2018 Week 14 Predix

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Written by Sam DeCoste

As the NFL season continues in December, some teams will look towards 2019, while others are beginning to think what could be, come a month from now. This is the time of year where wins are most valuable, and also where jobs can be kept or lost. Here in Week 14, there are ten wild card positions open for the taking for teams ranging from 7-5 to 6-6, while seven teams are fighting for a first round bye in the playoffs. 
There is no shortage of must see matchups in Week 14, beginning with a crucial Colts-Texans game in Houston, where Indy needs to bounce back, and Houston looks to continue their unprecedented winning streak. Lamar Jackson takes the Ravens into Kansas City looking for his fourth straight win, the Vikings and Seahawks battle for a crucial NFC victory on Monday night, while the Rams and Bears square off in a blockbuster Sunday night showdown. With so much to look forward to this week, let's get right into the Week 14! Carry on, and enjoy the Predix!

Here are my season records:

Lock of the Week record: 8-5
Last week's record: 11-5
Regular season record: 127-63-2

 JAX @ TEN

Don't forget about those pesky Tennessee Titans. With four games to go, the Titans have games against the Jags, Giants, Redskins, and Colts to end the year. A win on Thursday night puts them at 7-6, right in the thick of things. This is as easy as it gets for them, considering the Jaguars are still starting Cody Kessler, and the Titans own their AFC South rival, winning five of their last six against Jacksonville. While the Jags defense stepped it up last week pitching a shutout on the rampant Colts, it's hard to see them replicating performances like that week to week.

Prediction: JAX 10, TEN 27

 IND @ HOU

The Colts seriously hurt their playoff chances with a pathetic 6-0 loss to the Texans. And I don't want to hear any blame for their loss going towards the refs; when you're down 6 with less than 10 seconds left, and no timeouts, you cannot throw dump offs when you need 30 yards. Now the Colts match up against Houston for the first time since Week 4, when Houston won their very first game of the year. For the Colts to mount an unlikely upset, they will have to run the ball effectively and keep Deshaun Watson and his 101.1 passer rating on the bench. But the Texans will exploit the Colts' weak offensive line, batter Luck, and win their tenth straight.

Prediction: IND 24, HOU 28

 BAL @ KC

When will Lamar Jackson's winning run come to end? This week, in Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs are undefeated this season. It doesn't matter that the Ravens defense ranks number one in defensive yards allowed, and their secondary allows just 194 yards per contest. Patrick Mahomes has proven himself against top notch defenses this year, and he has thrown for 41 touchdowns this year. He needs just 16 more to win free ketchup for life, and he will throw for at least four against Baltimore. There is some concern, however, that the Chiefs will struggle to run the ball without Kareem Hunt, but don't forget that Spencer Ware was their starter before he got hurt last preseason. Ware can do a job for Kansas City, and they will be just fine. The Ravens cannot dare Mahomes to beat them through the air, otherwise they will be torched.

Prediction: BAL 17, KC 34

 NO @ TB

New Orleans is recovering from their first defeat of the year since Week 1, when these same Buccaneers marched into the Superdome and shocked the league. The Saints overlooked the Bucs once already, so you know Sean Payton will not let his squad do it twice. The Saints have a chip on their shoulder after mustering 170 yards versus Dallas, and having already lost to Tampa, surely they cannot be swept by the Buccaneers. No way. 

Prediction: NO 41, TB 26

 CAR @ CLE

The Panthers have forgotten how to win, and here in December, it's going to be difficult for a team who doesn't know how to win to make the playoffs. They may need to win out, but at this point, all the Panthers can do is take it one game at a time. In Cleveland this week, the Panthers are not guaranteed a victory. Sure, the Browns were shredded in Houston, but Baker Mayfield threw for 397 yards, Jarvis Landry had a breakout performance with 103 yards, and Myles Garrett added a sack and a half to his season tally of 11.5. Against a secondary which has surrendered 284 yards in the last four games, I can't see a scenario where Mayfield doesn't carve Carolina up.

Prediction: CAR 23, CLE 27

 NE @ MIA

Miami usually seems to be New England's kryptonite. The Patriots are 1-4 in Hard Rock Stadium since 2013, despite the opposite directions these teams typically go in year by year. This year once again appears to be a similar narrative: a mediocre Miami squad on the outside looking in facing up against a Patriots team primed for Super Bowl contention. It should be easy for the Patriots. And while we say this every year, I think the Patriots overmatch the Dolphins. Now New England has a running game to speak of, and they will be able to stack yardage on Miami and keep Ryan Tannehill off the field, making for an easy Patriots win.

Prediction: NE 27, MIA 20

 ATL @ GB

Mike McCarthy had a great run at Lambeau, but it was time for a change. It wasn't too long ago we watched these teams close out the Georgia Dome in the 2016 NFC Championship, but now, these teams are a combined 8-15-1, with no hope for playing postseason football in 2018. Lately, the Packers have played lifeless, unethused, and pedestrian football. Aaron Rodgers is running for his life, looking for first and second year receivers to create separation when he is not, while opposing offenses carve their defense up. Here's how I see this game playing out: If Josh Rosen can march down the field on this Packers defense, Matt Ryan will feast. 

Prediction: ATL 27, GB 17

 NYJ @ BUF

Back in Week 10, the Buffalo Bills embarrassed the New York Jets. In a 41-10 victory, quarterback Matt Barkley (!!!) threw for 232 yards and 2 touchdowns, LeSean McCoy ran for a season high 113 yards and 2 scores himself, while Robert Foster and Zay Jones combined for 198 receiving yards. The lowest scoring team in the league humiliated the Jets, showing they clearly quit on their head coach. The Jets are in a free fall, heading straight towards a top 3 draft pick, while Bills quarterback, Josh Allen, continues to tear it up. This is my Lock of the Week.

Prediction: NYJ 13, BUF 27 

 NYG @ WSH

Let it be known that I accurately predicted the Giants to beat the Bears last week. I know, weird flex. Moving forward, the Giants may just win a couple games to end the year. The Redskins are unequivocally the most injury-riddled team in the NFL right now, and the Giants are stronger than their division rivals at the moment. How can Mark Sanchez keep up with this dynamic Giants offense? The Skins defense may keep the game close, but not close enough. Saquon is primed to carry the load this week, and take the New York Football Giants over the top for their fourth win in five weeks.

Prediction: NYG 23, WSH 14

 CIN @ LAC

I don't think it is an exaggeration to say Sunday night's upset over the Steelers was the greatest victory the Chargers franchise has had in a very long time. Their 33-30 win all but cements a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2013, with a fantastic opportunity to win their tenth game against a collapsing Bengals squad. The only team capable of beating the Chargers at the moment is the Chargers. If they keep their heads in the game, they will smoke Cincinnati.

Prediction: CIN 10, LAC 34

 DEN @ SF

While the Broncos appear to be right in the thick of the playoff picture, things are starting to fall apart for Denver. Chris Harris, their best defensive piece, is banged up. Emmanuel Sanders left practice needing to be helped off the field, appearing to have torn his Achilles. Not to mention Vance Joseph still coaches this football team. All that being said, it would be a disaster if Denver fell to 6-7 in San Francisco this week. If they can ride Philip Lindsay (the NFL's fourth leading rusher), they can win their fourth straight.

Prediction: DEN 23, SF 17 

 PHI @ DAL

The Super Bowl champion's season is on the line. A win puts the Eagles in first place of the NFC East, while a loss would be the knockout punch to what has been a pathetic defense of the Lombardi Trophy. Now, the Eagles have a recent history of winning when their back is against the wall, it's how they won their first ever Super Bowl. But it's a new season, and the Dallas Cowboys were not as good as they are this season. With Ezekiel Elliott flanking Prescott once more, and Amari Cooper tearing secondaries apart every week, the Cowboys are a different animal. If Philly struggled to contain a third string Redskins team, there is no reason to see them sending shockwaves in the NFC East this Sunday.

Prediction: PHI 23, DAL 27

 PIT @ OAK

It's time to start worrying about the Pittsburgh Steelers. After three straight weeks (an ugly win and two losses) of sloppy and uncharacteristic football, the Steelers may be out of the running for a first round bye. Now they are without James Conner and his 909 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, entering the Black Hole. Teams really aren't having a hard time winning there lately, but then again, the Steelers have no right to take the Raiders for granted. If the Steelers can score points on the NFL's 28th ranked defense in yards allowed, they will win the football game. Surely, Mike Tomlin's guys won't let three games pass them by without a single W.

Prediction: PIT 29, OAK 26

 DET @ ARZ

It's no secret that Matt Patricia is a defensive mastermind, but man, they were impressive against the Rams. Last week, the Rams entered the fourth quarter up just 16-13, and Jared Goff, the NFL's fourth leading passer, finished with just 207 yards passing and a 52% completion percentage. Sadly, there are two sides of the ball you have to play, and the Lions couldn't capitalize on a bad day at the office for Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Cardinals stuck handed Mike McCarthy his seventy-seventh career defeat as Packers coach to get him fired. While neither team is playing for anything, this is one heck of a competitive matchup. I give the edge to the Lions simply because Matt Stafford can be trusted more than Josh Rosen the moment, and I think the Lions can shut down David Johnson in the backfield.

Prediction: DET 17, ARZ 13

 LAR @ CHI

Nobody believed me that the Bears would stumble in New York. But now, the Bears have hit a stump, their fourth defeat of the year. The NFL schedule makers did not make it easy for them, because now, the Rams are waiting in the wings. But the Bears do get Mitch Trubisky back this week, which will give them a different dimension on offense than Chase Daniel did. Meanwhile, Los Angeles comes off one of their poorest weeks of the season, where the offense entered the fourth quarter in Detroit with just 16 points on the board. Detroit has provided the entire NFL with the blueprint as to how to stop the NFL's most complete offense, with the Bears fourth ranked defense up next. Don't be mistaken, when the Bears are on their A game, not even the Rams stand a chance against this team. But the question is if the Bears defense can shut down the NFL's second highest scoring offense, and keep up in a shootout. I don't think so. 

Prediction: LAR 34, CHI 24

 MIN @ SEA

Seattle should be home free at this point: with three of their last four at home, including games to come at San Francisco and hosting the Cardinals, the Seahawks are primed to return to the playoffs. Meanwhile, Minnesota is in a good spot themselves, given they still have to play the Dolphins, Lions, and a possibly less than committed Bears team which may have clinched their spot by Week 17. More than likely, we will see the Vikings and Seahawks in January. On Monday night, it is important that the Vikes play ball control, and ride Dalvin Cook. They are 0-4 against teams with a winning record this season, and 0-3 in primetime. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have been competitive all season long, and match up well with Minnesota. Seattle can run the ball, and keep Kirk Cousins on the sidelines, and in at atmosphere such as Seattle, the Hawks secondary will have opportunities to force Cousins to make mistakes, and force turnovers. Watch out for Seattle, who will go to 8-5 on the year.

Prediction: MIN 20, SEA 23