NFL Week 14 Picks: Predicting the Most Important Showdowns

Week 14 of the NFL season is several Sundays removed from playoff picks, but it's still littered with matchups that will alter the course of postseason.

Here are predictions for each game, including breakdowns for the most important.

Home	Away	Result
Jacksonville	Houston	JAC by 3
San Diego	New York Giants	SD by 6
Cincinnati	Indianapolis	CIN by 7
Green Bay	Atlanta	ATL by 3
New England	Cleveland	NE by 14
New York Jets	Oakland	OAK by 3
Philadelphia	Detroit	PHI by 6
Pittsburgh	Miami	PIT by 3
Tampa Bay	Buffalo	TB by 3
Washington	Kansas City	KC by 14
Baltimore	Minnesota	BAL by 10
Denver	Tennessee	DEN by 17
Arizona	St. Louis	ARI by 6
San Francisco	Seattle	SEA by 3
New Orleans	Carolina	CAR by 3
Chicago	Dallas	DAL by 7

Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia is on the outside looking in at the NFC playoffs entering Week 14. It's behind the Dallas Cowboys for the NFC East lead due to a head-to-head loss and one game behind the San Francisco 49ers for the final wild-card spot.

Meanwhile, Detroit sits atop the slumping NFC North.

The Eagles are the hotter team, having won four straight games. Nick Foles has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 13-to-0 over that period of time. Matt Stafford's touchdown-to-interception ratio is just 11-to-8 over that same span and the Lions have lost two out of their last three.

They have more talent than Philadelphia, but aren't playing like it. The Eagles are at home, playing better and more desperate for the win.

Prediction: Philadelphia by six.

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

Seattle embarrassed San Francisco by the score of 29-3 in these NFC West rivals' first go-around. Away from CenturyLink Field, the score will be much closer, but the outcome will remain the same.

The Seahawks will enter their Monday night matchup with the Saints having not lost a game since Week 5. The 49ers have lost twice since then. They're clearly a playoff-worthy team, but if the postseason started today, they would have a record of 0-4 against playoff-bound ballclubs. 

Against those four teams, San Francisco's offense mustered up a grand total of 39 points. Quarterback play is what separates the good 49ers from the great Seahawks. Russell Wilson entered the week with a passer rating 18.5 points higher than Colin Kaepernick's.

Prediction: Seattle by three.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

Carolina and New Orleans play each other in two out of the next three weeks. The results of those games will likely decide the winner of the NFC South and a first-round bye.

The Saints will head into Monday night with one fewer loss than the Panthers, but Carolina hasn't lost in eight straight games. It'll ride the NFL's longest winning streak into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, where the Saints haven't lost this season.

Something has to give, and that's likelier to be New Orleans' streak.

Defense travels and the Panthers have the best unit in the league. It's surrendering just 13.7 points per game. A mere four-point victory over the three-win Atlanta Falcons last week proved that the Saints are vulnerable.

Prediction: Carolina by three.

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels