We’re getting into the thick of the final month of the NFL where almost every single game matters. Our NFL Week 14 Preview is ready to rock as we take you around the league for a quick peek into every single game on the card this Sunday and Monday at Wannamakeabet.com. If you’re not a member of the site yet, join today. We’ll put you into the December All Sports free league and you get 50,000 units to bet with against every game on the board. It’s free and we give away cash!
Jaguars at Titans (-4.5) O/U 37.5
Tennessee, which needs a win to stay in the AFC wild card hunt, gets the edge from the books here having won three straight and five of the last six against its division rivals. This super low total (38 at open) reminds us of the first time these two squared off earlier this year in a 9-6 barnburner in Jacksonville. Fournette returns from a one game suspension for fighting and we see this game coming down to the wire. Despite the fact that the Jags likely won’t make the playoffs this year, this perhaps provides even more incentive to ruin it for the hated division rival.
Falcons at Packers (-6) 48.5
Green Bay, despite the head coaching change, gets the six point edge this week. They’ve won four of the last six at home against Atlanta. We may even see the Packers play tension free this week as Rodgers was clearly uncomfortable working with McCarthy this year and the pressure is off as they will not make the playoffs this year. Both teams are coming off embarrassing home loss in Week 13.
Ravens + 6.5 at Chiefs (-6.5) O/U 53
The Chiefs sent up a bunch of red flags in their win in Oakland. Everyone has been beating the Raiders brains in and somehow the Chiefs barely put them away. It all comes down to defense. Again. And the Chiefs don’t play it very well as they gave up 33 to the Raiders. And now they face the Ravens without Kareem Hunt. The opening line on the game was 7 and the public and sharps quickly took it and here we are at 6.5.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans (-4) O/U 49
This is an elimination game for Indy in terms of winning the division. Not sure if the struggle in Jacksonville to score even a single point will continue this week, but clearly the Colts offense has some issues if that can happen at all. Deshaun Watson has quietly done almost nothing wrong during the nine-game winning streak. The Colts are barely hanging on and Houston is clearly hitting its stride.
New York Giants at Washington Redskins +3.5
Strange to see the Giants favored over anyone in the league given their record but that’s exactly what we have this week. Depending on this and the later Eagles-Cowboys game, a Giants team that started 1-7 could be two games out of first place in the NFC East with three games to play. Yes, the Skins are down to their 3rd string quarterback Mark Sanchez. But he has a lot to prove and still appears capable of delivering the ball on a limited playbook. But the bigger issue is Washington’s defense. They have given up 430 yards a game over their last five.
New York Jets at Buffalo Bills (-3.5) O/U 38
We’ve got a battle between two high draft pick quarterbacks in Buffalo on Sunday. Sam Darnold and Josh Allen are expected to start and face each other, which they did not in last month’s game at the Meadowlands. That was the game backup Matt Barkley won of Josh McCown 41-10. It’s hard to believe that the Jets were once 3-3. And yet its less hard to believe these Bills blew out the Vikings in Minnesota.
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New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers +8 O/U 55.5
There’s plenty of motivation for the Saints to want to beat the snot out of the Bucs in a revenge game for a Week 1 loss that happened as a 10 point favorite. They also really need a bounce back from the loss to the Cowboys last week. But all of that is a lot easier said than done when a team feels like they have your number and also has the ability to play well against you. This line surprisingly opened at 9.5 and immediately moved quickly to the current position at 8. Getting more than a TD at home is always an attractive proposition.
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins +7.5 (O/U 47)
The Patriots seem to always struggle against Miami on the road. They are just 7-4 in this series in the Ryan Tannehill era. Jay Cutler was in charge when the Dolphins won last December in Miami and Tannehill is a much better QB. Three of those Dolphins wins have been in December or January; all four were in the now-Hard Rock Stadium. This game might not be ripe for an outright upset but based on Miami’s record at home and they way they’ve played this year, it sure feels like we’re going to have a close game on our hands.
Carolina Panthers at Cleveland Browns +1.5 O/U 47
The Browns have been put back in the corner after Baker threw three picks in Houston last week. But it really was the story of two halfs and a really bad fumble by Callaway on the goal line after a 90 yard run. Meanwhile the Panthers are nosediving and have a horrible road record (1-5) and have lost four straight. Baker may have had three picks last week but Cam had four! More troubling than that should be a defense that has struggled to stop teams when they need to, and this Cleveland offense at home can be dangerous. Expect a close one on Sunday.
Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers +5.5 O/U 49.5
The Broncos are really not so bad, as they easily beat up on Cincy last week but that’s not saying much. Vance Joseph hasn’t turned into Vince Lombardi, but over the past month (three straight wins) he at least removed himself (temporarily) from John Elway’s stink eye. The proverbial “winnable” games are awaiting them in their late playoff push: next week are the Browns at home, then they go to Oakland. But they must start here and get this apparently easy win against a non division, non rival team.
Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Chargers -14 O/U 47.5
Trap game? Doubt it. The Chargers can’t look past the Bengals, but they might anyway after a huge emotional win on the road last week in Pittsburgh. Either way, A.J. Green going onto injured reserve wipes the Bengals out. The Chargers are still in position to push for the AFC West title and a playoff bye if the Chiefs stumble down the stretch.
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys -3.5 O/U 43
Are the Eagles for real? Their numbers are down across the board and as we detailed last week, they are really struggling to run the football. The Monday Night Football win against the Skins didn’t tell us much but Golden Tate finally got going for the first time since the trade. The Cowboys started their spurt by winning in Philadelphia on Sunday night three weeks ago. Ezekiel Elliott’s 187 combined yards were the trigger to get that going. The Eagles allowing old man Adrian Peterson to tear through them for 90 yards virtually untouched isn’t a good sign. Dallas seems poised to really lay the hammer on this struggling Eagles team.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders +10.5 O/U 51.5
The Steelers seem to be getting the short straw the last two weeks but there’s no reason to panic if you’re a fan or on the team. The refs seemed to steal the game against the Chargers but the truth is they couldn’t stop San Diego in the second half and they could not put up any points. But we’re on to Oakland now. Should they worry about beating the Raiders?
Probably not, except that the Raiders piled up points on the Chiefs, and the Steelers’ defense is similarly weak. They still have the edge in the AFC North on the Ravens, and the schedule is heavily in their favor this week. They should beat the Raiders easily despite struggling there historically. Put the Steelers in your favorite three team teaser and sit back and relax.
Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals +2.5 O/U 40.5
Two teams that are forced to think about 2019 but still must lace em up for a few more weeks. The Cardinals, oddly, are more intriguing to watch, at least when they have the ball and Josh Rosen, David Johnson and the ageless Larry Fitzgerald is on the field. They appear to be much better than their record and the win against the Packers last week proves it. The Lions are what they are, and Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia are going to get a few years to put it all together. But Arizona appears to be a very live home dog this week.
Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears +3 O/U 52.5
Whether Mitchell Trubisky is back this week remained up in the air early in the week. That’s no small thing; even though the Bears managed fairly well all things considered without him last week against the Giants, Trubisky needs to be there for the Bears to be themselves. Our feeling is they have been preparing him to return for this primetime matchup against the best team in the NFC to see what they’re made of. The Rams have handled almost every test they’ve been given. Aaron Donald’s total domination of the Lions last week thrust him into the defensive MVP conversation and this Sunday night matchup appears to be a real gem. Bad weather favors the Bears.
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks -3 O/U 45
How bout them Seahawks? Seattle threw out everything but the kitchen sink (Russell Wilson) yet are right in the mix and are getting better as the season moves on. That defense, gutted in the offseason and without Earl Thomas since September, should get Mychal Kendricks back from suspension this week. They already have Bobby Wagner, having another All-Pro season. The Vikings offense had better come back from wherever they seem to go every other week. Seattle at home is one of the best bets historically and they three game win streak should favor them again on Monday night.