NFL Week 14 Predictions

Ah well, 10-6 last week. In the NFC, that could be good enough for a second seed in the playoffs. We'll just skip past that whole thing about Green Bay upsetting Philly, OK? I said earlier in the season that the Packers were my nemesis in making picks since I was almost always getting them wrong.

Onto this week.

Raiders @ Falcons
One characteristic of really good teams is that they don't lose games they are supposed to win. Atlanta has the second best record in the NFC. OK, that's not exactly an impressive feat (see above), but it has to be worth something. But to not only lose, but go scoreless against a losing team? When everybody continues to rave about your quarterback? (Can everybody please agree to stop hyping Vick to the moon? His is, as a quarterback, incredibly average, at best. For the season, his quarterback rating is 78.5, he only averages 164.9 yards per game passing, and only has one more touchdown pass than interception. Brian Griese in 8 games has more touchdowns than Vick has in 12. Vick has only one more touchdown pass than Tim Rattay, who only played 9 games. Yes, he has more rushing yards than Emmitt Smith, Marshall Faulk, Duce Staley, and Jamal Lewis, and is his team's leading rusher. But, as I've pointed out many times, the man is a quarterback, not a running back.) Anyway, the Raider run defense has not improved this year, despite adding Ted Washington and Warren Sapp. Between Vick and Warrick Dunn, the Falcons will run, run, and run some more. Prediction: Falcons.

Giants @ Ravens
Will Eli ever get a break? Other than how to fall when getting hit time and time again and how to best use the trainers to ease the pains after a game, just what exactly does Coughlin think Manning is learning right now? I hope he's at least learned those things, because here comes Ray Lewis. Is that a gleam in Ray's eye? Lamb to the slaughter. Prediction: Ravens.

Browns @ Bills
Better late than never, Buffalo has been playing pretty well lately and finally look something like the team they should be with the talent they have. Cleveland? Well... It probably can't get much worse than last week's annihilation. The Browns can take comfort that they won't face the Patriots again for a few years. Prediction: Bills.

Saints @ Cowboys
A matchup between two underachieving teams, one that plays pretty hard each week before shooting themselves, and one who gets the shooting over with early. For Dallas, Julius Jones is looking like a very shrewd draft pick by Parcells, who was criticized often in the off-season for passing over other backs. For the worst defense in the NFL, the combination of Jones' running and Testaverde throwing to Keyshawn spells doom. Prediction: Cowboys.

Colts @ Texans
Will this be Peyton's week? Well, every week is Peyton's week, but this could be the one when he breaks Marino's record. He couldn't ask for a better "defense" to go against. Beyond the record, this is actually something of an important game for Indianapolis. After this, they face the Ravens, Chargers, and Broncos, all teams with good defenses and in the thick of the playoff hunt. This is the last week of a long stretch of playing against weak defenses or weak teams (KC, Minnesota, Houston, Chicago, Detroit, Tennessee), and the Colts have made the most of it. Manning has thrown 18 touchdowns in just the last four weeks. Peyton's opposite number, David Carr, has 12 touchdowns for the whole season! The Colts will finish off the soft stretch just as strong as they started it. Prediction: Colts.

Bears @ Jaguars
After a fast start, the Jags have cooled off dramatically and are now on the outer fringes of the playoff hunt. The Bears are hanging tough, with their fourth quarterback of the season, Dallas reject Chad Hutchinson. Jacksonville is the better team. Prediction: Jaguars.

Seahawks @ Vikings
Seattle is falling apart. They can't put anybody away, since that first game with the Rams. Teams have to play four quarters, not three or three and a half. Minnesota, while not as devastating as they were with a healthy Moss, are more consistent. They still suffer the unexplainable loss, like last week's perplexing defeat at the hands of the Bears, but they usually be counted on to be explosive on offense and humorous on defense. The Seahawks don't have the offense to keep up with Culpepper, and the receivers' love of dropping the ball will compensate for the ability-challenged Viking secondary. Prediction: Vikings.

Bengals @ Patriots
The Corey Dillon reunion game. Cincy, like Buffalo, is starting to look pretty good. Next year's AFC North looks to be an exciting division, even with Cleveland in the mix. But, while the Bengals are looking pretty good, the Patriots are looking downright dominant (again). They have not lost a game that Dillon has started, and he will hit the holes a little harder this week against the team he served for seven gut wrenching seasons. The Patriot defense will remind Carson Palmer that he is only in his first year. Prediction: Patriots.

Dolphins @ Broncos
Denver is becoming another of those teams like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates: you never know what you're gonna get. Having fallen two games back of San Diego, they need to win every game to have a shot at the division. They also need to win often to keep up in the wild-card race. Luckily for them, the AFC's worst team is in town. Prediction: Broncos.

Jets @ Steelers
New York is surging again with the return of Chad Pennington. Their underappreciated defense is coming together quite nicely. Curtis Martin is having his best season in years. Too bad they face the Steelers this week. Prediction: Steelers.

Lions @ Packers
Last week, I said the Eagle game would show what the Packers are made of. Well, I guess we did, and it's not a pretty sight. That defense is almost good (bad) enough to play for the Vikings. Oh my. Can anyone tackle? Has the secondary ever learned that covering people is a good thing? Detroit won't challenge the defense anywhere near as much as Philadelphia did, which is a good thing. Prediction: Packers.

39ers @ Cardinals
The QB shuffle in Arizona is bringing back to the guy who should have never left in the first place. Now that that pesky playoff contention thing is out of the way, Denny Green is bringing back the only Cardinal quarterback to bring victories this season. Well, actually the Cards are sitting at 4-8, so they are very much in the thick of the playoff race still. Actually, they are very much in the hunt for a division title (they are only two games back). In the NFC, it's pretty hard to be out of playoff contention, unless you play in San Francisco. With a loss this week, the 29ers will make their debut next week. Prediction: Cardinals.

Rams @ Panthers
This is the rematch of the other NFC divisional playoff game from 2003, you know, the one that wasn't 4th-and-26. That was the one where Mike Martz got cold feet and played conservative late in the game, settling for a tieing field goal rather than taking a shot or two at the endzone for the win. The Rams are the model NFC team. Win some, lose some, up, down, good, crap. The Panthers are surging, playing like the defending NFC champions they are, after an abysmal start. One has to really respect what they have managed to do. A month ago, Carolina was 1-7 and looking like the biggest Super Bowl bust since, well, last year's Raiders. Now they are 5-7, coming off four solid wins, having put up at least 32 points in three of their last four. And 5-7, of course, puts Carolina right in the middle in the wildcard race. John Fox has to be given a lot of credit for keeping that team together and playing hard, when other teams (like last year's Raiders and Giants) would have thrown in the towel a long time ago. Even if they don't make the playoffs, or even if they don't make it to 8-8, Fox has to be a frontrunner for coach of the year. Against the unpredictable Rams, who will start an aged backup quarterback, they will make it five straight. Prediction: Panthers.

Bucs @ Chargers
Tampa is another team making a strong run after a weak start. But San Diego is looking like they are one of the best teams in the league, up there with the Eagles, Colts, Steelers,and Patriots. They have run off six straight wins, and eight of nine. The one loss came to Atlanta, by one point after a fourth quarter Falcon comeback. Most of those wins have not been against good defenses, so it is tempting to pick an upset here. But San Diego is averaging 28.3 points per game (32.4 over the last five games), and Tampa has been up and down. Prediction: Chargers.

Eagles @ Redskins
So much for the Eagles having a letdown after winning the division. This week, though, they face a much better defense than what the Packers put up. The 'Skins will slow down the Eagle express, but without much in the way of offense (a team who this late in the season makes it a big goal to score 20 points in a game is not a team with a power offense) the Eagles will grind out a lower score win. Prediction: Eagles.

Chiefs @ Titans
The Titans are nearly as beat up as the Panthers, and lack Carolina's depth. Billy Volek had his moments last week, but it was not enough against the potent Colt offense. The Chiefs have the ability to be as powerful on offense as Indianapolis. Prediction: Chiefs.

Last Week: 10-6
Season: 115-77