I seem to have hit a wall of mediocrity in my weekly NFL predictions, as I only got half of them right last week, picking 8 winners out of the 16 games played. My winning percentage for the season has taken a hit in the last couple of weeks, with the season tally now at 105 correct picks and 58 incorrect. Here are the week 14 choices:
Denver at Oakland – these 2 old AFL rivals are going in opposite directions this season. Both made drastic offseason changes, the Broncos acquiring Peyton Manning and the Raiders cleaning out their front office and coaching staff and heading in a new direction. The Broncos have hit a home run, while the “change of direction” in Oakland looks like it will mire this once proud franchise in more years of mediocrity. The Broncos win this one.
St. Louis at Buffalo – both of these teams have been fighting hard to gain some respect around the league, and both have been making small strides to achieve that lately. The Rams should be flying high after upsetting the 49ers in overtime last week, but I’ll pick the Bills to pull out a close one at home.
Atlanta at Carolina – the Falcons are sitting pretty in the NFC playoff race after all but burying division rival New Orleans last week, and this could be a perfect spot for them to let down. I expect that they will, but still have enough talent to take down the Panthers in the end.
Dallas at Cincinnati – the loser of this NFC-AFC battle will be close to kissing their playoff hopes goodbye. Because of the stakes involved, I expect a close, low-scoring defensive game, with the home-field Bengals coming out on top.
Kansas City at Cleveland – kudos to the Chiefs for fighting through the murder/suicide tragedy they endured last week and winning. This week, they go into Cleveland to take on the team that fired their coach, Romeo Crennel. That should keep the Chiefs motivated, but I have a feeling they’ll wind up emotionally drained and the Browns will win.
Tennessee at Indianapolis – the Colts have put themselves in an excellent position to secure a playoff spot this year, amazing when considering they won only one game last year and saw a lot of their players, most notably Manning, leave the team. They won’t blow this opportunity to further their cause, especially at home. The Colts win.
New York Jets at Jacksonville – with a full-blown 3-player quarterback controversy on his hands, Rex Ryan can’t possibly keep the fragile Jets together. The Jaguars win.
Chicago at Minnesota – this is another matchup in which the loser can kiss the playoffs goodbye. I believe the Bears are the better team and will fight through a loud road environment and win.
San Diego at Pittsburgh – the Chargers don’t have what it takes mentally to compete in a game the Steelers need to keep alive in the playoff race. This should be one more nail in Norv Turner’s coaching coffin as the Steelers win easily.
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay – Andy Reid is getting as much as possible out of his injury-depleted roster, but it won’t be enough to win at Tampa. The Bucs win.
Baltimore at Washington – the Ravens took a hit by losing to the Steelers last week, and will take another this week as the young Redskins, who suddenly believe they have a shot at crashing the post-season party, will knock them off at home.
Miami at San Francisco – the Niners right the ship, and rebound from an upset loss to the Rams last week by beating up on a Dolphin team that has slowly slid out of playoff contention.
New Orleans at New York Giants – the Saints made a game attempt to revive their season, but they’ve fallen back the last couple of weeks, and in this matchup, the Giants, who’ve watched their division lead slowly erode, will put on their serious game faces and win in front of the home crowd.
Arizona at Seattle – coach Pete Carroll’s Seahawks are starting to put some distance between themselves and some other NFC wildcard contenders. They’ll beat the punchless Cardinals at home easily.
Detroit at Green Bay – the Lions’ defense has been flawed lately, and I don’t expect them to slow down Aaron Rodgers and the Packer attack. Green Bay wins at Lambeau.
Houston at New England – this is a possible AFC playoff preview. On paper and record-wise, the Texans are the better team, but the Pats have more experience on the Monday night stage and will ride a typical surgical Tom Brady performance to a big win.