Week 14 NFL Picks: Tips, Odds and Over/Under Predictions for Sunday

There is no time like the present to get those NFL Week 14 picks finalized.

Try not to forget about those lovable over/under plays too.

Before official injury reports and other news come out over the course of the next 24 hours and change, lines are as favorable as they may get. Bettors who take advantage now—especially if they can see ahead to some of the things yet to be revealed—can pounce and start to finish this season strong.

With that approach in mind, let's outline the full slate and detail a few of the top over/under plays bettors can use to pad investments.

NFL Week 14 Picks Against the Spread

Matchup	Spread (O/U)	O/U Pick	Pick ATS	Reason
St. Louis at Washington	Rams -2 (45)	U	STL	St. Louis continues to fight and will take advantage of whoever lines up under center for Washington.
Houston at Jacksonville	Texans -6 (42.5)	U	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 (46)	O	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 (42)	O	TB	Tampa Bay continues to lose close games, and Detroit has lost two of its last three.
Carolina at New Orleans	Saints -10 (50)	O	CAR	See analysis below.
Indianapolis at Cleveland	Colts -4 (50)	U	IND	Andrew Luck vs. Brian Hoyer will go about as expected, Josh Gordon or not.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati	Bengals -3.5 (47)	U	CIN	Cincinnati gets a win at home by way of an elite rushing attack.
NY Jets at Minnesota	Vikings -6 (40)	U	MIN	Minnesota and rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater are putting it all together at the right time.
Baltimore at Miami	Dolphins -3 (45.5)	O	MIA	Miami's elite defense will have what it takes to keep Baltimore in check.
Kansas City at Arizona	Chiefs -1 (40)	O	KC	Arizona suddenly looks very vulnerable and will struggle to contain the elite Kansas City rushing attack.
Buffalo at Denver	Broncos -9 (47.5)	O	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 (41)	O	SF	See analysis below.
Seattle at Philadelphia	EVEN (48)	U	SEA	The Seattle secondary will give Mark Sanchez plenty of issues.
New England at San Diego	Patriots -4 (51.5)	O	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 -13 (56)	O	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 a.m. ET on Dec. 6.

Over/Under Lines to Bet

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-10), Over/Under: 50

Las Vegas thinks itself tricky.

These two NFC South rivals met in Week 9, which saw the New Orleans Saints take down the Carolina Panthers 28-10, a good way short of the current total projection for this weekend's matchup.

Not to worry, though. The Panthers are even worse than that encounter by now, although the Saints are on the upswing. Drew Brees and an offense that ranks in the top eight through the air and on the ground just posted 35 points in Pittsburgh.

Now, the Saints and coach Sean Payton are dealing with allegations from the Panthers that the team ran up the score in a blowout win last year—which is sweet music to the ears of bettors who want to play the over. 

"Each scenario’s different. But we're trying to move the football," Payton said, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. "And that's something we're not apologizing for. And yet, I think each game is different. You know, paying attention to the game and how it's unfolding." 

It is hard to imagine that Cam Newton and the Panthers come out and lay an egg yet again, though. Over the course of their past six games, the Panthers have scored more than 20 points just once, but any and all teams have found success against a Saints defense that ranks 29th against the pass.

Feel free to add in the fact that before the win in Pittsburgh, the Saints lost three in a row at home while allowing a minimum of 27 points in each contest.

In a bitter rivalry turned sour, expect both offenses to post plenty of numbers in regard to the over.

Prediction: Saints 34, Panthers 24

San Francisco 49ers (-8.5) at Oakland Raiders, Over/Under: 41

So a team that just lost 52-0 is going to play in a game that scores only 41 points? 

The Oakland Raiders put on an epic performance last week in what is likely an anomaly when it comes to points, sure. And the San Francisco 49ers have scored more than 20 points just once over the course of their past six games, with just three last week.

Yet this over/under feels too small.

Oakland ranks among the top 10 teams against the pass this year, but the run defense is a mess that ranks 27th, with an average of 130.5 yards allowed per game. As most know by now, that means Frank Gore and a number of others can play to their strengths against a one-win team:

More consistency from Colin Kaepernick under center would be great. He has completed less than 60 percent of his passes in three of his last four outings and has one touchdown to three interceptions in his last two.

Yet, a few weeks removed from its only win of the season, Oakland seems content to coast through the motions at this point and just allowed Shaun Hill to toss a pair of scores last week.

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Do not count out Oakland's ability to score, either. Rookie quarterback Derek Carr is capable of big games, as his four-touchdown performance earlier this season shows. If back Latavius Murray is healthy and gets the nod, recall that he is the guy who lifted the Raiders to their only win thanks to four carries for 112 yards and two scores a few weeks back. 

San Francisco is a better team without a shred of doubt. Motivation to take down something of a rival and remain in the postseason hunt means points will flow. Oakland will pitch in to nab the over, but that is certainly not meant to imply that this will be a close contest. 

Prediction: 49ers 39, Raiders 17

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