Denver at Oakland – Thursday, 8:20 – Denver is the team that no one wants to play right now. The Broncos (9-3) are scorching, and have used their winning streak to put themselves in favorable playoff position. Denver has been solid offensively and defensively, and has just quietly gone about winning games. Oakland (3-9) is coming off their fifth straight loss, dropping a home contest to the Browns last week. If that isn’t reason enough to pick against them going up against Denver, here’s one more: the first time these two teams met, Denver won by 31. The Broncos will win handily at the Black Hole.
Baltimore at Washington – Sunday, 1:00 – If there was any doubt that Robert Griffin III is the chosen, divine savior of the Redskins (6-6), it was put to rest on Monday night at home against the Giants. A Griffin fumble deep in Giants’ territory was somehow picked up by the ‘Skins’ Josh Morgan and returned for a touchdown. The win was big, but Washington still has a tough road ahead of them if they want a playoff berth. The next step comes against Baltimore, who took a bad loss to the Charlie Batch-quarterbacked Steelers. The Ravens (9-3) have an injury-depleted defense that will be given the undesirable task of containing the dynamo known as RG3. Baltimore will be without defensive cornerstones Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Lardarius Webb, and in the end, that will prove costly for the Ravens. Their offense hasn’t shown much consistency this year, and the Redskins will turn out to be too much offensively for Baltimore to handle. The Redskins will win another key game to stay in the race for the NFC East.
Dallas at Cincinnati – Sunday, 1:00 – It’s just very hard ever to believe in this year’s Dallas Cowboys (6-6). They’ve managed to keep themselves in contention throughout the year, but have done so in extraordinarily unconvincing fashion. The Cowboys had to struggle mightily just to take down lowly Philadelphia in Week 13, and Cincinnati presents a much tougher challenge. The Bengals (7-5) have won four in a row to put themselves in the thick of the playoff race, led by a defense giving up under 11 points per game over the last four weeks. Cincy is dangerous on the ground and in the air, and their defense shouldn’t struggle too much to keep Dallas in check. I like Cincinnati to pick up their fifth straight at home over Dallas.
St. Louis at Buffalo – Sunday, 1:00 – Nobody has the number of the San Francisco 49ers quite as well as the St. Louis Rams. The Rams (5-6-1) fought hard against the Niners to force overtime, and won on a Greg Zuerlein field goal with just 26 seconds left in overtime. Like the Rams, the Bills (5-7) have shown new life in recent weeks. Buffalo easily handled Jacksonville in Week 13 behind strong play from Ryan Fitzpatrick and the success of a very good running game that ranks 4th in the league in terms of yardage per game. The Bills have a number of good pass rushers, and the offensive line of the Rams gives up a ton of sacks. Both teams will try to grind it out on the ground, but Buffalo gets the edge because of the home-field advantage at Ralph Wilson Stadium and Buffalo’s ability to get after the quarterback. The Bills should come out on top and win their third contest in the last four.
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay – Sunday, 1:00 – As the Andy Reid era comes to a close, Philly fans have very little to be optimistic about. The Eagles (3-9) have no clear vision for the future, and Philly faithful should be prepared to endure a rough couple of years. Philadelphia hasn’t won since Week 3, and I wouldn’t expect them to do so this week. Andy Reid announced this week that Nick Foles would be the quarterback for the remainder of the year, and Foles doesn’t exactly cause defenses to shake in their boots. Tampa (6-6) has suffered two close losses to excellent opponents (Atlanta and Denver) in the past two weeks, and Greg Schiano will undoubtedly have his squad hungry for an important win. The Bucs need this one desperately, and they won’t drop the ball. Tampa Bay will bounce back against Philly and keep the Eagles in their prolonged tailspin.
Atlanta at Carolina – Sunday, 1:00 – Another week, another win for the Falcons (11-1). The Falcons are experts at finding ways to win, and they will do so this week as well. Atlanta is far better in almost every facet of the game than the Panthers (3-9), who managed to lose to an awful Chiefs team in Week 13. Atlanta’s offense has looked a little shaky of late, but they should have no problem against Carolina. Cam Newton will make plays, but Atlanta has far more to play for than the Panthers. The Falcons will win easily against their division rival.
Kansas City at Cleveland – Sunday, 1:00 – Let’s hear it for the Browns (4-8), who have discovered the joys of the previously unknown phenomenon of the winning streak! Cleveland has pulled off two straight gritty wins, the latest an ugly 20-17 contest in Oakland. In that game, Brandon Weeden threw for a career-high 364 yards and tore up a bad Raider secondary. This week, expect the focal point of Cleveland’s attack to be Trent Richardson, as the Chiefs rushing defense ranks 26th league wide. The Chiefs (2-10) rode the emotional tidal wave stemming from the suicide of linebacker Jovan Belcher to their second win, against Carolina. This week, without the intense emotional boost, expect Kansas City to return to their ugly, losing ways of football. Cleveland has been playing well of late, and I think it’ll continue. The Browns will pick up their third straight win at home against KC.
San Diego at Pittsburgh – Sunday, 1:00 – The Chargers have been one of the most underachieving franchises of the past decade, and it appears that coach Norv Turner and G.M. A.J. Smith will finally have to pay for all of those disappointing years. With that said, there are still four games left to be played, but don’t expect San Diego (4-8) to turn things around after dropping seven of eight. With Big Ben back under center, Pittsburgh (7-5) is poised for another important win. The Steelers play a tough brand of football that the Chargers will find impossible to withstand, and Pittsburgh should win rather easily at Heinz Field.
Tennessee at Indianapolis – Sunday, 1:00 – The inspiring, unlikely Colts’ run for the playoffs continued with an improbable come-from-behind victory at Detroit in Week 13. Indianapolis (8-4) approaches every game with a fire that has an enormous, if intangible, impact on their games. Andrew Luck’s moxie continues to impress, and I have no doubt that he will continue his poised play. The Titans (4-8) don’t do much well, and are especially poor defensively. Luck will have no problem carving up the 26th rated Tennessee pass defense, and the Titans will struggle to score, as they did in the first matchup between these two teams. At this point in the season, you’d be crazy to pick against the Colts at home, especially against the Titans. Indianapolis will win and continue their winning ways.
New York Jets at Jacksonville – Sunday, 1:00 – The past week was a chaotic one for the circus better known as the New York Jets (5-7), even by their own standards of chaos. Mark Sanchez was finally stripped of his starting job, after throwing three first-quarter picks against the Cardinals at a MetLife Stadium with many empty seats. The Jets offense was as bad as any winning offense this year, and no matter who is under center, they won’t put up many points. Sanchez got the nod from Rex Ryan for this week, and his main duties will be handing off to Shonn Greene and Bilal Powell. The Jags (2-10) don’t offer much punch on offense and defense, and Chad Henne doesn’t strike fear into the hearts of opponents. New York showed that they could beat teams with really bad quarterbacks last week against Arizona, so I think they’ll do it again this week. I like the Jets to pull out a win in what should be an ugly one.
Chicago at Minnesota – Sunday, 1:00 – The Vikings (6-6) have fallen completely back to earth after their fast start, and that drop stems from the play of Christian Ponder. The second-year quarterback has been outplayed by the opposing signal-caller in his last six starts, and Chicago’s defense is not likely to offer much in the way of sympathy. Adrian Peterson will need to go off for Minnesota to win. Chicago (8-4) has also been mediocre of late, but their defense is strong enough to make up for poor offensive output. The Bears should manage enough points against an average Vikings defense to pull out the win, as their defense will keep Minnesota in check. Chicago will move to 9-4 at the Metrodome.
Miami at San Francisco – Sunday, 4:05 – Something about the Rams just gives the 49ers (8-3-1) fits, and San Francisco played quite poorly on offense in Week 13. However, coming off of their previous two losses, and the tie to the Rams, San Francisco has allowed a total of 13 points. I have no doubt that Jim Harbaugh has worked all week to light a fire under his team and get them refocused. Miami (5-7) has entered a mid-season swoon, losing four of their last five games. Their run defense is outstanding and travels well, but San Francisco wears teams down, and I doubt the Dolphins will be able to fully contain Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers will rebound from their overtime Week 13 loss with a win.
Arizona at Seattle – Sunday, 4:25 – The Seattle Seahawks have encountered as many skeptics as any team in the NFL in 2012, but after last week’s road victory over the Bears, it’s hard not to buy into what Pete Carroll has working in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle (7-5) owes most of its success to the unexpectedly rapid development of rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, but the impact of stud running back Marshawn Lynch cannot be understated. Seattle also leans on its strong defense, giving up just 16.8 points per game (good for 3rd in the league). Arizona’s Ryan Lindley somehow managed to play worse than the Jets’ Mark Sanchez in the Cardinal-Jet Week 13 game. He won’t turn things around this week, even against a Seattle secondary hurt by the suspension of corner Brandon Browner. Arizona has lost eight straight, and they have little to no chance of breaking their losing street in the exceptionally tough road environment of Century Link Field. Seattle should pull out another important victory at home.
New Orleans at New York Giants – Sunday, 4:25 – The Giants maintained their traditional script of a mid-season slump last Monday night at Washington. The G-Men (7-5) always find a way to keep things interesting in the NFC East, and with their loss, this game became a whole lot more important for New York. Fortunately for the Giants, they face a Saints team this week whose defense could described mildly as atrocious, despite a decent performance against Atlanta last week. More troubling for New Orleans fans is the level of Drew Brees’ play in Atlanta, partly caused by a bad offensive line that now must try to stop New York’s array of pass rushers. Brees will bounce back against an inconsistent Giant secondary, but New Orleans hasn’t won a game in cold weather yet this year and their defense makes it hard to win games. Tom Coughlin should have the Giants ready to roll for the stretch run, and it starts on Sunday. New York will pick up a key win for the playoff race.
Detroit at Green Bay – Sunday, 8:20 – Has there been any team quite as disappointing as the Detroit Lions (4-8) this year? With weapons like Matthew Stafford’s cannon and Calvin Johnson, as well as star power on defense, the Lions embody wasted potential. They squandered a winnable game last week at home to the Colts, due in large part to the defense’s crumbling on crucial plays late in the game. Going against Aaron Rodgers and the juggernaut Green Bay offense, Detroit doesn’t stand to take any steps forward this week. The Packers (8-4) have fully recovered from a slow start to assert control over the NFC North. They could possibly be without their number-one receiver in Jordy Nelson, but even if he is out, it won’t matter. Green Bay should easily overpower the Lions, who are officially in shambles.
Houston at New England – Monday, 8:30 – The week’s best game by far will take place on a cold Monday night in Foxboro, and features a clash between old school, in your face style of Houston and the futuristic passing power of the Patriots. New England (9-3) lost receiver Julian Edelman this week for the remainder of the year, and is still Gronk-less, but who plays at receiver doesn’t matter much when Tom Brady is at quarterback. Bill Belichick and veteran leaders like Brady have been in countless big games like this, while Houston is still relatively inexperienced with respect to big games. The Texans (11-1) must try to slow down the game and keep the prolific Pats offense off the field, but I don’t think they’ll be able to do so well enough. This New England offense is historically good, and in Foxboro, with the magnitude of the game taken into account, it’s hard to doubt them. New England will come away with a huge win on Monday Night Football.