NFL Predictions Week 14: Last-Minute Picks and Advice for Sunday's Schedule

Playing last-minute lines in the NFL's Week 14 is better than playing no lines at all.

Interestingly enough, few opening lines have changed in dramatic fashion. The New England Patriots are still expected to crush the Miami Dolphins, and the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns are (unfortunately) expected to play one of the closest games of the week, to name a few.

There's a strategy to playing early-week lines and capitalizing on them before oddsmakers make adjustments. But playing them Sunday morning means using a wealth of information accrued over the course of the gameweek to make an informed decision.

Let's do so by projecting the entire slate.

NFL Week 14 Schedule, Odds

Chicago at Cincinnati (-6.5) | O/U 38.5

Detroit at Tampa Bay (E) | O/U 

Green Bay (-3.5) at Cleveland | O/U 40.5

Indianapolis at Buffalo | O/U 

Minnesota (-3) at Carolina | O/U 41

Oakland at Kansas City (-4) | O/U 47

San Francisco at Houston (-3) | O/U 42.5

Dallas (-4) at N.Y. Giants | O/U 41.5

N.Y. Jets (-1) at Denver | O/U 41

Tennessee (-3) at Arizona | O/U 44

Washington at L.A. Chargers (-6) | O/U 46

Philadelphia (-2.5) at L.A. Rams | O/U 50.5

Seattle at Jacksonville (-3) | O/U 39.5

Baltimore at Pittsburgh (-7) | O/U 

New England (-10.5) at Miami | O/U  

Oakland at Kansas City (-4)

It's only right a game featuring teams that played to a 31-30 result in their first meeting this year boasts one of the gameweek's tougher decisions.

This refers to yet another duel between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, with the Raiders looking to take the show on the road and score a second win over their AFC West rivals. 

If only it were so simple.

Both teams are 6-6 and gridlocked in the standings. Both teams have brutal end-of-season stretches, though Kansas City's is especially tough thanks to three divisional games.

"This is it," Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said, according to Stats LLC (via ESPN.com). "We are in the fourth quarter of the season. Three out of the four are division games. These next two, it is a three-way tie. We are going to play the two other guys these next two weeks."

Smith's Chiefs have lost four games in a row, and though Oakland has won two in a row, those came at home against miserable Denver Broncos and New York Giants teams. And whereas the Chiefs looked solid earlier this year with wins over teams like the New England Patriots, Oakland has only defeated one team with a winning record.

This won't be like the Week 7 encounter between these two where both quarterbacks threw for a trio of scores. At home, the Chiefs defense will clean up against quarterback Derek Carr, who has struggled on the road this year, while a strong ground game controls the pace and squeaks out a win.

Prediction: Chiefs 27, Raiders 23

San Francisco at Houston (-3)

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

How about another close game?

The San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans figure to play in one, as the teams with six combined wins look to end the season on a high note while heading into an offseason wherein rebuilding and getting healthy are key.

This isn't where the Texans wanted to be, but quarterback Deshaun Watson's injury derailed the season. They have lost five of their past six games and return home after a brutal two-game stretch, with quarterback Tom Savage sitting on five touchdowns against six interceptions and a normally stout defense ranked 28th at 25.8 points allowed per game.

The vibes are much more positive for the 49ers, a team that has won two of three and continues to ride a Jimmy Garoppolo wave, as general manager John Lynch pointed out, according to 95.7 The Game:

Garoppolo went on the road in Week 13 and had a solid day in his first start, throwing for 293 yards and an interception in a win over the Chicago Bears, which is tougher than it sounds considering the strong front seven the hosts trot out each week.

Not so for these Texans, who are down J.J. Watt and others. Houston's last game featured a touchdown and interception from Savage while his running game ran for 2.4 yards per carry and the Tennessee Titans drummed up 198 yards and two scores on the ground via a 7.9 yards-per-carry average.

It's a long way of saying the 49ers, riding a new wave of energy, can lean on a newly balanced attack to grab another win and keep riding the wave.

Prediction: 49ers 23,  Texans 17

Seattle at Jacksonville (-3)

Before the season, suggesting a Week 14 game between the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars would be competitive and feature postseason implications would create laughs.

Yet here we are. The Jaguars sit on eight wins via a strong debut campaign from rookie back Leonard Fournette (822 yards and seven touchdowns) and a defense flexing with 45 sacks and 16 interceptions and forced fumbles while ranking first in the NFL by allowing only 14.8 points per game.

While the Jaguars are a fun story, these Seahawks look untouchable. Go figure—the late-season Seahawks are playing like the late-season Seahawks.

More specifically, quarterback Russell Wilson is out running around like an MVP candidate again, something Jacksonville is acutely aware of. He's sitting on 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions while also leading the team in rushing.

John Oehser of the official Jaguars website captured the dilemma facing Jacksonville:

The Seahawks have not only won two in a row, but they have only dropped two games by a combined six points since Week 4. The most recent win was a masterful 24-10 dismissal of the 10-win Philadelphia Eagles wherein Wilson threw for a trio of touchdowns.

Quietly, Seattle isn't far behind Jacksonville, only allowing 18.5 points per game. And since Week 4, road games haven't given the team any problems. The Jaguars are a quality team, but as its own players will admit, Wilson is one of the few guys who can avoid and exploit the defense.

Look for Wilson to do just that, hitting on the few key plays necessary to pull off the win.

Prediction: Seahawks 20, Jaguars 14

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds according to OddsShark.