2017 Week 14 Predix

Written by Sam DeCoste

Oh, contenders, contenders, where for art thou, contenders? Where are you? Show yourselves to us! The end of the regular season is very close, and there is still so much uncertainty as to who can genuinely march onto the platform of the Super Bowl in Minneapolis. Can the Saints do it? Can the Eagles do it? Can the Vikings do it? Will the Rams do it? Who knows!? The road to the playoffs is still wide open for many teams on the bubble, while the road to the Super Bowl is tightening by the week. This week, we have some great matchups for big name teams, including Saints-Falcons, Eagles-Rams, Seahawks-Jaguars, and Ravens-Steelers. I can't wait to watch these games, and see how well I do with my Predix! Let's go!

My overall record last week: 13-3

Lock of the Week record: 11-2

My overall season record: 133-59

It doesn't get much bigger than this late in the season: a division game between one team looking for a playoff bye against another team looking just to get there. Surprisingly, the Falcons are the team playing just to get there, as reigning NFC Champions. They were on a nice winning streak until Minnesota put that to a halt on Sunday, mustering only nine points the entire game. To beat the Saints, you have to run the ball, convert on third down, and score touchdowns in the red zone. If the Falcons do that, they'll win the football game. The same can be said for the Saints, who can do all of the above. There is no better running back tandem in the league this season than Ingram and Kamara (plus four games of Adrian Peterson), and they still have a Hall of Fame quarterback under center. In this type of a game, it's hard to pick a winner because it's such a big one, but I'm going to roll with the better team.

Prediction: NO 29, ATL 17

I'm not sure any team is playing better football in the NFL right now than the Minnesota Vikings. Case Keenum has been a revelation for them this season, in relief of Sam Bradford. His pocket movement and accuracy has been critical for them this season, and he is absolutely a key reason as to why the Vikings have won eight straight games. But in this matchup, Minnesota has to neutralize Cam Newton and the Carolina offense. And I think they can do that easily. The Panthers on offense aren't playing well right now, and they probably won't have Greg Olsen for the rest of the year. This is a tough spot for a team to win, but Minnesota had a tough spot last week and they passed the test. I think they will pass this test as well.

Prediction: MIN 23, CAR 16

The AFC West is wide open at the moment. Somehow, the Chiefs are back at .500 after starting the season undefeated through five games. There is a lack of big plays (disregard last week), a lack of rhythm, the defense is struggling to make stops, and the entire team is losing its discipline. This has the potential to be a very dirty game, and it only adds to it that it is a division game. But the Chiefs have the Raiders this week, who are just bad. They're not playing well, they haven't played well all season, and they may be down Amari Cooper again this week. I don't really see any way the Chiefs lose, but then again, they've been losing in these spots recently.

Prediction: OAK 19, KC 20

It looks like it's gonna snow in this game, so that's cool. As for the football, watch Kelvin Benjamin, who may return this week from a knee injury suffered three weeks ago, and Tyrod Taylor's status is still up in the air as to whether or not he'll play this week. But beyond this week, if the Bills want to end their playoff drought, and I don't mean this season, I mean ever, they must find a quarterback. Against Tom Brady last week, Taylor led his offense to put up a dreadful three point performance. That's not good enough. Tyrod Taylor among many big names at signal caller will be on the market this offseason. Sorry if you're a Colts fan and I didn't talk about your team, but go win a game and maybe I will. This is my Lock of the Week.

Prediction: IND 19, BUF 28

This should be dubbed the real False Hope Bowl, as neither team has any chance of going to the playoffs this season. No chance. None. The Lions had to win last week, but they didn't. The Bucs had to win last week, but they didn't. Both teams have been too inconsistent all season, especially at defense, and they are relying on their quarterbacks to do too much. If I were the Bucs, I would have shut down Jameis Winston for the season. Why is he still playing if he is not 100%, and they have no chance of making the playoffs? It's all about 2018 at this point.

Prediction: DET 17, TB 22

That Bengals game last week was nasty. Way too many serious injuries to handle for a football fan. They play tough, and it almost led them to an upset victory over Pittsburgh last week. This team is still talented, and they should walk over this Bears team. I think they will, given how the Bears now have nothing to play for. Then again, the Bengals have nothing to gain either, but they're at home, and they're more talented.

Prediction: CHI 10, CIN 20

I think I can speak for all football fans: the thought that Aaron Rodgers could return next week is a scary proposition. They're not out of it yet. Remember last season, when Green Bay started 4-6, and ran the table? Don't think they can't do it again. Sure, the odds are against them, but all they have to do is beat Cleveland this week and then let Aaron carry them from there like he always does. The Browns need a player like that. An X-factor. No, Joe Thomas does not count. And he's injured anyway. But Josh Gordon looks fresh and didn't miss a beat last week. That's great for the league. He could give the Packers secondary some problems.

Prediction: GB 26, CLE 14

If this game is being broadcasted in your area, I'm sorry. Nobody deserves to watch this battle of ineptitude at the quarterback position versus an ineptitude at the NFL roster. 2017 cannot end soon enough for either team, and neither team will have much motivation to win from here on out unless it is spoiler. What on earth is there to spoil in this game? A high draft pick? Please. But I love DeAndre Hopkins. Deshaun Watson can't recover fast enough if you're Hopkins.

Prediction: SF 20, HOU 27

Last time the Cowboys took on the Giants, both teams were being hyped as, get this, Super Bowl contenders (!!!). Wow. That's funny. Now the Cowboys are fighting to stay in the hunt after boasting the best record in the NFC last year, and the Giants have every look of a dysfunctional franchise in the aftermath of the firing of Ben MacAdoo and Jerry Reese. I mean, c'mon Ben, you wanted to start Eli and pull him out just to keep his streak going? You're nuts. They're playing for spoiler and for fun at this point. I do believe that the Giants will play much better football for the remainder of the season, as many times, it takes the firing of a coach to play better. I don't get the math, but whatever. They will give the Cowboys a run for their money, but ultimately, it won't be enough.

Prediction: DAL 23, NYG 13

I'm very disappointed in the Cardinals this season. I thought they would be a playoff team, but that won't happen. Tennessee, on the other hand, has lived up to the type in terms of its record, and they are on their way to their first postseason appearance since 2008. But they aren't playing good football. They've had such a favorable schedule up to this point. Now, they're on the West Coast for back-to-back weeks as the end of the regular season is on the horizon. This will be a great test for the Titans, to show us who they really are. If they play well and win these games, then they should be considered a tough team to beat in the playoffs. If they struggle and drop a game or two, then the big boys will roll over them. I think they're better than Arizona, and a West Coast trip shouldn't have much impact on the result. Arizona spoiled Jacksonville's party a while back, and a team can't play spoiler and win every time.

Prediction: TEN 24, ARZ 23

This is a sneaky good game. The Redskins may not be in the playoffs, but they are darn fun to watch. Kirk Cousins is a legit franchise quarterback, and somebody will pay him a lot of money in a few months. The Chargers, meanwhile, are surging at the best time, with a chance to win the division. They have Kansas City on Saturday night next week, but they can't afford to look ahead to that game. If they can't take care of business against a sneaky good Redskins team, then that game won't matter as much as it could. Every game is a must win from here on out, and they have a great pathway to do so with their weak schedule. The Chargers have just too much on offense and defense to falter against the Redskins at home.

Prediction: WSH 20, LAC 24

The Jets are an exciting football team. They're a fun team to watch, and their offense was electrifying last week against the Chiefs. I can't wait to see how they improve in the offseason and see how they fare in 2018, because they are well-coached, energetic, and full of young talent. The Broncos are none of the above to be honest. Serious questions have to be asked in the offseason, after eight straight losses. The quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive line, and defensive lines are all weaknesses for Denver, and they won't be competitive next year with this many holes. I feel that this week, they are just so overmatched by the Jets. Who would've thought I would be saying that back in the summer? Man, sports are awesome

Prediction: NYJ 28, DEN 13

This is a game that I would've hyped in the past, but I won't this time. Every time I hype up a game, it proves to be a stinker. But how does this game end up a stinker? It's the first time that the top two overall picks the 2016 NFL Draft will go at it: it's Jared Goff against Carson Wentz. It's the two funnest teams to watch in the NFL this season. It's a massive game with Super Bowl implications. The way I see it, the Eagles are facing a little adversity. They're staying on the West Coast from the Seahawks game, and they are remaining there until after the Rams game. It's hard for a team to win two, let alone one, games on the opposite coast in consecutive weeks. The Eagles are in a tough spot away from home, and the Rams are playing better and better every week since their loss at Minnesota.

Prediction: PHI 23, LAR 36

This is my favorite game of the week. The Jaguars have the NFL's best defense, and they've shut down every single signal caller they've faced up against. This week, they have a great test, against Russell Wilson. Now I'm going to refer to the Seattle Seahawks as the Seattle Wilson, because Russell Wilson is their team. He is the team. He will have to put up another MVP-like performance to win this game, as the Jags defense is for real. And if that isn't bad enough, the Seahawks defense is so undermanned, and I don't like the way they match up on the road, on the East Coast, against a great running game and a surging Jags offense. It would be a serious disappointment if the Jaguars lose.  

Prediction: SEA 24, JAX 27

This is the fourth straight primetime game for the Steelers. That's quite remarkable. And they have a massive game against the Patriots coming up next week. But they can't look past the Ravens, who have won 4 of their last 5 games. The Ravens always play the Steelers tough, especially when the playoffs are on the line. Remember the Christmas game these teams played last year?  The Ravens sure do. That will only help add to the hype of this game, as the Ravens will be desperate to beat their dreaded rivals. But as much as you can give a team a hard time, it's not good enough if you don't beat them, and that's just what Pittsburgh has been able to do. They win games against bad teams who play them tough. The Ravens defense is great, but their offense is horrible. Also, Pittsburgh is a hard place to play, and kick. Justin Tucker ain't doing nothing in those gusting winds.

Prediction: BAL 7, PIT 26

I've had enough of the Miami Dolphins in primetime. Enough is enough. They are unwatchable this season. There is no fight we saw last season, with countless comeback victories and displays of adversity. They are a pathetic football team. The Patriots ought to blow the Dolphins out of the water, as this is such a lopsided matchup. I've also had enough of the "oh how Brady struggles against the Dolphins in Miami." Enough! He owns Miami! He'll carve the Dolphins up again and have a great dinner on Monday night!

Prediction: NE 30, MIA 15

Picture credit: http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2016/12/saints_falcons_week_17_scoutin.html