NFL Week 14 Picks: Predicting the Winners of All 16 Matchups

Week 13 of the 2016 NFL season ended on Monday night with a dominant Indianapolis Colts victory over the New York Jets. In just a couple of days, the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders will kick off Week 14.

By now, we have an idea of which NFL teams are good and which are simply playing the part. However, this doesn't mean the game doesn't toss out a few proverbial curveballs from time to time.

Over the past couple of weeks, the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers have managed to jump to 7-5 to within striking distance of an NFC South title. The Houston Texans, meanwhile, have dropped three games in a row and appear to be letting the AFC South slip away.

Which teams will surprise in Week 14? Well, that's what we're going to try figuring out today. We'll be examining the entire Week 14 slate—along with the latest odds, provided by OddsShark.com—and predicting a final score for each. We will also take an in-depth look at some of the top matchups of the week.

NFL Week 14

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Key Matchups

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

There's a race going on for second place in the NFC East right now. The 10-1 Dallas Cowboys have a strong lead on the division, but the 8-4 New York Giants and 6-5-1 Washington Redskins aren't too far behind. If Washington really wants to stay in the wild-card race, though, they will have to figure out how to knock off the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles this week.

The Eagles started off the season strong but have fallen to 5-7 on the season. This, however, does not mean Philadelphia will be an easy out in Week 14. The Eagles still boast a quality defense—rated 12th overall by Pro Football Focus—and a capable rookie quarterback in Carson Wentz.

Washington, though, has a potent offense led by Kirk Cousins and the passing game. As a team, the Redskins are rated seventh in overall offense by Pro Football Focus and score an average of 25.2 points per game (10th in the NFL).

If Washington's offense is clicking, it should give the Redskins an advantage here. Scoring points has not been Philadelphia's forte—the team is ranked 19th, with an average of 22.3 points per game—and the team has struggled when getting behind early.

Most recently the Eagles were handed an embarrassing 32-14 loss by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Realistically, the Redskins are playing for a playoff spot, while the Eagles are not. This motivation, along with a potent passing attack, should give Washington the edge in this rivalry matchup.

Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans

Believe it or not, but the 8-4 Denver Broncos and the 6-6 Tennessee Titans are both battling for playoff positioning. This is an idea that might have sounded absurd during last year's postseason, but it's true.

The Titans are currently tied with both the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans atop the AFC South.  A win against Denver would be huge for the team's playoff hopes and would legitimize the surprisingly competitive team.

The Broncos, meanwhile, are sitting behind both the 10-2 Oakland Raiders and the 9-3 Kansas City Chiefs over in the AFC West. A loss here would significantly hurt the team's chances of making a run at the division crown.

As was the case last year, Denver is led by its defense. The Broncos are rated first in overall defense by Pro Football Focus and allow an average of just 19.1 points per game.

The Titans are led by a strong rushing attack and an efficient and effective offense. Tennessee ranks third in rushing with an average of 141.5 yards per game on the ground. As a team, the Titans are rated fifth in overall offense by Pro Football Focus.

While we're willing to bank on the potent offense of the Redskins over in their NFC East matchup, we're inclined to take the Broncos here. Denver has been in the situation of fighting for the postseason before, and the team's defense is still very much championship-caliber.

Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers

If you're looking for a marquee NFC matchup, look no further than the looming game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. Both teams are in the playoff hunt, and these two franchises have recent history—both from the postseason and on certain prime-time events.

Overall, the 8-3-1 Seahawks appear to be the better team. Seattle has a strong grasp in the NFC West and is fresh off a 40-7 embarrassment of the Carolina Panthers. However, Seattle has struggled offensively on the road at times.

The Seahawks mustered a mere five points two weeks ago against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Packers have managed to battle back to 6-6, and they still have a shot at making the postseason. It's a long shot, but it's possible, and the Packers aren't a team that are willing to look ahead.

"I told the team this the other day, until you win 10 games in this league, it's nonsense to talk about anything else," Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. "So we're not worried about Detroit or any other team out there or what anybody's record is. We have six wins, and we know we've got to get to seven fast."

This should be one of the better games of Week 14. With Aaron Rodgers under center and the Packers' collective backs against the wall, there's a chance Green Bay could steal a win at home. However, we really have to like Seattle's defense, which is rated third overall by Pro Football Focus to take control here.

Beating the Packers at Lambeau isn't easy. Of course, neither is beating the New England Patriots in Foxborough, and the Seahawks did just that earlier this year.