NFL Predictions Week 14: Picks for Every Game

We are entering the stretch of the NFL season where every game is due or die.  Teams like the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears and New York Giants will be really close to elimination if they lose this week.

Week 14 looks like another week where we could see some of that famous Tim Tebow magic.

Click through for a prediction for every week 14 NFL game. 

Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The NFL Network did not get a good slate of games this season.  If you take out the Thanksgiving game, the rest of the lineup is not very interesting. 

Their game this week is no exception.  It will be over by halftime.  The Browns are bad on offense and defense.  That does not bode well playing against a Pittsburgh team that is good  at doing both.

Steelers 35 Browns 10

Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals

It really seems like injuries do not hurt the Texans at all.  They beat a really good Atlanta team last week with their third-string quarterback.

The most amazing thing about this Houston team is the turnaround they have made on defense. They are currently second in total defense after finishing as one of league's worst last year.

The Bengals should have the advantage in this game because they are fairly healthy, and the Texans have more injuries than you can count.  There is just something about this Texans team though that keeps overcoming all of the odds.

Texans 20 Bengals 17

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions

The Lions could not be facing the Vikings at a better time.  Detroit has been on a slide for the last month, and the losing is magnifying a lot of problems with the team.  A win would calm all of that down for about a week.

It looks like Adrian Peterson is highly questionable for this game.  He did some running last week, but it is too early to tell if he will be ready to go.  That will make a huge difference because Minnesota can play keep away much better if he is in the lineup.

Matthew Stafford will have a big game in this one because the Vikings are 26th in the NFL against the pass.

Lions 31 Vikings 13

New Orleans Saints vs. Tennessee Titans

The Titans really need to win out to get a playoff spot.  This game is a huge test for their two-game winning streak.  So far this season Tennessee has shown the ability to beat the bad teams but get blown out by the really good teams.

Drew Brees and company will look to take advantage of a Titans' pass defense that is giving up 233.5 yards per game on the season.  It is hard to see the Titans having many answers for this passing attack.

Tennessee will try to keep Brees off the field by giving the ball to Chris Johnson.  CJ has been on fire the last couple of weeks.  He should be able to find some running lanes against a Saints' defense that is 16th against the run.

Saints 27 Titans 17

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Miami Dolphins

This is about as interesting of a game as you will ever see between two 4-8 teams.  The Dolphins come in winners of three of their last four.  The Eagles are interesting because of how big of a disaster they have become.

The good news for Philadelphia here is that they can put the interception machine, Vince Young, back on the bench because Michael Vick is healthy.  He will need to move the ball through the air in this one because the Dolphins rank fifth against the run.

Look for a big day from the Dolphins' rushing attack.  The Eagles have had problems against the run all season.  They are giving up 115.6 yards per game on the ground.

Dolphins 24 Eagles 17

Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets

The Chiefs' offense has been terrible since Matt Cassel was lost for the season.  It is hard to see them being able to have much success against the Jets' defense this week on the road.

The Jets will give Kansas City a heavy dose of Shonn Greene to take advantage of the Chiefs' rush defense that gives up 130.3 yards per game.

New York needs this game to stay in the playoff hunt.  It is hard to see a scenario where they drop a home game against a Kansas City team that is just not good.

Jets 24 Chiefs 3

New England Patriots vs. Washington Redskins

This game will get ugly in a hurry.  The Redskins are pretty good on defense.  That might allow them to keep it close early on, but by the end of the first half they will start to get worn down from being on the field so much.

The Redskins offense has been really bad.  They have gotten a little bit of a lift with the play of Roy Helu, but they still do not have an NFL caliber quarterback. 

The numbers for the Patriots defense do not look very good, but they have played better in the last month.  They will not have any trouble shutting down the Washington offense.

Patriots 31 Redskins 17

Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers

The Falcons took care of the Panthers 31-17 in their first matchup this season.

There is no reason to expect this game to be any different.  Cam Newton does have more games under his belt, which will help him, but the Falcons are really good on defense.  They intercepted Newton three times in the first game.

Carolina will have their hands full trying to stop Michael Turner.  They are giving up 132.5 yards per game on the ground.

Falcons 28 Panthers 20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Battle of Florida does not have a lot of intrigue to it this year.  The combined record of these two teams is 7-17.

Maurice Jones-Drew will have a huge day here.  Tampa is giving up 141.7 yards per game on the ground.

The Buccaneers need Josh Freeman to be back healthy for this one.  He has not been great this season, but it is clear that he is the best option they have. 

The Jaguars are better on defense than most people think.  They had a rough night against the Chargers, but they are fifth in total defense for the season.

Jaguars 17 Buccaneers 13

Indianapolis Colts vs. Baltimore Ravens

There is not a lot of detail that you need about this game.  The Colts are one of the worst teams in the history of football.  Their offense is terrible and will not be able to do anything against the Ravens defense.

Ray Rice will have his second straight big week going against a Colts' defense that has not been able to stop anyone all season long.

Baltimore is just another stop on a road that ends with Andrew Luck.

Ravens 30 Colts 10

Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos

This game looked a lot better for the Bears when they had Jay Cutler and Matt Forte. 

The Bears match up well with the Broncos.  They are good against the run and bad against the pass.  That is not something that Denver is going to be able to take advantage of.

The problem for the Bears is that they are not going to be able to score many points with Caleb Hanie and Marion Barber.  This has the looks of another game that is close in the fourth quarter and Tim Tebow makes a play to pull out a win.

Broncos 13 Bears 10

San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals

It is still hard to believe how good the 49ers are this season.  They went from a team that was expected to have a top five pick in the draft to a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

It helps that they play in the NFC West, so they get two games a year against teams like the Arizona Cardinals.  In this one they will give the ball to Frank Gore early and often because the Cardinals give up 119.4 yards per game on the ground.

The Cardinals will have to rely on their passing game to get yards in this one because no one runs against San Francisco.  They only allow 71.8 yards per game on the ground.

49ers 24 Cardinals13

Oakland Raiders vs. Green Bay Packers

The Raiders desperately need Darren McFadden back for this one.  There are yards to be had against the Packers defense, but they are going to need to be at full strength.

McFadden would also help Oakland grind it out and keep the Packers' offense off the field.  The Raiders are a run-heavy team, and that is going to give them the best chance to win this game.

It is hard to see the Packers losing this game.  Their defense will give up some points, but it does not matter because of how well Aaron Rodgers is playing.  He is on pace to put up the best single season by a quarterback in NFL history.

Packers 38 Raiders 27

Buffalo Bills vs. San Diego Chargers

It seems like Philip Rivers might have finally turned the corner.  He has played well in two of the last three games, and will have the opportunity to make some plays against a Bills defense that has struggled all season long.  They are 19th against the pass.

For Buffalo, C.J. Spiller has filled in pretty well for Fred Jackson, but their offense just does not have the same punch it did with Jackson out there.  Spiller will be able to find some room to run in this one against a San Diego defense that gives up 131.7 yards per game.

Both of these teams still have playoff hopes, but those hopes are on life support.  This game is basically an elimination game for both teams.

Chargers 31 Bills 24

New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys

This is a huge game in the AFC East.  The Cowboys currently hold a one-game lead in the division.

This game just has the feeling of one where Tony Romo will put up some big numbers but choke away in the fourth quarter.  The opportunity will be there for Romo because the Giants defense has been horrible against the pass.  They are 29th in the league.

The season is pretty much over for the Giants if they lose this game.  All of the numbers favor the Cowboys, but the Giants will find a way to win it late.

Giants 31 Cowboys 28

St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks

Marshawn Lynch has been on fire the last month.  That hot streak will continue this week because he is facing a Rams defense that has been gashed by running backs all season long.  They have allowed two backs to go over 200 yards against them this season.  They give up 157.8 yards per game.

The Rams will need to make plays in the passing game.  The Seahawks are giving up 236.2 yards per game through the air.

You could have won a lot of money before the season started if you would have bet on the Seahawks being on the rise and the Rams on the decline.

Seahawks 24 Rams 20