NFL Week 14 Predictions: Ranking the Games From Worst To First
Week 14 of the NFL season has begun with the Colts getting a much-needed victory over the Titans on Thursday night. There are a number of intriguing matchups this weekend, some that could be previews of playoff matchups, some that could prevent teams from getting into the postseason.
Who will stake their claim as one of the premiere teams in football? Who will slip on the banana peel this weekend? Here are all the remaining games on the NFL Week 14 schedule ranked in order from worst to first.
15. Denver Broncos vs. Arizona Cardinals
1 of 15
Denver got into the headlines this week, which is about the best thing that you can say for them this year. Unfortunately it was because they fired their head coach, Josh McDaniels. It's amazing to see how far this once proud franchise has fallen since they started 6-0 to start 2009. They are a mess and a complete overhaul is necessary for them to get back to the top of the AFC West.
If you didn't think that Kurt Warner was a hall-of-famer before this year odds are probably good that you do now. There were some people who felt that Warner's success in Arizona was because of Larry Fitzgerald. This year proved that while Fitzgerald is great, if you don't have the know how to play in the NFL a talented group of receivers will only get you so far.
Prediction: Broncos 17 Cardinals 6
14. Cleveland Browns vs. Buffalo Bills
2 of 15
The Browns have really come along this year and head coach Eric Mangini has done more than enough this year to keep his job next year. The key to the teams turnaround this year has been the emergence of RB Peyton Hillis.
Acquired from the Broncos in the trade of the year, the Browns gave up Brady Quinn for Hillis. All that he has done this year is run for 962 yards and 11 touchdowns, while catching 53 passes and another two touchdowns. The Browns aren't going to the playoffs this year but at least they are moving in the right direction.
Buffalo has been playing hard in every game this year. They have been close in a number of games but only have two victories to show for it. They are one win better then the Panthers, who would have the top pick in the draft if the year ended today. The race for Stanford QB Andrew Luck is on.
Prediction: Browns 24 Bills 20
13. Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
3 of 15
Pete Carroll deserves a lot of praise for the job that he has done with Seattle this year. He basically rebuilt the entire roster in the offseason and they are tied with St Louis for first place in the NFC West. The division as a whole is awful but the winner gets a home game in the first round of the playoffs. If the Seahawks win, whomever has to go to Seattle will have a very difficult time winning in that environment.
San Francisco's playoff hopes are on life support, which is amazing given that they are 4-8, and they are pinning their hopes on Alex Smith. That sound you hear is a collective groan coming from 49er fans everywhere. Plus, they have to play without their best playmaker, Frank Gore, for the rest of the year.
As a Mike Singletary fan I would like to see him come back as their coach next year but if they can get Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, I believe that Singletary will be fired.
Prediction: Seahawks 27 49ers 12
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12. Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers
4 of 15
This could be a trap game for the Falcons. They are coming off an emotional, hard fought victory at Tampa Bay. They haven't been a great road team and almost every team, every year has one game they lose that leaves you scratching your head. It's doubtful given how awful the Panthers are, but anything is possible.
QB Matt Ryan has taken the next step this year and is one of the best QB's in the NFL. WR Roddy White has come along and become a top-flight wide receiver. The Falcons are very dangerous.
Poor, Carolina. For the longest time they would always be a solid, if unspectacular team. This year, everything has fallen apart. John Fox is on borrowed time and they are staring the No. 1 pick in the draft right in the face.
Given that they just drafted QB Jimmy Clausen last year, is it possible that they pass on a QB at the top of the draft? They need to find a franchise guy, it depends on what the new regime thinks of Jimmy Clausen.
Prediction: Falcons 30 Panthers 10
11. New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings
5 of 15
The Giants aren't getting talked about a lot, surprising given the market they play in. They are built a lot like their championship team of 2007. The defensive line isn't as good as that 2007 team but they are still one of the better units in football. QB Eli Manning is having a solid season. The running game has been very good, Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs make a great one-two punch.
This game became a little more interesting when Brett Favre got hurt last week. The legendary streak is on the line and it looks more and more like Favre will not play. Of course I don't think anyone would be surprised if he came out for one series and that was it. It's cheap but would we really put anything past Favre?
They are finally starting to rely more and more on RB Adrian Peterson, who often times got lost in the play calling. For this team to be successful, No. 28 needs to be the focal point of the offense.
Prediction: Giants 31 Vikings 23
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins
6 of 15
He won't win, but Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris should get serious consideration for Coach of the Year. This Buccaneer team was supposed to be one of the worst in football this year, but under Morris they have put together a very solid year and will likely finish with a winning record.
Unfortunately it probably won't be enough to get them into the postseason because their division is deep, with the Saints and Falcons ahead of them and the Eagles/Giants east division loser likely to get the other wild-card spot.
The Redskins are crumbling more and more every week. First, Albert Haynesworth couldn't pass a conditioning test in preseason. Then, Donovan McNabb couldn't run a two-minute drill for the team. This week things got worse with Haynesworth.
He won't talk to coach Mike Shanahan and has been suspended without pay for the final four games of the season. We may have a winner in the worst free agent contract ever given.
Prediction: Buccaneers 24 Redskins 13
9. Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions
7 of 15
The Packers are starting to find a rhythm. After two consecutive OT losses to Washington and Miami in Week 5 and 6, the Packers have won five of six. The only loss was to the best team in the NFC, Atlanta.
The offense has been clicking and the defense is getting better and better each week. They still don't have a running game but they are good enough in every other area that they can make up for it. FYI, next week's game against New England could be a shootout.
Detroit is a lot like Buffalo, they have played really hard but they don't have the wins to show for it. Things are getting better in the Motor City but there are still holes to plug. Ndamukong Suh is a star at defensive tackle already. If they could keep Matthew Stafford on the field, they could develop something really soon.
Prediction: Packers 27 Lions 21
8. Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
8 of 15
Week in and week out the Bengals seem to be snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
They have lost eight games in a row. They had the Saints on the ropes last week and blew that lead, including jumping offsides on a fourth down play that was designed specifically to get a player to jump offsides. They gave up 35 points in the second half of a 49-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills. They have talent but play completely undisciplined every single game.
Pittsburgh played in one of the most physical games that you will see this year when they came from behind to defeat Baltimore last week. Ben Roethlisberger is hurting but he will be out there. The Steelers have the inside track to get one of the two first-round byes in the AFC and they may need sometime to rest up.
Prediction: Steelers 34 Bengals 14
7. Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets
9 of 15
If Miami had a quarterback they would likely be right up there with New England and New York atop the AFC East. Instead Chad Henne didn't develop the way that they had hoped this year and the offense has been inconsistent as a result. The defense is tough, they rank in the top 10 in opponents pass yards and rush yards. If they can run the ball and pressure Mark Sanchez, they can pull off the upset.
This will be the biggest game of the year for the Jets. We all saw what happened on Monday in New England. That was a bad day for a good team. If they come out and play uninspired and deflated against Miami at home, then there is a real problem and cause for concern.
Expect Rex Ryan to have his team ready to play and look for big things from the Jets this Sunday.
Prediction: Jets 28 Dolphins 20
6. Baltimore Ravens vs. Houston Texans
10 of 15
Baltimore exhausted a ton of energy in that heartbreaking loss to the Steelers last week. Their offense has been sputtering the last couple weeks, RB Ray Rice has had a disappointing year after a breakout season in 2009.
Joe Flaaco has been up and down this year. If the Ravens want to make a serious push at the Super Bowl this year, they will need improvement from Rice and Flaaco these last four weeks.
Houston is always a difficult team to figure out because you never know which team is going to show up. They have the talent and ability to be contenders in the AFC South but they always seem to play lost for stretches throughout the year. The secondary has been the biggest problem this year. They rank dead last against the pass and anytime that they need to make a stop they have been unable to get it.
Prediction: Ravens 31 Texans 17
5. Oakland Raiders vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
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Oakland has a chance to win the AFC West. That's a sentence I didn't expect to write until 2015, but they have been playing very solid all year long. They went into San Diego and shut down the red-hot Chargers offense. They have a great running game and they can defend the pass as well as anyone.
They have a manageable schedule these final four weeks, they are home against Denver and Indianapolis then finish at home against Kansas City. If Matt Cassel is out for any length of time after his appendectomy, the Raiders could sneak in and win the West.
Quietly, Maurice Jones Drew is putting together an MVP-caliber season. He has run for almost 1200 yards already, including five straight 100-yard games. It's more impressive when you look at everything else around him. Teams gameplan to stop Drew and they still can't do it. The Jags are an ugly team to watch but more often than not they do just enough to win the game at the end. Next week at Indianapolis could decide the South.
Prediction: Jaguars 20 Raiders 17
4. St Louis Rams vs. New Orleans Saints
12 of 15
St Louis has come from nowhere to be atop the NFC West. Rookie Sam Bradford has far exceeded expectations this year and looks like he can lead the team for the next decade. They are a couple of playmakers on offense away from being a true contender but it can't take away from what the team has done this year. This will be a real test to see how far along they are and how much work they have to do.
New Orleans is really starting to fire on all cylinders. The offense has found that timing they had last year when they won the Super Bowl. Charles Ivory has saved their running game. Drew Brees is playing at an MVP level after a sluggish start to the year, well sluggish by his standards. They have scored at least 30 points in four straight games and have won five games in-a-row. Watch out for the Saints, they are dangerous.
Prediction: Saints 33 Rams 23
3. Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
13 of 15
Philadelphia might have the most playmakers on the offensive side of the ball in the NFL. They have the new-and-improved QB Michael Vick, RB LeSean McCoy, WR's DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, TE Brent Celek. They don't have a lot of weaknesses on the offensive side of the ball, though their O-Line can be cause for concern.
Defensively they are solid, as they usually are. They will be dangerous in January.
Dallas is playing now the way that most people assumed they would play coming into the year. They have been inspired under interim coach Jason Garrett. The offense has really taken off in the last four games, in fact if not for a Roy Williams fumble near the end of the game against the Saints, the Cowboys would be undefeated in the Jason Garrett era.
Prediction: Eagles 34 Cowboys 27
2. Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers
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The Chiefs can put away the Chargers with a win this weekend. If they win, the Chiefs will have swept the season series against San Diego and put themselves three games up with three to play. They will likely have to play without QB Matt Cassel, who had an emergency appendectomy earlier this week.
That will put even more pressure on the Chiefs top-ranked running game. They are good enough with the run that losing Cassel for one week may not hurt them. If he misses more than that they could be in trouble.
The Chargers are right where they want to be. They have their backs against the wall and need to win out to make the playoffs. They laid an egg last week against the Raiders after people were singing their praises and calling them one of the top teams in football. They need to get a running game going to take some pressure off Philip Rivers and the passing game.
Prediction: Chargers 28 Chiefs 17
1. Chicago Bears vs. New England Patriots
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The Bears are an interesting team. They lead the NFC North and have beaten some really good teams, like the Eagles and Packers. However, I get the feeling that people still have questions about how good this team really is. They don't get talked about like the Saints, Packers, Eagles, or Falcons do.
People still question Jay Cutler. Yet here the Bears sit at 9-3 with a chance to win the top-spot in the NFC and get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If the Bears want to get attention, this is the game for them to win.
New England is taking care of business as only they can. That performance last Monday against the Jets was one of the worst beatings that you will ever see. Tom Brady is playing at a different level than anyone else, he will win his second MVP award. The defense seems to be getting better as the season moves along, though there are still big questions in the secondary that could haunt them in January.
This game is more important for the Bears, but the Patriots will look to make another statement this week.
Prediction: Patriots 30 Bears 20
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