the Raiders are going to win this ballgame, they are going to have to get the run game going and are going to have to run play-action out of it.
Rams:
This (and every game moving forward) is a must win game. The Rams currently are at 3-9 and one more loss eliminates them from the playoff. The Rams could either have Baker Mayfield at quarterback or if Wolford can go it will be Wolford. Even though the Rams one of the best if not the best pass rusher in the game with Aaron Donald and lockdown corner Jalen Ramsey, this season has been lost due to loses some of their most important players like having their starting quarterback Matthew Stafford to concussion protocol twice. Stafford has been placed on IR but is eligible to return for week 17 however, with the Rams nearly out of the playoff picture, Rams Head Coach Sean McVay said that there is a good chance that Stafford will not see the field for the rest of the year.
Score Prediction:
Raiders 24 Rams 6
Jets (7-5) @Bills (9-3) BUF -9.5 SUN 1:00 PM ET
Jets:
The New York Jets come into this big matchup in early December after losing a heartbreaker to the Vikings. Mike White has had some great performances ever since taking the quarterback spot from Zach Wilson. White has thrown for 684 passing yards in his last two games. White was unable to throw a touchdown last week against the Vikings however, the week before when the Jets played the Bears White had a field day, scoring 3 touchdowns and throwing 0 interception. White will look to replicate that against the Bills, when they take on the number one pass defense in the NFL.
Bills:
The Buffalo Bills are coming off a 24-10 win on Thursday Night Football and need to win out to lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Buffalo Bills were shocked back in week 9 when Josh Allen threw the ball 73 yards on 4&18 just for the ball to be dropped. The Bills number 1 pass defense in the NFL goes up against a Jets team that has passed for 342 yards per game ever since Mike White took over as their quarterback. Buffalo currently has a one game lead over Miami in the AFC East, with the Jets in third place, and the Patriots with the last spot in the AFC East with a 6-6 record.
Score Prediction:
Jets 27 Bills 31
Browns (5-7) @Bengals (8-4) -CIN -6.0 SUN 1:00 PM ET
Browns:
The Cleveland Browns come into this matchup after winning 27-14 over the Texans, but in a very strange way. The Browns failed to score a touchdown on offense, behind with Desean Watson under center for the first time this season. As on one drive when it looked liked they were going to punch the ball into the endzone, Watson threw a pick near the goaline, ending the drive. So how did they score 27 points? It came behind great defensive play, as the Browns scored 2 defensive touchdowns and returned a punt all the way to the endzone.
Bengals:
The Cincinnati Bengals currently come in to this game feeling like all of the momentum is on their side. After beating the Kansas City Chiefs the Cincinnati Bengals have moved up to 8-4 and currently are tied with the Ravans for the top of the AFC North. Ja'Marr Chase had 7 catches for 97 yards in his return to play. The wide receiver lined up on the side across from him Tee Higgins only had 3 catches for 35 yards however, he did catch a touchdown pass. Bengal head coach said that Joe Mixon will return as the Bengals starting running back when healthy, but until then it'll be Samaje Perine in the backfield with Burrow.
Score Prediction:
CLE 16 CIN 17
Texans (1-10-1) @Cowboys (9-3) DAL -16.5 SUN 1:00 PM ET
Texans:
This year has been full of struggles for the Houston Texans, the Texans can't put together a good, well rounded performance. Sometimes the offense does their part and the defense blows it, that was the opposite of what happened last week. The defense didn't give up a touchdown, held the Browns to 2 field goals and got a safety. However, the Texans offense couldn't get anything going as they only scored 12 points and let the Browns scored 2 defensive touchdowns.
Cowboys:
The Dallas Cowboys come in on a 3 game win streak, and have won by 35 or more in 2 of their last 3 games. The Cowboys are facing a Texans defense that has been pretty bad all year, but had what was most likely their best showing last week Vs the Browns, when Desean Watson (the Browns quarterback) threw 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. I still think Dak Prescott is going to have a field day Vs. the Texans.
Score Prediction:
HOU 19 DAL 37
Vikings (10-2) @Lions (5-7) DET -2.5 SUN 1:00 PM ET
Vikings:
The Vikings are coming off of a 27-22 last second victory over the New York Jets. The Vikings defense which has had there struggles this year, gave up 369 yards to Mike White last week. However, they didn’t let him throw a touchdown pass and picked of White twice, including the game sealer. The Vikings are currently in first in the division, and have would lock up the NFC North with a win over Detroit.
Lions:
The Lions are coming off of a commanding 40-14 win over the Jaguars. Jared Goff had a great game Vs. the Jaguars as he went 31/41 for 341 yards 2 touchdowns 0 interception. One of the reasons that Goff played so well is because his top wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 11 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. If he can do something similar Vs. the Vikings the Lions might be able to get the victory.
Score Prediction:
MIN 17 DET 20
Jaguars (4-8) @Titans (7-5) TEN -4.0 SUN 1:00 PM ET
Jaguars:
The Jaguars come off of an embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions, we’re they got blasted
40-14. The Jaguars gave up 31 completions in 41 attempts 340 yards and 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions. They are going to have to do a lot better if they want to stop Ryan Tannehil and the Titans offense.
Titans:
The Titans got demolished last week 35-10 Vs. the Eagles. If the Titans want to get this one, I think that there is 2 steps to winning this ballgame. One, get Derrick Henry going on the ground game. Two, run play action with Ryan Tannehill. The Jags passing defense is already pretty bad, as they gave up 340 yards to Jared Goff, but if you can combine that with a solid run game, the Titans should have this one in the bag.
Score Prediction:
JAX 23 TEN 24
Eagles (11-1) @Giants (7-4-1) PHI -7.0 SUN 1:00 PM ET
Eagles:
The Eagles offense is on point this season. They have scored 24 or more in nine of their first twelve games. Their biggest off-season move of trading for AJ Brown showed up big time last week (against Brown’s former team). Brown caught 8 passes for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Jalen Hurts currently is about tied with Patrick Mahomes (the Chiefs quarterback) for the MVP front runner. Hurts is 243/357 for 2,490 yards 20 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions.
Giants:
The New York Giants come into this matchup at 7-4-1 after a tie last week. The Giants defense came up with some big stops in OT when the Giants needed it most but ultimately Graham Gano couldn’t come up with the big kick. This week I think that if the Giants get Saquon Barkley the ball early and often, the Giants could upset the Eagles.
PHI 29 NYG 28
Ravens (8-4) @Steelers (5-7) PIT -2.5 SUN 1:00 PM ET
Ravens:
The Baltomore Ravens come into this game with an 8-4 record. The Ravens are currently at the top of the AFC North, but the Bengals also have an 8-4 record. The Ravens would have the tiebreaker over the Bengals so, if the Ravens can win out they have one of the top 4 seeds in the AFC. That task might be difficult due to the fact that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson listed as week to week and ruled out for this game.
Steelers:
The Steelers come into this match after 2 straight road wins, on the road! Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett has played solid football in his last 2 games, as he's still able to get the ball and let his wide-outs do damage, even after the Steelers sent Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick. The Steelers will try to win this game and get closer to making a playoff push.
Score Prediction:
BAL 13 PIT 27
Chiefs (9-3) @Broncos (3-9) KC -9.5 SUN 4:05 PM ET
Chiefs:
The Kansas City Chiefs just gave up the number 1 seed for the moment, and if they want to get it back they are going to have to win out and hope the Buffalo Bills (the number 1 seed right now) lose to one of their opponent. Thankfully for the Chiefs they have got easy upcoming opponents, such as the Texans, Seahawks, Broncos (again) and the Raiders. The Chiefs could clinch the AFC West if they win this match, and the Chargers lose on Sunday Night Football.
Broncos:
The Denver Broncos are currently 3-9 and our one loss away from loss away from being eliminated from playoff competition so, why not spoil your rivals season. The Broncos came into the year with high expectations and super bowl hopes, after signing star quarterback Russell Wilson. However, Wilson is currently having the worst year of his career and might call it quits after this year.
Score Prediction:
KC 37 DEN 17
Buccaneers (6-6) @49ers (8-4) SF -3.5 SUN 4:25 PM ET
Buccaneers:
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to beat the 49ers, get a better shot at winning the NFC South, and secure the number 4 seed in the NFC playoff picture. The Buccaneers defense was pretty solid last week, holding the Saint to only 16 points. The Buccaneers offense was almost non-existent for the first 57 minutes, scoring only 3 points, but in the last 3 minutes the Bucs offense came to life and scored 14 points to beat the Saints.
49ers:
The San Fransisco 49ers lost their starting quarterback (Jimmy Garoppolo) for the rest of the season, which means Brock Purdy will take over. The 49ers are loaded with talent, and Purdy was able to lead them to a 33-17 win over the Dolphins last week. Purdy will try to do the same as the 49ers look to move up to 9-4 on the year.
Score Prediction:
TB 16 SF 21
Panthers (4-8) @Seahawks (7-5) SEA -3.5 SUN 4:25 PM ET
Panthers:
The Panthers released quarterback Baker Mayfield on Monday, which means that Sam Darnold will draw the start, which means that P.J. Walker will back him up. The Panthers defense will go up against Geno Smith who has had a pretty good season, and will look to shut him down.
Seahawks:
The Seattle Seahawks come into this game at 7-5 and would currently be the 7 seed if the playoffs started today. They are lead by quarterback Geno Smith and star running back Kenneth Walker III. The Seahawks look to increase their playoff hopes with a win over Carolina.
Game Prediction:
CAR 0 SEA 17
Dolphins (8-4) @Chargers (6-6) MIA -3.0 SUN 8:20 PM ET
Dolphins:
The Miami Dolphins are hoping that the Buffalo Bills lose to New York earlier in the day, which would mean that the Dolphins would take the lead in the AFC East. Either way, this seams like it could be a trap game as the Dolphins might be looking ahead to next week's Saturday Night matchup with the Bills.
Chargers:
The Changers look to stay in play for the AFC West, as the Chiefs play the Broncos earlier in the day, if the Chiefs win that game the Chargers have to win this game to stay in competition for the AFC West. If they fail to the Chargers will then be fighting for the final 3 Wild Card spots.
Score Prediction:
MIA 52 LAC 35
Patriots (6-6) @Cardinals (4-8) NE -1.5 MON 8:15 PM ET
Patriots:
The New England Patriots come to Arizona for back-to-back primetime matches. On Thursday Night Football the Patriots lost to the Bills 24-10. The Patriots passing defense didn't do a great job, as they let Bills quarterback Josh Allen complete 22 of his 33 passes for 223 yards, 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions.
Cardinals:
The Cardinals have lost 4 of their last 5 games coming into this match. The Cardinals came int this year with high expectations, but have failed to reach any of them. Kyler Murray has went 258-389 for 2,359 yards and a 14-7 TD-INT ratio. With playoff hopes basically lost, the Cardinals look to play spoiler in this game.
Score Prediction:
NE 13 ARI 24
dolphins scoring 52 is very,very,risky pick
Gutsy pick taking Lions over the Vikes