NFL Betting Preview: Week 14

The NFL season is coming down to the wire now, as there are only five weeks left for teams to jockey for playoff position. We are now at the point of the season where teams are playing against their division more, with fierce rivalry games that could decide whether you are sitting on your coach come January, or playing in the playoffs.

The Dallas Cowboys have a chance to essentially put their division away this week with a victory over the Washington Football Team, while a team like the Los Angeles Rams is looking to beat the Arizona Cardinals to make it a race again in the NFC West. So many great matchups to watch this weekend, especially if you want to lay a little action on the games.

After two losing weeks, last week was great for my season record of best bets, as I went 10-3. The hot week pushed my season record to 84-68 (55%). Hopefully that momentum can continue into this week!

*All odds and betting lines provided by WynnBet

Las Vegas Raiders (6-6) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)

Spread: KC (-9.5)

Money Line: LV (+350) KC (-440)

Over/Under: 48.5 Points

We saw this exact matchup play out about a month ago, when the Chiefs went into Las Vegas and blew out the Raiders 41-14. Since then, the Chiefs have won two more games to bring their current winning streak to five games. The Raiders have lost five of their last six games.

Bottom line, these are two teams going in different directions. While the Chiefs have not been the same dominant team they once were in the past, they should still have no problem finishing out their season strong to be one of the more feared playoff teams coming out of the AFC.

Best Bet:

Take the Chiefs to win by double digits and cover the spread.

Dallas Cowboys (8-4) vs. Washington Football Team (6-6)

Spread: DAL (-4)

Money Line: DAL (-190) WS (+170)

Over/Under: 48 Points

For most of this season, it has seemed like the Dallas Cowboys were runaway favorites to win the NFC East. While they are still the favorites with a two-game lead in the division, the Washington Football Team is right on their heels, especially if they can pull off a victory this week.

Washington will alternate playing against the Cowboys and the Eagles over the next four weeks, before closing out their season against the New York Giants. The path is definitely there for the Football Team to win this division if they can carry the momentum of their current four-game winning streak throughout the final five weeks of the season.

Still, if we really dive into the numbers, the Cowboys are just a better football team than Washington. Dallas has a point differential of +86 on the season, whereas the Washington Football team has a point differential of -51. While Washington has won four games in a row, the last two have been 17-15 games where they have barely hung on to win.

There is a chance this game is close and comes down to a field goal, but if one of these teams is going to win convincingly, you have to imagine it will be the Cowboys.

Best Bet:

Dallas can all but put this division on ice if they win this weekend. Take the Cowboys to win and cover the spread.

Seattle Seahawks (4-8) vs. Houston Texans (2-10)

Spread: SEA (-8.5)

Money Line: SEA (-390) HOU (+315)

Over/Under: 41 Points

The Houston Texans are really bad. Over their last two weeks, they lost to the New York Jets and then got shutout in embarrassing fashion, losing 31-0 against the Indianapolis Colts. Houston has the worst offense in the NFL, averaging only 13.67 points per game and has an alarming -159 point differential.

Betting against the Texans seems like the only play most weeks, but this week, their opponent is not one to be confident in. The Seattle Seahawks have endured a miserable season, as they lost Russell Wilson for a long stretch in the middle of the year and have just not recovered.

Prior to last week, the Seahawks had lost six of their last seven games. Wilson finally looked like himself last week though, completing 30 of his 37 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He was able to beat a relatively good team in the San Francisco 49ers, as Seattle looks to make a late season push for a Wild Card.

Betting on the Seahawks is banking on a huge performance from Wilson, but against a really bad Texans team, maybe that should be expected.

Best Bet:

Take Seattle to cover the spread.

New Orleans Saints (5-7) vs. New York Jets (3-9)

Spread: NO (-5.5)

Money Line: NO (-240) NYJ (+200)

Over/Under: 43 Points

Taysom Hill got the start at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints last week, giving us all a chance to see what the Swiss Army Knife could do getting regular snaps. While he certainly made his fair share of flashy plays and impressed with 101 rushing yards, Hill’s arm left a lot to be desired as he threw four picks.

This week, Hill will have a much easier task on his hands facing one of the worst defenses in the NFL with the New York Jets. The Jets have allowed at least 24 points in 10 of their 12 games this year and have allowed over 30 points in five. Last week, the Jets gave up 33 points, as Eagles backup quarterback Gardner Minshew shredded them all game long.

While the Jets are unlikely to win this game, there is still a chance they could keep the game close if Hill is sloppy with the football again.

Best Bet

The Jets are going to give up a lot of points, so take the over.

Jacksonville Jagaurs (2-10) vs. Tennessee Titans (8-4)

Spread: TEN (-9.5)

Money Line: JAX (+335) TEN (-420)

Over/Under: 44 Points

While the Titans are clearly the better team in this matchup, are we sure they can win this one by double-digits?

Tennessee might have an 8-4 record, but a lot of that was built early in the season when Derrick Henry was still healthy. Since his season-ending injury, the Titans are 2-2, having lost each of their last two contests. They are coming off their bye this week, which should help as they try to finish out their season strong.

Still, this is not the same team that was once considered a favorite to make it out of the AFC this season. Meanwhile the Jaguars are in the midst of another four-game losing streak, as they are just counting the days until the season is over. When these two teams met earlier in the season, the Titans won 37-19. Derrick Henry rushed for 130 yards in three touchdowns in that game.

Best Bet:

If we were betting on the money line, this would be a no-brainer, as I definitely am counting on the Titans to win. But picking against the spread, 9.5 points is a lot to cover. Take Jacksonville with the points.

Atlanta Falcons (5-7) vs. Carolina Panthers (5-7)

Spread: CAR (-2.5)

Money Line: ATL (+115) CAR (-135)

Over/Under: 42 Points

A couple of NFC South teams that are looking back at each other right now like the Spider-Man meme. Not only do these teams have identical records this season, they also have both fared better playing on the road and have at times been buoyed by their defense.

The Panthers get the three-point spread here likely because they are the home team, but based on their respective track records, that may not do much to help them on Sunday. Carolina started the season 3-0 and have since gone 2-7 over their last nine games.

Best Bet:

At the end of the day, this game really could go either way. With that said, the best bet is to take the points and bet on the Atlanta Falcons.

Baltimore Ravens (8-4) vs. Cleveland Browns (6-6)

Spread: CLE (-2.5)

Money Line: BAL (+125) CLE (-145)

Over/Under: 43 Points

The Cleveland Browns have the rare distinction of playing the same team twice in a row this week, as they faced off against the Baltimore Ravens before going into their bye last week. In that game, the Ravens narrowly won by a score of 16-10. Now as home-field advantage shifts in Cleveland’s favor, they are seen as the favorites this week.

Baltimore has been playing low-scoring games recently, as they haven’t eclipsed 20 points in over a month. Cleveland needs to win this game if they want any shot at making the playoffs this season, so expect them to give their best effort against Baltimore on Sunday.

Still, the Ravens are the better team and yet they are considered the underdogs.

Best Bet:

Take the points and bet on the Ravens this week.

New York Giants (4-8) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (7-5)

Spread: LAC (-10)

Money Line: NYG (+380) LAC (-480)

Over/Under: 43 Points

This week should be an easy victory for the Los Angels Chargers, as the New York Giants are expected to be without starting quarterback Daniel Jones and maybe even his backup Mike Glennon. Third-string quarterback Jake Fromm could get the start if Glennon does not clear the concussion protocol before Sunday.

Regardless of the starter, this Giants team has been pretty awful all year long, posting a -62 point differential through 12 games this season. The Chargers could run into trouble though if they take this matchup too easily, especially if they are looking ahead to next week’s critical matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Still, considering the way the Chargers can hang a lot of points in a hurry, this should be an easy week for them to come out and get a blowout victory to establish some confidence going into their final stretch of the season.

Best Bet:

Bet on the Chargers to cover the 10-point spread.

Detroit Lions (1-10-1) vs. Denver Broncos (6-6)

Spread: DEN (-10)

Money Line: DET (+370) DEN (-470)

Over/Under: 42.5 Points

The Detroit Lions have finally won a game!

It only took 12 tries, but Detroit pulled out the upset victory with a late touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings last week. Now they will look to keep that momentum rolling against a Denver Broncos team that is still trying to hang in on the playoff race in the AFC.

The Broncos are a .500 team in every sense, as they seem to alternate between wins and losses every week. We never really know which version of the Broncos is going to show up on Sunday, but the cumulation of their season thus far has them with a +19 point differential, which is far more impressive than the -113 mark that Lions have posted.

Denver is simply a better team, but the question is if they can win by more than a touchdown to cover that spread.

Another way to play this though is to look at the under in total points. These are two defensive-minded teams who have played in a lot of low-scoring games this year. If this turns into a battle of field position and field goals, that under should come in, despite only being at 42.5 points.

Best Bet:

Bet the under.

San Francisco 49ers (6-6) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)

Spread: SF (-1.5)

Money Line: SF (-125) CIN (+105)

Over/Under: 49 Points

Of all the lines this week, this is the one that surprised me the most. Usually the home team is favored by a few points, so to see the Niners as a road favorite is a little surprising. Especially because the Bengals have been the better team this year.

Cinci’s +64 point differential is better than the Niners +25 mark through 12 games, as the Bengals have not only scored more points than San Francisco this season, but they have also allowed less. While the Bengals are coming off a 19-point loss at the hands of the Chargers last week, the Niners lost to a far worse team in the Seattle Seahawks.

This should be a really great game where either team could win, but I will take the home team, especially if I’m getting 1.5 points.

Best Bet:

Bet the Bengals with the spread.

Buffalo Bills (7-5) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3)

Spread: TB (-3)

Money Line: BUF (+150) TB (-170)

Over/Under: 53.5 Points

After the tundra that the Buffalo Bills just played in on Monday Night Football, they are going to be THRILLED to hit the road this week and travel to sunny South Florida. Josh Allen and the Bills offense was neutralized by the weather against the New England Patriots, losing 14-10.

Now that they lost to the Patriots, the Bills are no longer in the driver’s seat in the AFC East, and may have to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. This makes every game down the stretch vitally important to them, as they still have one more chance to play the Pats to potentially take over the division.

This week’s task is not going to be easy for them, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won three games in a row, scoring at least 30 points in each contest. Expect Leonard Fournette to have a big game rushing against the Bills, considering how bad they have been against the run the last few weeks.

Best Bet:

Buffalo may win this game out of desperation, but I wouldn’t bet on it. The Buccaneers are undefeated at home this year and I believe that will remain true after this weekend. Take Tampa to win and cover that three-point spread.

Chicago Bears (4-8) vs. Green Bay Packers (9-3)

Spread: GB (-12.5)

Money Line: CHI (+500) GB (-700)

Over/Under: 43.5 Points

Aaron Rodgers let the Chicago Bears and their fans know earlier in the season that he owns them. Now that was in a game that took place in Chicago, where the Packers won 24-14. This week, the spread is 12.5, meaning the oddsmakers believe the Packers should win at home by nearly two touchdowns.

The Packers are coming off their bye week and should be well-rested to beat a Bears team that has lost six of their last seven games, with the only victory being their 16-14 awful win over the Lions on the Thanksgiving.

Best Bet:

I hate to keep picking favorites, but there is no way you can pick the Bears to win this game. If it turns into one of those NFC North freezing cold defensive games, maybe the Bears can keep it close. But I’m not betting on that.

Take the Packers to cover the spread.

Los Angeles Rams (8-4) vs. Arizona Cardinals (10-2)

Spread: ARI (-2)

Money Line: LAR (+115) ARI (-135)

Over/Under: 51 Points

This week, we really are saving the best for last, as this Monday Night matchup could not be any better. The Los Angeles Rams need this game if they want any chance to win the NFC West and if the Cardinals win, they all but seal up the division.

Last time these two teams met, the Cardinals embarrassed the Rams on their own field, winning 37-20. Now the Rams will look for revenge and are coming off a big blowout over the Jacksonville Jaguars that likely boosted their confidence.

Prior to that victory though, the Rams had lost three games in a row. They certainly are as talented as any team in the NFL, but Arizona has the better defense up to this point in the season.

Best Bet:

In this game all I want to root for is points. Bet the over.