NFL Week 14 Picks: Predicting the Winner of All 14 Matchups

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Thursday, Dec. 10
Sunday, Dec. 13
Monday, Dec. 14
Time (ET)	Away	Home	Projected Winner
8:25 p.m.	Minnesota Vikings	Arizona Cardinals	Arizona, 31-21
Time (ET)	Away	Home	Projected Winner
1 p.m.	Buffalo Bills	Philadelphia Eagles	Buffalo, 20-14
1 p.m.	San Francisco 49ers	Cleveland Browns	San Francisco, 24-10
1 p.m.	Detroit Lions	St. Louis Rams	St. Louis, 31-17
1 p.m.	New Orleans Saints	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Tampa Bay, 37-20
1 p.m.	Tennessee Titans	New York Jets	New York, 28-12
1 p.m.	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals	Cincinnati, 28-27
1 p.m.	Indianapolis Colts	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jacksonville, 20-13
1 p.m.	San Diego Chargers	Kansas City Chiefs	Kansas City, 31-13
1 p.m.	Washington	Chicago Bears	Chicago, 17-9
1 p.m.	Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers	Carolina, 28-24
1 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks	Baltimore Ravens	Seattle, 41-20
4:05 p.m.	Oakland Raiders	Denver Broncos	Denver, 17-13
4:25 p.m.	Dallas Cowboys	Green Bay Packers	Green Bay, 30-6
8:30 p.m.	New England Patriots	Houston Texans	New England, 20-13
Time (ET)	Away	Home	Projected Winner
8:30 p.m.	New York Giants	Miami Dolphins	Miami, 28-20

With a month left in the NFL's regular season, the playoff pictures in both conferences are clear as mud.

Only the 2-10 Cleveland Browns are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, and the lone team to actually clinch a postseason spot is the undefeated Carolina Panthers.

At this point, .500 is good enough to keep a team alive in the playoff hunt, and possibly even a division championship.

There are some matchups in Week 14 that could go a long way in determining who's in and who's out. Here are projections for all 16 games and some analysis of a few key matchups:

Winston and the Bucs Keep Winning

Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Jameis Winston threw a pick-six on his first NFL pass against the Tennessee Titans in a 42-14 Week 1 loss.

The No. 1 overall pick was outplayed by the second pick, Marcus Mariota, and after one game, some were calling Winston a bust.

Since then, however, Winston and Tampa Bay have gone 6-5 and sit as the first team out of the playoffs, one game behind the No. 6 seed Seattle Seahawks.

Winston tied an NFL record in Week 11 when he threw five touchdowns in a win against the Philadelphia Eagles. The former Florida State Seminole has thrown for 17 scores and rushed for another five.

His progression from early in the season was documented by ESPN Stats & Info after Week 12:

Winston is coming off a game in which he threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans in the final minute to defeat the Atlanta Falcons, 23-19. It was the third game-winning drive of his career, per ESPN.com.

He now faces a New Orleans Saints defense that is tied for 27th in the NFL with just six interceptions and ranked 31st in passing yards allowed per game at 287.3, after surrendering five touchdowns and 331 yards through the air to the Panthers' Cam Newton in Week 13.

That pick-six is long-forgotten, but it did put him in pretty good company. The last person to "accomplish" that feat was none other than future Hall of Famer Brett Favre.

Prediction: Tampa Bay wins, 37-20.

Patriots Suddenly Look Vulnerable

Eleven weeks into the season, the New England Patriots were 10-0 and riding high. Multiple injuries later, they have lost two in a row and fallen from the No. 1 seed to No. 3.

No team is fully healthy at this point in time, but quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots played without All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski, top receiver Julian Edelman and No. 1 running back Dion Lewis in a Week 14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The offensive line is a mess right now, but Brady still threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in the 35-28 loss.

NBC Sports NFL writer Patrick Daugherty wasn't feeling sorry for the defending Super Bowl champions:

His sarcasm does point to the truth, as no other team wants to hear about injuries while it is dealing with its own, but Brady's options are razor-thin at this point.

New England will try to piece together a lineup in Week 14 against a 6-6 Houston Texans team fighting for the playoffs.

Defensive end J.J. Watt and the Texans can shut any team down, but they are coming off a game where the defense allowed 30 points for the first time in five weeks against the Buffalo Bills.

They could certainly pull out a victory, but Brady and the Patriots have not lost three in a row in the same season since a four-game losing streak in 2002.

They'll find a way to get it together and leave Houston with a close victory.

Prediction: New England wins, 20-13.

Seattle Playing Like NFC Champions

For the second season in a row, three weeks ago, people started to doubt the Seahawks. In 2014, they started 3-3 before eventually appearing in their second straight Super Bowl.

This year, Seattle was 4-5 and somewhat of an afterthought. Three convincing wins later, the Seahawks are in the playoffs, and quarterback Russell Wilson is on fire, per NFL on ESPN:

In those three wins, they are averaging over 30 points per game and looking like one of the last teams anyone wants to play right now.

Just ask the Minnesota Vikings, who were in first place in the NFC North heading into Week 14 and left in second place after a 38-7 loss on their home field. 

Running back Adrian Peterson did not mince words about how he felt after the Seahawks beat the Vikings in every aspect of the game, per ESPN.com: "We were outcoached in so many ways. And outplayed as players."

Even more impressive is the fact the Seahawks are doing this without Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch, who has missed the last three games with an injury. Backup Thomas Rawls has filled in with 391 yards and three touchdowns during that stretch.

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin had three touchdowns his first 10 games of the season but has hauled in five the past two weeks.

Oh, and what about the defense everyone thought was getting old? It's allowed just 16.7 points per game during the win streak.

It won't be pretty this week, as the Seahawks head to Baltimore to play the 4-8 Ravens, who allow 24 points per game.

Good luck Baltimore; you'll need it.

Prediction: Seattle wins, 41-20.