Week 14 NFL Odds: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule
Week 13 was a dramatic one, with several NFL games being decided b narrow margins and/or thrilling finishes. The week also provided quite a bit of clarity to the playoff picture.
The Kansas City Chiefs secured a playoff spot with their win on Friday, though they easily could have lost to the rival Las Vegas Raiders. The Buffalo Bills handled the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, and in doing so, clinched the AFC East with five weeks left to go.
The Raiders, New England Patriots and New York Giants have all been eliminated from playoff contention. Other teams will soon follow and will have little left to play for, aside from pride. That doesn't mean, however, that the NFL's non-contenders won't have a chance to play spoiler.
Many games will remain unpredictable, though we've identified a few bets to consider based on the early Week 14 lines.
*Lines via DraftKings Sportsbook
Eagles -12 Versus Panthers
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This is an extremely large line, considering how well the Carolina Panthers have played as of late. Carolina is starting to develop an identity under head coach Dave Canales, and Bryce Young is starting to become the star quarterback Carolina expected him to be.
Over the last two weeks, the Panthers have lost to the Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a combined six points.
However, the Philadelphia Eagles are rolling and have, perhaps, fewer weaknesses than any other team in the NFL. Their five-point win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday wasn't quite as close as the final score might indicate, and the Eagles have the offensive talent needed to pull away from Carolina where the Chiefs and Bucs could not.
The Panthers have been better than they were early in the season, but they remain bad against the run. Saquon Barkley should dominate on the ground, while Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and the Philly passing offense do enough to maintain a comfortable lead.
Canales' crew is going to fight, but the Eagles are good enough on both sides of the ball to win by two touchdowns—something they did two weeks ago against a playoff-caliber Los Angeles Rams team.
Bills -4 at Rams
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The Bills may have guaranteed themselves a home playoff game, but they have plenty to play for over the final five weeks.
"We're chasing the 1-seed," quarterback Josh Allen said, per ESPN's Alaina Getzenber. "We understand that. We know that and we've got to keep getting better each and every week."
Buffalo holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Kansas City for the top seed but remains a game behind the Chiefs in the standings. If the Bills want that coveted first-round bye, they can't afford to slip.
They shouldn't slip against the Rams this week. While Los Angeles is formidable offensively, it still has issues in its defensive back seven. The Rams rank 25th in total defense, and they'll struggle to slow Allen, Amari Cooper, James Cook and the rest of Buffalo's offensive playmakers.
Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams can provide enough for the Rams to keep things close for a while. However, Buffalo should ultimately pull away at SoFi Stadium—a venue that doesn't exactly provide a decided home-field advantage.
Raiders +7 at Buccaneers
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The Raiders can't make the playoffs, but several members of the organization have plenty left to prove. Antonio Pierce is likely coaching for his job, while Aidan O'Connell is looking to secure a spot in the quarterback room—possibly as the team's bridge starter in 2025.
O'Connell and the Raiders' underrated defense both played extremely well in Kansas City on Friday and probably should have won the game. They should be competitive again this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tampa's defense has been a liability all season, and it nearly cost the Bucs in Week 13. Carolina moved up and down the field and was in position to secure an overtime victory before a Chuba Hubbard fumble bailed out the Bucs.
To win convincingly, the Buccaneers will need a nearly flawless game from quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was regularly pressured and threw two interceptions in Week 13. Expect Maxx Crosby to make life miserable for Mayfield this week.
The Buccaneers are a resilient team and can sense that the NFC South is within their grasp. They should be able to pull out a win here, but this will likely be another very close call.
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