NFL Predictions Week 14: Early Odds, Picks and Projections for Upcoming Schedule

The NFL's Week 14 features a slate of juicy matchups, beginning on Thursday Night Football as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Oakland Raiders in a battle for AFC West supremacy.

That should be one of the best Thursday night showdowns this season, but there's plenty of action left to watch over the weekend.

In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, two teams with plenty of bad blood between them, will face off at Lambeau Field. With the Packers' season on the line, expect a determined Aaron Rodgers to show up against the vaunted Seattle defense.

Let's break down the rest of the schedule for Week 14 and go over the point spreads and odds for each matchup:

Day	Away	Home	Point Spread	Pick
Thursday	OAK	KC	KC -3.5	Raiders
Sunday	PIT	BUF	PIT -1.5	Steelers
Sunday	DEN	TEN	TEN -1.5	Broncos
Sunday	WAS	PHI	WAS -1	Eagles
Sunday	ARI	MIA	MIA -2.5	Cardinals
Sunday	MIN	JAC	MIN -3	Vikings
Sunday	HOU	IND	IND -4.5	Texans
Sunday	SD	CAR	CAR -3	Panthers
Sunday	CIN	CLE	CIN -4	Bengals
Sunday	CHI	DET	DET -7.5	Lions
Sunday	NYJ	SF	SF -1	Jets
Sunday	NO	TB	Even	Saints
Sunday	ATL	LA	ATL -4.5	Falcons
Sunday	SEA	GB	SEA -2.5	Packers
Sunday	DAL	NYG	DAL -2.5	Cowboys
Monday	BAL	NE	NE -9	Patriots

Safe Bet: Detroit Lions (-7.5)

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Seemingly no one can stop the 8-4 Detroit Lions, who are in sole possession of first place in the NFC North and have won four games in a row.

But if someone is going to put a stop to the Lions' reign, it's probably not going to be the 3-9 Chicago Bears, who are rounding out the bottom of the division.

Sure, the Bears enjoyed a decisive 26-6 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. But 1-11 San Francisco has been one of the league's worst teams this year, and even the momentum from its first win since Week 8 is unlikely to be enough to carry Chicago over Detroit. 

The Lions aren't the flashiest team in the league. They're scoring an average of 22.9 points per game, which puts them around the middle of the league (18th).

Nor is Detroit putting up ridiculous yards on its opponents; in fact, its 81.2 yards per game on the ground rank 29th in the NFL.

But the Lions are playing gutsy football. They believe in their chances this season, and their defense isn't hurting, either.

Since Week 6, the Lions have the NFL's third-best scoring defense:

It doesn't matter how you put points on the board. It just matters that you score more than your opponents—and these Lions have been doing that consistently. 

Big Gamble: Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5)

The Raiders and Chiefs are only one game apart in the division standings, and there's no question that this AFC West showdown is one of the best matchups on the final quarter of the schedule.

But to take a Kansas City team that has won two games in a row as 3.5-point favorites over a Raiders team that is on a six-game winning streak and tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in the conference is a risk.

The Chiefs will host the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium, which explains why they're favored.

And if you saw the first meeting between these two teams this season, it was an ugly day for Oakland, which went scoreless in the second half.

Quarterback Derek Carr has only improved since that meeting, throwing for 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. There's a lot on the line for his young team, including an opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Whichever team doesn't win the division would likely still earn a wild-card berth, and the two could face each other again in the playoffs.

But the Raiders will make their road to the postseason easier by defeating Kansas City on Thursday night. 

NFL odds courtesy of OddsShark and current as of Dec. 5.