NFL Picks Against The Spread 2016: Week 14 Games

Philadelphia Eagles fan Gene “the face” Olewnik. (USA Today Sports)

Before Week 14 of the 2016 NFL season schedule kicks off, let’s have some fun by taking a look at the spreads for this week’s round of games. (Click here for our NFL Week 14 straight up predictions.)

Here are suggestions when trying to beat the odds. You can find all of today’s NFL betting lines and more via Bovada. My record so far this season is 88-74-12 after going 9-5 last week. Let’s get to the picks.

Washington Redskins (-2) at Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles have gone 0-3 since defeating the Falcons in early November. Philadelphia’s losing streak has coincided with a decline in defensive performance. Jim Schwartz’s unit is allowing an average of 28.3 points and 412.7 yards. The bad news for the Eagles is that their struggles could be primed to continue this Sunday. Washington’s offense leads the NFL in yards per game. The Eagles struggled to defend against Washington earlier this season and things could be tougher this time around. Washington is expected to have dynamic tight end Jordan Reed active for this game. The Eagles’ effort has been in question lately so it’s possible the players come out fired up for this one, but it just feels like Washington has the Birds’ number lately. PICK: Washington -2

Minnesota Vikings (-3.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Vikings have lost six out of their #LastSevenGames. As much as Eagles fans would like to see Minnesota lose due to the draft pick situation, however, the Vikings are good enough to beat the lowly Jags. Gus Bradley is 14-46 in 60 career games so it’s very easy to bet against him as he chases the 50-loss mark. PICK: Vikings -3.5

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-8): The Lions finally played a game last week where they didn’t trail in the fourth quarter. Detroit is playing their best football of the year; they’re 7-1 in their last eight games. The Lions already lost to the Bears earlier this year so it’s hard to see Chicago sweeping the season series. Detroit will be motivated to hold on to their NFC North lead. Matt Barkley won’t be able to match the production of potential MVP candidate Matthew Stafford. PICK: Lions -8

Cincinnati Bengals (-6) at Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin III is back for the first time since the former first-round pick got hurt in Week 1 against the Eagles. I don’t know that he’ll be the deciding factor in this one, but I do think the Browns will finally get a win this week. Cleveland is coming off their bye and the Bengals aren’t any good. Cincinnati played well last week so now they’re bound for a letdown game. The Browns will totally beat the Bengals because it will mean that Cleveland beat the team that blew out the Eagles last week. PICK: Browns +6

Arizona Cardinals (-2) at Miami Dolphins: Miami had been hot before getting blown out by the Ravens’ anemic offense last week. It’s hard to pick the Dolphins after a performance like that. It’s also hard to have a lot of confidence in Arizona. The Cardinals have won only one road game all season and that was a victory over the one-win 49ers. Recency bias wins out here. PICK: Cardinals -2

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts (-6.5): Houston still leads the AFC South somehow despite not being nearly as good their record appears. The Texans rank 26th in point differential and 30th in DVOA. The Colts aren’t much better, but they’re at home in this game and they have Andrew Luck. Luck is a lot more inspiring than Brock Osweiler. This is the game where the Colts take back control of their division. PICK: Colts -6.5

Denver Broncos at Tennessee Titans (-2): It sounds like Trevor Siemian will be back after missing last week’s game. The Titans have the advantage of extra rest in this matchup since they’re coming off a late bye week, but that doesn’t matter to me. The Broncos are a better team and the fact that they’re getting points makes them the pick. PICK: Broncos +2

San Diego Chargers at Carolina Panthers (-1): If this game was played in San Diego, the Chargers would be an easy pick here. But the West Coast team playing on the East Coast factor has me leaning with the Panthers. Cam Newton will be primed to bounce back after getting “benched” to start the game last week. PICK: Panthers -1

Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) at Buffalo Bills: The Steelers’ offense is clicking as they try to overtake the Ravens in the AFC North playoff race. Winning in Buffalo won’t be easy, but Pittsburgh has the necessary weapons to get the job done. PICK: Steelers -3

New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers (-3): Two terrible teams enter, but only one can not lose. The Jets are finally benching Ryan Fitzpatrick for good, which is the right call. But Bryce Petty hasn’t looked any good when he’s played. San Francisco gets the edge here because they’re home. Maybe Chip Kelly’s team can finally break that 11-game losing streak. PICK: 49ers -3

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3): The Buccaneers have won four games in a row. Their last three wins are especially impressive: a win in Kansas City, a win over the Seahawks, and a win in San Diego. The Saints are never as fearsome on the road as they are at home. Tampa Bay should be able to take care of business here as they look to retain their playoff positioning in the wild card. PICK: Buccaneers -3

Atlanta Falcons (-6.5) at Los Angeles Rams: Tough pick here because the status of Julio Jones isn’t known yet. This feels like one of those games the Rams have no business winning on paper but they’ll win just because it allows Jeff Fisher to stay around and torment the team’s supporters even longer. Against my better judgement, and in the hope of Fisher going 7-9, I’ll take L.A. PICK: Rams +6.5

Seattle Seahawks (-3) at Green Bay Packers: The Packers are looking to get above .500 this week after falling to 4-6 a few weeks ago. Seattle’s defense took a big hit last week by losing Earl Thomas for the season. It’s tempting to take the Packers with the points here. It’s hard not to think about how Green Bay lost to the Colts at home last month, but the Seahawks have struggled on the road at times this season. This could be a close game so taking the points makes sense here. PICK: Packers +3

Dallas Cowboys (-4) at New York Giants: The Giants’ defense took a big hit by losing Jason Pierre-Paul. Still, it wouldn’t shock me if New York finds a way to win. Their run defense might be able to slow down the Cowboys’ rushing attack, which in turn can throw off the entire Dallas winning recipe. We already saw the Giants beat the Cowboys once this year. Can the G-Men get the sweep? I’ll bet against New York for now since I don’t think they’re at good as their 8-4 record indicates and that’s bound to even out. PICK: Cowboys -4

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (-7): The Ravens have a history of playing the Patriots tough in New England, even if they don’t win. It’s temping to take the points here, especially after Baltimore’s offensive explosion last week. But this is Tom Brady and Bill Belichick we’re talking about here. No need to bet against those guys. PICK: Patriots -7