NFL Predictions Week 14: Favorites Sure to Cover the Spread

In the NFL, it doesn’t matter how many you win by—except to the fans betting on the game. This trio of teams—all of whom have spreads in the neighborhood of a field goal in their favor—should win by a TD or more with little trouble:

New Orleans Saints (at Tennessee)

Even with Mark Ingram out yet again, the Saints offense is loaded with weapons. Against a Tennessee offense that can hardly say the same, New Orleans is a safe bet to win in a romp.

Drew Brees and Co. aren’t going to score 62 points like they did against Indy, but the Titans’ 18th-ranked pass defense isn’t going to slow Brees down much, either. Even if mystery man Chris Johnson puts in another huge game, Tennessee just doesn’t have enough talent on offense to match what Brees will be able to do.

San Diego Chargers (vs. Buffalo)

There’s no obvious explanation for Philip Rivers’ amazing December record, but there’s also no arguing with the San Diego QB’s track record late in the season. After demolishing Jacksonville on Monday night, the Charger offense should have little trouble lighting up an inferior Buffalo defense this weekend.

Buffalo will get a few points of its own, especially considering that Ryan Fitzpatrick is several cuts above the Jaguars’ Blaine Gabbert. Even so, the Bills are on a serious downhill slide, and even staying close to San Diego on the Chargers’ home field is a task that will be well beyond them.

Atlanta Falcons (at Carolina)

Cam Newton can always be counted on to put up impressive stats on his home field, but being able to keep up with the points allowed by his awful defense is another question entirely. The Atlanta Falcons are more than capable of pummeling Carolina’s defense and putting up a convincing win (like the two-TD romp they had at the Georgia Dome in Week 6).

Carolina’s 27th-ranked run defense simply isn’t a match for Michael Turner, so Atlanta will be able to control the tempo here. With Carolina forced to load up the box to stop Turner, Matt Ryan should be able to land a few big plays in the passing game and hand the Falcons a comfortable victory.