NFL Predictions Week 14: Can't-Miss Picks and Matchup Guide

A month remains for bettors to get things right when it comes to NFL picks. 

One month from now things hit postseason time and the opportunity to make coin on NFL lines shrinks exponentially as the majority of teams turn eyes to the impending free agency and draft.

Luckily for bettors, a bye-week-free slate with teams looking to make a statement on the way to the playoffs or play the spoiler means great lines abound.

There will always be surprises. Look at New Orleans going to Pittsburgh last week and escaping with a win after three straight losses at home.

But those trap games seem few and far between this week. Bet heavy, often and most importantly, in a smart manner this week. The clock continues to tick.

NFL Week 14 Picks Against the Spread

Matchup	Spread	Pick Straight Up	Pick ATS	Reason
Dallas at Chicago (Thurs, Dec. 4)	Cowboys -4	DAL	DAL	The woeful Chicago defense will have no answer for DeMarco Murray.
St. Louis at Washington	Rams -2.5	STL	STL	See analysis below.
Houston at Jacksonville	Texans -6	HOU	JAC	Coming off a win the Jaguars can keep it close, but there is not enough talent to pull off the upset.
NY Giants at Tennessee	Giants -1	TEN	TEN	Zach Mettenberger looks the part and can take advantage of a New York team that has thrown in the towel.
Tampa Bay at Detroit	Lions -10	DET	TB	Tampa Bay continues to lose close games and Detroit has lost two of its last three.
Carolina at New Orleans	Saints -10	NO	CAR	New Orleans is not beating any team by more than a touchdown at this point.
Indianapolis at Cleveland	Colts -4	IND	IND	Andrew Luck vs. Brian Hoyer will go about as expected, Josh Gordon or not.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati	Bengals -3.5	CIN	CIN	Cincinnati gets a win at home by way of an elite rushing attack.
NY Jets at Minnesota	Vikings -6	MIN	MIN	Minnesota and rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater are putting it all together at the right time.
Baltimore at Miami	Dolphins -3	MIA	MIA	Miami's elite defense will have what it takes to keep Baltimore in check.
Kansas City at Arizona	Cardinals -1.5	KC	KC	Arizona suddenly looks very vulnerable and will struggle to contain the elite Kansas City rushing attack.
Buffalo at Denver	Broncos -9	DEN	BUF	A strong Buffalo defense actually stands a better chance than most realize if Peyton Manning struggles in the elements.
San Francisco at Oakland	49ers -8.5	SF	SF	See analysis below.
Seattle at Philadelphia	Eagles -1	SEA	SEA	The Seattle secondary will give Mark Sanchez plenty of issues.
New England at San Diego	Patriots -4	NE	SD	A bet against New England is a silly one at this point with how Tom Brady continues to play.
Atlanta at Green Bay (Mon. Dec. 8)	Packers -12	GB	ATL	Atlanta just upset Arizona and seems to be rounding into form, although a trip to Lambeau Field will still be a loss.

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and accurate as of 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 3.

Week 14 Can't-Miss Picks

St. Louis Rams (-2.5) at Washington

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Like candy from a baby, or something cliche like that. 

Washington is done. Colt McCoy is the starter in a contest that coincidentally comes against the team that gave Washington the rights to draft Robert Griffin III in the first place. The backup threw for 392 yards and three scores last week, but the team still lost its fourth in a row.

Jeff Fisher's St. Louis Rams are quietly one of the better teams in the league at the moment, especially considering how injured the roster has been all season long. The team has wins over Seattle, San Francisco and Denver.

Two weeks ago the Rams continued to look strong against contenders by losing in San Diego, 27-24. Just last week was a 52-0 thumping of the Oakland Raiders in which Shaun Hill threw a pair of touchdowns and back Tre Mason rushed for 117 yards and two scores on just 14 carries.

A surging St. Louis offense figures to have few issues on the road against a downtrodden Washington defense without top players such as cornerback DeAngelo Hall and linebacker Brian Orakpo. Even coach Jay Gruden does not sound thrilled with his defense's performance as of late.

"I am concerned," Gruden said, per STATS LLC, via ESPN.com. "because we're in Week 12, and we're still having some of these breakdowns with some key players who we're going to count on for the future."

Unlike a Washington team without an identity and seemingly a lack of leadership, the Rams know exactly who and what they are at this point. Injuries have ruined things, but the team is still fighting, still pushing for that respect.

The first true winning streak of the season is within grasp for the Rams. Bettors will want to hop on board for the ride.

Prediction: Rams 24, Washington 17

San Francisco 49ers (-8.5) at Oakland Raiders

Look, the San Francisco 49ers have not been very trustworthy as of late.

Over the course of the team's last five games, three wins have not seen a single one come by more than six points. The two losses were either expected to be a win (St. Louis) or much closer (Seattle).

But remember that whole 52-point thing from above?

An 8.5-point spread does not look so bad now, right?

Things are bad for any team when a veteran leader has to resort to comments such as the one dished out by Raiders defensive end Justin Tuck in the week leading up to Sunday's encounter.

"I think the best thing for us now is to turn all of our attention and our focus to what lies ahead, and that's this bloodbath that I think we're about to have against the 49ers," he said, per Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. "Big rivalry game."

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Some teams such as the Rams continue to fight. Others akin to the Raiders put up the white flag.

Truthfully, Oakland got its one win of the season back in Week 12 and seems to have nothing left. The team quietly ranks among the top 10 against the pass, but much of that has to do with the fact teams are too busy exploiting the 27th-ranked run defense.

Obviously this plays right into San Francisco's offensive strength and way of doing business:

Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr (2,422 yards, 14 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) has shown positive signs but will struggle against a San Francisco defense that continues to rank in the top eight against the pass and rush despite the absence of key pieces.

It may not wind up a 52-0 result, but this one will see the spread covered in easy fashion.

Prediction: 49ers 39, Raiders 17

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).