NFL Predictions Week 14: Last-Minute Picks and Advice for Sunday's Schedule

So begins the most dangerous stretch of the season for NFL bettors.

Not only do divisional encounters line the slate, bettors now have to worry more than usual about a bad team coming out motivated to not end the year on a sour note while looking to pull off the upset of a rival.

Individual shakeups don't help, either. It's been a long season with injuries claiming guys like Peyton Manning and odd depth chart developments like DeMarco Murray, last year's rushing champion, looking more like a rookie who cannot get out of the coach's doghouse.

The situation makes for a tough betting environment. Before Sunday kicks off, here's a look at the full set of odds.

NFL Week 14 Odds

Game	Spread	O/U	Predicted Winner
Atlanta at Carolina	CAR -8	46.5	CAR 28-17
Washington at Chicago	CHI -3.5	43	WAS 27-24
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati	CIN -2.5	50	CIN 30-17
San Francisco at Cleveland	CLE -1.5	41.5	SF 24-20
Indianapolis at Jacksonville	JAC -1.5	46	JAC 20-17
San Diego at Kansas City	KC -10.5	44	KC 40-18
Tennessee at N.Y. Jets	NYJ -7	43	NYJ 23-20
Buffalo at Philadelphia	PHI -1	47	BUF 28-24
Detroit at St. Louis	DET 3.5	41.5	DET 17-14
New Orleans at Tampa Bay	TB -4.5	50.5	TB 34-30
Seattle at Baltimore	SEA -11	40.5	SEA 33-20
Oakland at Denver	DEN -6.5	43	DEN 27-20
Dallas at Green Bay	GB -6.5	42.5	GB 28-17
New England at Houston	NE -3.5	45	NE 45-24
N.Y. Giants at Miami	E	46.5	NYG 26-20

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark. 

Last-Minute Odds to Bet

Seattle (-11) at Baltimore

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Those folks in charge of making the schedule had the right idea with this one, as the Baltimore Ravens are one of those teams usually in the hunt this time of year, as they turn it on when it matters. 

They couldn't have predicted, though, that Baltimore would lose Joe Flacco, Steve Smith and Justin Forsett before Week 14. That's not all, either—now the team won't have veteran Matt Schaub under center due to injury, but backup Jimmy Clausen, according to ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley.

The Seattle Seahawks, at least, have lived up to the hype by turning it on down the stretch. It was easy to wave off Russell Wilson's team after a sluggish 2-4 start, but the team has won three in a row now while scoring at least 29 points in each game. 

"Once we get in a rhythm, we know we're a hard team to beat," cornerback Richard Sherman said, according to ESPN.com. "We know we have a championship pedigree. We've been there, we've been in big games, in Super Bowls. We know what we're capable of."

Home game or not, Baltimore will have a hard time posting points on a defense allowing just 19.1 points per game on average. Clausen has five touchdowns to 11 interceptions in his career, so it's going to be a long day at the office.

Prediction: Seahawks 33, Ravens 20

Dallas at Green Bay (-6.5)

Again, those who make schedules had the right idea.

The Dallas Cowboys might be the only team capable of rivaling Baltimore in terms of injury issues thanks to the persistent woes of Tony Romo and others. Despite a seven-game skid, though, Dallas has won two out of its last three and sits in contention for the woeful NFC East at 4-8.

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have also won two of three, though they take more criticism for a three-game skid prior to the stretch. The team hardly survived the Detroit Lions in 27-23 fashion in Week 13.

Still, bettors have to go with the home team here in what might be a sloppy game from a weather standpoint, as ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky captured:

In such conditions and at Lambeau Field, bettors have to trust Aaron Rodgers, not Matt Cassel. The latter mustered just 223 yards in the team's most recent win while leaning on running back Darren McFadden and a defense that allowed just 16 points.

Yards and points won't be easy to come by, especially in one-dimensional fashion against a Packers defense quietly allowing just 19.8 points per game. Cassel will turn the ball over in the rain a few times with Clay Matthews and other pressuring him, making the ball-control job even simpler on Rodgers.

Prediction: Packers 28, Cowboys 17

New England (-3.5) at Houston

Here's quite the interesting line. 

The Houston Texans, a .500 team competing for a divisional title, but a .500 team nonetheless, is hardly a dog here by a field goal against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, a 10-win team.

Granted, New England has lost two in a row, but a road trip to Denver can hurt most any team in the league, and a surprising loss to the Philadelphia Eagles hurt, but it doesn't figure to carry over and hurt the team in future weeks.

Houston enters this one off a loss as well, a 30-21 affair at the hand of the Buffalo Bills, a team New England has beat 40-32 and 20-13 this year. There, Brian Hoyer tossed a trio of touchdowns, but his defense couldn't stop Tyrod Taylor from accounting for four total scores.

If Taylor can throw three touchdowns against the Houston defense, so too can Brady. He still has 31 touchdowns to six interceptions this year, and the injured offense just unleashed running back James White in the Dion Lewis role last week, helping him catch 10 passes for 115 yards and a score.

The New England offense will continue to undergo some changes but in large part remains as potent as ever. As it turns out, Rob Gronkowski should be back in the fold, too, according to the Boston Globe's Ben Volin.

Becoming healthier and more diverse, expect the Patriots to post numbers the Texans simply cannot match. 

Prediction: Patriots 45, Texans 24

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of December 13. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.