NFL 2020, Week 14

Well, this NFL season sure has found ways to surprise us, hasn't it?  The NFC East has been a punching bag all season, then its two best teams go on the road and beat first-place teams, including Washington knocking off the undefeated Steelers.  We've also got Giants-Browns getting flexed into Sunday night and Cowboys-49ers getting flexed out.  Then there are the ever-changing playoff standings, which will change again this week with three matchups featuring two playoff teams squaring off (and three others featuring a playoff team against a wild card contender).

Thursday Night: Rams (Win)

Texans (4-8) at Bears (5-7): Chicago-Believe it or not, the Bears could actually be in a four-way (or even five-way) tie for the third NFC wild card if everything goes their way on Sunday.  Of course, beating Houston won't be easy.  The Texans are much better than their 4-8 record.  And they're gonna make it very difficult for the Chicago offense to put any points on the board.  Yet, for some reason, I'm picking the Bears in this game anyway.

Cowboys (3-9) at Bengals (2-9-1): Cincinnati-I never thought I'd be picking Cincinnati over Dallas, but here we are.  There are also probably very few people who thought they'd see Andy Dalton get the start in his homecoming, but he is.  If the last two weeks weren't an indication that this is a lost season in Dallas, I don't know what is.  What makes their loss to the Ravens even worse is that the Cowboys were effectively coming off a bye week, while Baltimore had just played five days earlier and was shorthanded, yet Dallas was still completely outplayed.

Chiefs (11-1) at Dolphins (8-4): Kansas City-Kansas City became the first team to clinch a playoff spot, but stayed the No. 2 seed even after the Steelers lost.  Which means they have to keep winning themselves.  Of course, their last trip to Miami was a win that they'll never forget.  This game could end up being very similar to that Super Bowl victory.  The Dolphins are sitting in a wild card position and will play them tough, but expect Mahomes and Co. to do what they always do in the end.

Cardinals (6-6) at Giants (5-7): Giants-Had this game been played a month ago, the Cardinals would've been an overwhelming favorite.  Right now, however, they're headed in opposite directions.  Arizona has lost three in a row since that miracle victory over the Bills and have actually dropped out of playoff position.  The Giants, meanwhile, sent a real message with their win in Seattle.  And don't forget how many close games they lost early in the season.  That 5-7 record could easily be 7-5 or even 8-4.  So they're not nearly as bad as people wanted to believe they were in mid-November.

Vikings (6-6) at Buccaneers (7-5): Tampa Bay-Minnesota started 1-5.  The Vikings are 5-1 since and have actually moved into playoff position.  They can even move up to the 6-seed (and have the tiebreaker over the Bucs) if they win this week.  Unfortunately for them, Tampa Bay is coming off a (ridiculously late) bye.  They needed it, too, having dropped two straight before it.  However, of the Bucs' five losses, only one is to a team that they're better than (Chicago).  And Tampa Bay is better than Minnesota.

Broncos (4-8) at Panthers (4-8): Carolina-It was just five years ago that these two met in Super Bowl 50.  Neither has had much success since then, and the loser will be guaranteed to finish this season below .500.  Carolina has actually been playing some pretty solid football recently.  Prior to their bye, they shut out the Lions and probably should've beaten the Vikings.  Denver actually held its own on Sunday night in Kansas City, but that game went exactly how you'd figure a Broncos-Chiefs game would go.  This one should be much closer, with Carolina sealing the win late.

Titans (8-4) at Jaguars (1-11): Tennessee-Remember when Jacksonville randomly made it to the AFC Championship Game a few years ago?  Yeah, I don't either!  It's also hard to remember the Jaguars being 1-0, which they actually were after beating the Colts in their opener.  But that Jacksonville victory is the reason Tennessee is in first place.  As a result, the Titans control their own fate.  They'll maintain their division lead by handing the Jaguars their 12th straight loss.

Colts (8-4) at Raiders (7-5): Las Vegas-This might be the biggest game on the entire Week 14 schedule.  The Raiders are one game back of the Colts for the last AFC wild card, so Indy will either have a two-game lead with three to play or the Raiders will hold the tiebreaker.  Of course, the Colts are also still tied for the AFC South lead, but they've also still got a trip to Pittsburgh on the schedule.  Both teams have shown flashes of brilliance that have been balanced out by confusingly awful performances, which explains why they're on the fringes of the playoff race.  With the game in Las Vegas, I'll go with the Raiders.

Jets (0-12) at Seahawks (8-4): Seattle-Want to know why the Jets are 0-12?  Just look at the final play of last week's game!  They had no business losing to the Raiders, yet they did!  It's like they're active looking for different ways to lose every week.  And, frankly, I don't see much standing between them and 0-16 anymore.  As for the Seahawks, last week's upset loss to the Giants really hurt.  It dropped them into a wild card spot.  With the Rams already having won, not slipping up against the worst team in the league becomes that much more important.

Packers (9-3) at Lions (5-7): Green Bay-Green Bay hasn't clinched a playoff spot yet, but can potentially take care of both that and the NFC North in one swoop.  Of course, clinching the division is a mere formality at this point (even though they did lose the first game to the Vikings).  The Packers know the only way they get the NFC's only bye is to keep winning and hope New Orleans loses at some point.  They also know the Saints play the Chiefs next week.

Saints (10-2) at Eagles (3-8-1): New Orleans-When the schedule first came out, this one was circled as a potentially crucial game for NFC playoff seeding.  As we know, that hasn't exactly been the case.  The Saints have done their part, not missing a beat since Drew Brees went down and becoming the first NFC team to clinch a playoff berth.  A win this week clinches the NFC South and moves New Orleans closer to the No. 1 seed (remember they lost to the Packers, so they have to stay ahead of them).  The Eagles, meanwhile, will be starting Jalen Hurts after finally giving up on Carson Wentz (who cost my fantasy team a spot in the playoffs).

Falcons (4-8) at Chargers (3-9): Atlanta-After last week's debacle against New England, I have no doubt that Anthony Lynn is coaching his final four games with the Chargers.  Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris, however, is making quite a case to keep the job permanently.  Atlanta started 0-5 and is 4-3 since, with two of the three losses coming to the Saints and the other by one point.  Expect another solid performance against the Chargers, who'll have another of their trademark one-possession home losses.

Washington (5-7) vs. 49ers (5-7): Washington-Nobody's sleeping on Washington anymore!  That defense is legit, and they could very easily end up winning the NFC East.  People thought San Francisco was a potential playoff sleeper, as well, but the 49ers are too flawed and inconsistent.  And, frankly, of the two, Washington is the one that looks like it could be a playoff team at the moment.  They'll reinforce that while moving to (a perfectly respectable) 6-7.

Steelers (11-1) at Bills (9-3): Buffalo-Statement game.  Plain and simple.  The Bills already made one statement with their win over Seattle, but this one would be even more emphatic.  And, considering, two of their losses were to Kansas City and Tennessee, they almost need a win here just for some confidence heading into the playoffs.  The Bills know they can hang with the good teams, but they also need the feeling of beating one.  Playing a Steelers team that's had back-to-back nationally-televised poor outings at home gives them the perfect opportunity to do just that.  (The Steelers will almost certainly have their playoff berth locked up prior to the game.)

Ravens (7-5) at Browns (9-3): Baltimore-Cleveland has the quietest 9-3 record in the league.  Part of the reason for that is the fact that two of the Browns' three losses were blowouts against the Steelers and Ravens.  Still, they're currently a playoff team, and that won't change regardless of what happens on Monday night.  Of course, they need a good showing to shut up those critics.  The Browns haven't exactly been the best team in prime time games over the past few years, but they'll get two chances to change that in the next two weeks.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 10-5
Season: 122-70-1