NFL Week 14 Preview: Thoughts and Predictions

First off, I apologize for not being able to preview every game because of finals week preparations. I have had a lot to do over the last couple days so I didn’t have time to preview the games. Instead I just gave my predictions for the last two weeks. It may be the same today as I have a lot of projects due at the end of the week. But as always you can tune into the Marvel Sports Podcast on Spotify for game recaps and breakdowns with me and my co-host Andrew Spezzano. Here’s our latest show: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3b18FNZC5pYyeaPe471wZW?si=2jfgiwnFSxmblT9am33KSg

Now, down to business. Week 13 in review.

The NFC East made some big statements last week. The Giants made the biggest splash of the week by taking out the Seahawks in Seattle while the Football Team handed the Steelers their first loss of the season on Monday afternoon, the Browns made a statement in Nashville by beating the Titans, the Rams beat Arizona to retake the NFC West lead, the Saints survived a scare against the Falcons in Atlanta, the Patriots thrashed the hapless Chargers in LA, the Dolphins defense took care of the Bengals, Minnesota needed overtime to beat Jacksonville, the Packers held on to beat the Eagles at home, the Colts recovered a fumble late to beat the Texans, the Chiefs locked up a playoff spot in a tight win over the Broncos, the Bills got a big win in Arizona over the 49ers, and the Ravens got back in the win column against the Cowboys on Tuesday night

With only four weeks left in an unprecedented NFL Season, things are beginning to heat up in the playoff race. Here’s how the playoff picture looks after 13 weeks of football

AFC PLAYOFF PICTURE: (1) PIT (2) KC (3) BUF (4) TEN (5) CLE (6) MIA (7) IND. Still in the hunt: BAL, LV, NE

NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE: (1) NO (2) GB (3) LAR (4) NYG (5) SEA (6) TB (7) MIN. Still in the hunt: AZ, CHI, DET, SF, whoever is left in the NFC East

This week features some Super Bowl rematches and some revenge games, but the majority of these games have massive playoff implications. It all starts with Thursday night’s game in LA between the Patriots and the Rams. Sunday’s slate features a huge matchup in South Florida between the Chiefs and the Dolphins, the Texans take on the Bears in Chicago, the Giants look to shut down Kyler and the Cardinals in the Meadowlands, the Vikings put their hot streak on the line in Tampa, the Raiders and Colts meet in Las Vegas with playoff implications on the line, Washington and San Francisco meet in Arizona looking to stay alive in the playoff chase, the Saints look to stay red-hot against the struggling Eagles, the Bills and Steelers face-off on the big stage in Buffalo, and the Browns host the Ravens on Monday night

Rematch of Super Bowl LIII when Tom Brady captured his sixth Super Bowl over Jared Goff in Atlanta 22 months ago. Now it’s a rematch between two new look teams as Cam Newton and the Pats play their second game at SoFi Stadium in four days against the other Los Angeles franchise. The Patriots looked dominant against a young Chargers squad in a 45-0 drubbing last week. Cam Newton rushed for two TDs and the Patriots had two touchdowns on special teams. Gunner Olszewski had a punt return for a touchdown and Devin McCourty returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown. The Patriots still have a long way to go to make the playoffs, including winning out, but a win here could go a long way. The Rams have taken out the Seahawks, Bucs, and Cardinals after losing to Miami a couple of weeks ago. Jared Goff played well last week and the Rams run game was effective in the win over Arizona last Sunday. The Rams need to win to stay on top of the division, but can they take down a confident Patriots team that has a talented defense?

When the Pats run the ball, Advantage: PATRIOTS. That’s been their bread and butter since week one and that’s how their going to have to win this game. Damien Harris has come into his own and Cam Newton in the red zone will be crucial for the Patriots offense

When the Pats pass the ball, Advantage: RAMS. This is a game where I think someone like Aaron Donald can change the game. The Patriots have reshuffled their offensive line and their pass protection has been leaky at times. I also think Jalen Ramsey on Jakobi Meyers will be the difference in the game

When the Rams run the ball, Advantage: RAMS. The ground game has been the success for LA recently with Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson running the football. That’ll have to take some pressure off of Goff in the passing game and allow him to do play action passes

When the Rams pass the ball, Advantage: PATRIOTS. New England’s defensive line has improved and their secondary can match the receivers for the Rams, but forcing turnovers will have to be the difference for the New England defense

Prediction: I live in Massachusetts, I like what I’m seeing from this Patriots team, and I am so impressed with Cam Newton’s play in the last couple games. But I think Aaron Donald and this Rams defense will make plays to get him under pressure and force a couple turnovers and give the Rams offense a short field. I’m taking the LA Rams at home in a low scoring game

Rematch of Super Bowl 50 from five years ago, but it’s been pretty one-sided in this matchup. Since Carolina came into the league in 1996, the Broncos have won five of the six meetings all time against the Panthers which includes Denver’s Super Bowl win a couple years ago. Now both teams are struggling and gearing up for the offseason, but Carolina’s in a tough spot. The Panthers are dealing with some COVID issues in the receiving core and on the defensive line so they’re coming into this game shorthanded. The Broncos played a solid game on the road in Kansas City, but couldn’t hold down the Chiefs for four quarters. Which team can bounce back off a tough loss and off the field issues in time to get the win?

Prediction: I loved what I saw from Denver last week, especially on defense, and I don’t think the Panthers offense will be able to score points against that defense. I like Denver on the road in Charlotte to pull this one out

Remember when the Chicago Bears were 5-1 and leading the NFC North division for about an hour? Yeah, me neither. The Bears have been so atrocious in their six game losing streak, being physically unable to run the football and protect whoever’s the quarterback. Last week, I thought they would be able to beat a Lions team that had just gotten blown out on Thanksgiving and fired their head coach. Instead, the Bears found a way to choke the game away and lose their sixth in a row. The Texans were on a roll before choking a chance to take the lead against Indianapolis last week. The Texans were down by six and were driving before Deshaun Watson fumbled the football inside the five and lost the game. So both teams have the sour taste in their mouths after a gut wrenching loss but the talk of the town, especially in Chicago, is how the Bears passed on Deshaun Watson and drafted Mitchell Tribuisky in the 2017 draft. The last person the Bears and Matt Nagy want to see right now in Chicago is an angry Texans team coming off a game they should’ve won last week.

Prediction: Deshaun Watson > Mitchell Trubuisky any day of the week. I like the Texans on the road in Chicago. I think Watson makes plays and Houston’s defense will be the difference maker

I don’t think this game needs any previewing. The Jags had numerous chances to steal a game in Minnesota and instead dropped their 11th in a row. The Titans stayed resilient, but were crushed by the Browns in the first half that ultimately led to their defeat in Nashville last week. Derrick Henry was held to only 60 yards on 15 carries against the Cleveland defense, so maybe getting a bad Jacksonville defense may be just the thing he needs to get back one track. But I want to see the Tennessee pass rush come alive because they have been the Achilles heel of this team. They have to pressure the quarterback in this game

Prediction: This is a good bounce back game for Tennessee. They get back to running the football and win this one against the sliding Jaguars in Jacksonville

Man, this game isn’t gonna be fun at all. Both teams offensive lines are so terrible, the defense is just as bad, and there’s a limit of offensive weapons on both sides. I guess the one advantage in this game would be the Cowboys ability to run the ball with Zeke Elliot. He may be banged up, but he’s arguably going to be the best player on the field in this game.

Prediction: Very low scoring game, but I think Ezekiel Elliot will have a big game and the Dallas defense can cause some chaos up front against the banged up Bengals. Cowboys go on the road and win

I’m not gonna lie, I think this is the best game of the day or one of the more underrated games of the day. We know a lot about the Chiefs, but this is the chance to find out if the Dolphins are playoff contenders or playoff pretenders. Miami has a great defense and a young quarterback that has played well, but the one thing the Dolphins can’t do is run the football. That will get harder because of Myles Gaskin, the Dolphins second year RB, being placed on the COVID list this week. So the offense will have to be able to run the ball against the Chiefs defense. The Chiefs are 11-1, but that win against Denver last week wasn’t pretty. The Chiefs were held down by Denver’s defense for most of the game before finally shutting the game down with just under two minutes to go in regulation. Being held down by a defense at home is one thing, but let’s see if the Dolphins defense saw something from Denver’s defense to use against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense

When the Chiefs run the ball, Advantage: DOLPHINS. I think Miami has done better at defending the run this season and Leveon Bell wasn’t great in a starting role last week. The defensive line of Miami has to set the tone in this game if the Phins will be successful in this game

When the Chiefs pass the ball, Advantage: CHIEFS. I don’t think Miami’s defense will have the advantage against Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, and Travis Kelce. While Miami’s pass rush has been better, Patrick Mahomes is just the best at avoiding pass rush.

When the Dolphins run the ball, Advantage: CHIEFS. I don’t think the Chiefs defensive line is that great, but Miami is depleted at the running back position with Gaskin out. And even if the Dolphins had him, they can’t run the ball

When the Dolphins pass the ball, Advantage: CHIEFS. The secondary for the Chiefs will be the difference in this game. they can match up with Miami’s receivers and I don’t think Tua has played well in his last couple of games

Prediction: This is gonna be so much fun to watch. I love what Brian Flores has done to Miami and how well they’ve played on defense, but I don’t think they’ll be able to hold down Patrick Mahomes for four quarters. Close, high scoring game, but the Chiefs go on the road and take care of business in South Florida

How about Andrew Spezzano’s Giants? They just went into Seattle and shut down the all powerful Russell Wilson and the Seahawks on defense. They’ve been one of the hottest teams in the NFL having won four straight games and five of their last six after starting 0-5. Daniel Jones is making a comeback after injuring his hamstring in the win against the Bengals two weeks ago which should give the Giants offense a spark. But the Giants defense will have their hands full with another mobile quarterback in Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. Since the Hail Murray play against Buffalo a few weeks ago, the Cards have lost three in a row and four of their last five games. Kyler’s play hasn’t improved and the Cardinals defense looks completely lost after giving up 38 points to the Rams last week. But when a team like Arizona is on the cusp of the playoffs, the best thing a team like the Giants can do is take them out because I don’t wanna see Arizona in the playoffs with what they’re fully capable of doing on offense. Should be a great game in the Meadowlands this weekend.

Prediction: I gotta take the Giants. I haven’t seen enough of the Arizona defense that will make me believe that they can win this game, especially on the road in the cold in the Meadowlands. The Giants win at home, and all of a sudden we may have a clear favorite in the NFC East

The Minnesota Vikings were 1-5 and heading into Green Bay to play a Packers team that was on cruise control a month and a half ago. The Vikings won the game and haven’t really missed a beat, winning four of they next five right after that. But the teams and the scores of those wins say that the Vikings could easily be under .500. The Vikings had to escape the Bears in Chicago, they had to put away the Lions late, Carolina missed a go ahead field goal at the end of the game, and then last week Jacksonville took them to overtime and lost at the end of the overtime period. Minnesota has been playing with a lot of fire and, eventually, it will burn them at some point. Predictably today as the Vikings head to Tampa to take on the Bucs. The Bucs are coming off a bye but have lost three of their last four since starting 6-2. Three losses to the Saints, Rams and Chiefs and all of them were at home. Tom Brady and Bruce Arians haven’t been on the same page since the Saints game and this defense that everyone thought was great is getting picked apart by young and athletic quarterbacks. The loser of this game is out, so whichever quarterback comes out firing and picks apart the other’s defense will win the game.

Prediction: I think the Vikings have played with fire based on close wins against Jacksonville and Carolina so I think Tampa wins this game. The defense shuts down Dalvin Cook and Tom Brady will expose this Minnesota secondary with over 350 yards and three scores. Bucs win big at home

How in the world did both of these teams win last week?? The Raiders were done against the Jets, and the Jets just gifted them the victory by doing an all out blitz on the last play of the game. The Colts were able to recover a fumble as the Texans were about to score to get a crucial victory in Houston. Both teams are coming off must have wins last week, but this is a game where playoff seeding will be a factor in Las Vegas. The Raiders have been teetering on the edge of the playoff picture and find themselves on the outside looking in, but a win against an Indianapolis defense that has struggled against the run may be just what they need to get back in the picture

When the Colts run the ball, Advantage: COLTS. Jonathan Taylor is due for another big game against a Raiders defense that has had trouble defending the run in the past

When the Colts pass the ball, Advantage: COLTS. This is a game where Philip Rivers has to dominate and trust his young wide receivers against a Las Vegas defense that has been bad at rushing the passer and is too young in the secondary

When the Raiders run the ball, Advantage: COLTS. If the Raiders have a chance, they have to run Josh Jacobs against the Colts defense, but DeForest Buckner being back on that Colts defensive line will be the difference for Indy as they should be able to contain him in this game

When the Raiders pass the ball, Advantage: RAIDERS. What the Raiders may do in the passing game is some screen passes to Jacobs and Henry Ruggs to attack the outside of the Colts defense and use their offensive line to their advantage

Prediction: I think this is a game where the defense has to dominate, and I think the Colts defense will be the unit that dominates this game. They’re gonna stop the run and play great coverage in the secondary and the Colts run game will be effective. Colts win a low scoring game in Vegas

The Seahawks are coming off a bad loss to the Giants and the Jets just found a way to lose to the Raiders after having them on the ropes for 59 minutes and 50 seconds. If you think the Jets have any chance of winning this game, I give you my prediction.

Prediction: This won’t even be close or competitive. The Seahawks win big over the Jets. Once again, the Jets show up after the other team suffers a devastating loss and the Jets pay the price.

Prediction: Even if Jalen Hurts plays, the Saints defense will take away his receivers and dare him to run the football and that will be all the Eagles will do on offense. Regardless of who plays QB for the Saints, they take care of business at home against the Eagles

What Washington did to Pittsburgh last week was unbelievable. The Football Team fell into a 14-3 deficit at halftime and were able to come back and stun the Steelers in Pittsburgh last Monday to put themselves into a position to win their division or make the playoffs if a Wild Card team falls out. I have to give a lot of credit to Ron Rivera. He kept his team close and they did not panic and were able to steal that game in Pittsburgh. Now they head to Arizona, yes I said Arizona, to take on San Francisco. The 49ers are now in trouble after the 34-24 loss to Buffalo last week. Nick Mullens still can’t throw the football and the defense was shredded last week by Josh Allen. The loser is most likely out of the playoffs while the winner has a chance to get back into the race.

Prediction: Lot on the line for both teams, but I will take the 49ers because they can do a little bit more in the passing game than Washington and they’ve got a veteran secondary. 49ers take care of business in AZ against a desperate Football Team

What Green Bay was able to do last week was huge. The Packers defense shut down Jalen Hurts after he caught fire late in the game and then they got back to running the football with Aaron Jones to give them the W against the Eagles last week. While it wasn’t a pretty win for the Packers, they’re showing signs of being a great football team because they have won a lot of games in different ways. This isn’t really a test for the Packers when they go into Detroit, but if they can handle their business they will clinch a spot in the playoffs and get closer to winning the NFC North. The Lions were able to escape Chicago last week with a four point win but are still missing a lot of starters on both sides of the ball. If they lose Sunday, the season is over. Should be a good game on Sunday with the Packers looking for a playoff spot and the Lions trying to hold on to their season.

Prediction: Lions are still banged up offensively and Aaron Rodgers is having a great season, one of which has him in the MVP conversation. Packers go on the road and win big

This is another game that is completely unwatchable and unpreviewable. The Chargers defense has been just as bad as Atlanta’s offense. Let’s just get to the pick.

Prediction: Atlanta’s defense is better than LA’s defense so I think the Falcons defense has a field day against a bad Chargers offensive line and Matt Ryan plays well to give the Falcons the win

A revenge game, playoff implications, and an unbeaten streak on the line in Western New York this Sunday night. Last season, on a Sunday night much like this one, the Bills went into Pittsburgh and knocked the Steelers out of the playoff picture and got themselves into the playoffs at the same time. This year is different with both teams ahead in their divisions and playing for seeding as oppose to keeping hope alive. Josh Allen is having an MVP type season in Buffalo now that he has an arsenal of weapons on the outside including Stefan Diggs and Gabriel Davis, but here comes TJ Watt and the Pittsburgh defense that loves to cause disruption on the line of scrimmage. However, the Steelers will be without some key guys on defense with Bud Dupree and Devin Bush being out with knee injuries. Mike Tomlin was happy that they lost last week to take the pressure of their potential undefeated season but with Cleveland now right behind them in the division and the Bills and Chiefs on their tails for the #1 seed in the AFC, how long will he stay happy if they don’t take care of business in Western NY on Sunday night?

When the Steelers run the ball, Advantage: BILLS. James Conner being back is big for the Steelers, but I don’t know if he’s 100% and going against a Bills defense that is good at stopping the run

When the Steelers pass the ball, Advantage: STEELERS. Big Ben and these Pittsburgh wide receivers are gonna need big games to beat this Buffalo secondary which is getting healthier, but I think Chase Claypool is due for another big game against Tredavious White on the outside

When the Bills run the ball, Advantage: STEELERS. I’m not sure how consistent Buffalo can run against this defense even with the injuries on the Steelers defense. If they can pound the ball for 60 minutes on a consistent basis, they can win but I don’t think they can against Watt and the Pittsburgh defense

When the Bills pass the ball, Advantage: BILLS. I think the Steelers secondary is overrated and this is a game where Josh Allen has to dominate and be able to throw the ball downfield to Diggs, Cole Beasley, and Davis

Prediction: This is the day the Steelers go down. I like the Buffalo Bills at home with a healthy defense and more speed on the perimeter to beat this Pittsburgh secondary, and the Steelers have struggled against good teams like the Ravens and Titans in the past. Buffalo gets a big home win over the Steelers

I did not expect the Cleveland Browns to beat Tennessee, let alone dominate them, in Nashville. But they just came out and crushed the Titans in the 1st half. Baker Mayfield only missed five passes and threw four touchdown passes in the game. Cleveland is now, in my mind, a playoff threat for being able to run the ball and play great defense, especially up front now that Myles Garrett is healthy. The Browns are out for revenge against the Baltimore Ravens on the Monday night stage on the edge of Lake Erie after the Ravens blew out the Browns in Week 1 in Baltimore. But this isn’t the same Baltimore Ravens team that dominated Cleveland in Week 1. Lamar Jackson is struggling throwing the ball, the run game hasn’t been the same, and the defense hasn’t been great. It’s a situation that has Baltimore on the outside of the playoff picture. Sure they beat Dallas last week, but can they go on the road and take care of a physical Cleveland team that has become extremely confident?

When the Ravens run the ball, Advantage: BROWNS. Cleveland shut down Derrick Henry last week and held him to 60 yards rushing. I think they should be able to shut down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens backfield in this game.

When the Ravens pass the ball, Advantage: BROWNS. When was the last time that Lamar Jackson had a good passing game? Cleveland’s secondary has improved and this is a game where if they take away the run and force everything on his hands, they should be able to win this game

When the Browns run the ball, Advantage: BROWNS. How about Nick Chubb? He’s been on fire and this will be a game that he has to dominate in order for the Browns to relieve the pressure off of Baker Mayfield in the passing game

When the Browns pass the ball, Advantage: RAVENS. The secondary for the Ravens can match the Browns receivers, but the pass rush will have to be the story for Baltimore in order for them to be successful in this game

Prediction: I think the Browns defense is the difference in this game. They’re gonna stop the run and force Lamar Jackson to throw the ball, which has been a struggle for him this year. I also think Nick Chubb will have over 100 yards on the ground against Baltimore’s defense. The Browns might be a little high off the win in Nashville last week, but they’ll recover in time to take out Baltimore at home on the big stage.

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NFL Week 14 Preview: Thoughts and Predictions

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