Eli Manning returns to San Diego for the second time in his career, the Seahawks are looking for a road victory against a division-rival, and the Panthers and Saints are battling for NFC South supremacy on Sunday night. Let's preview Week 14!
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Thursday December 5, 2013 8:25pm
NFL Network -- Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock
The Jaguars have been on a roll lately, winning three out of their last four games. However, all three of those wins have surprisingly come on the road. The Jaguars are still looking for their first home win. There's a good chance they get it here, as they've already beaten the Texans in Houston a couple weeks ago. I guess this game is just a battle for the top pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Houston Texans 20 Jacksonville Jaguars 27
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| Colts' QB Andrew Luck and Bengals' QB Andy Dalton will lead their teams in a battle of first place teams. |
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf
While both teams currently sit at 8-4, they haven't necessarily been impressive. Both teams will probably win their divisions, but if they fall into the 4 seed, they'll have the Chiefs to play in the Wild Card round. Either one of these teams will have the home playoff game as division winners, but the Chiefs are very capable of winning in their building. Therefore, this game is the race to the 3 seed. I'll give the edge to the home team in this one.
Indianapolis Colts 16 Cincinnati Bengals 27
Cleveland Browns vs. New England Patriots
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker
The Browns were decent a couple of weeks ago, when they were getting good quarterback play from Jason Campbell. Brandon Weeden has been able to recapture his starting spot twice now, after injuries to Campbell and Brian Hoyer. Weeden still hasn't impressed either. Couple that with the fact the Patriots are on a roll now and are trying to challenge the Broncos for the top seed in the AFC. The Browns have no shot.
Cleveland Browns 17 New England Patriots 34
Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Marv Albert, Rich Gannon
Matt McGloin almost marched into Cowboys Stadium on Thanksgiving day and come out with a victory. He fell just short, but the Raiders are impressed with his ability to throw from the pocket. This is the perfect time to play the Jets, as they have turned alternating wins and losses into a losing streak that sits at three games. They have put forth embarrassing games during that losing streak, but it helps Geno Smith or Matt Simms that they'll be playing a subpar Raiders' defense. The Jets will get back on the winning track.
Oakland Raiders 17 New York Jets 20
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Washington Redskins
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots
The Redskins conclude their three-game home stretch, and they'll probably play the most difficult game of the homestand. Losses to the 49ers and Giants have eliminated the Redskins from playoff contention, so they're just playing for pride now. The Chiefs are on a three-game losing streak, and they'll be without Justin Houston. Still, I don't see how the Chiefs lose this game. Alex Smith takes care of the football, so he'll have this offense scoring a lot of points in this one.
Kansas City Chiefs 35 Washington Redskins 14
Minnesota Vikings vs. Baltimore Ravens
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Chris Myers, Tim Ryan
The Ravens are trying to stay in the playoff hunt, so they'll look to take care of home games like this one. I don't see a scenario where the Vikings come into Baltimore and get a victory. The Vikings have issues.
Minnesota Vikings 13 Baltimore Ravens 24
Atlanta Falcons vs. Green Bay Packers
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick
Both teams have issues, but the Falcons are coming off an overtime road win against the Bills. It could be a confidence builder. The Falcons still have Matt Ryan, so they can come into Lambeau Field and get the victory. If the Packers get Aaron Rodgers back, then it's a different story. However, that is unlikely.
Atlanta Falcons 24 Green Bay Packers 14
Buffalo Bills vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Spero Dedes, Steve Beuerlein
Despite last week's loss to the Panthers, the Buccaneers have been playing good football with Mike Glennon as their quarterback. The Bills haven't been playing good football as of late, so this should be a game the Buccaneers are able to win.
Buffalo Bills 14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23
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| Dolphins' WR Mike Wallace is most likely excited to return to Pittsburgh and play against his former teammates. |
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
CBS -- Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts
These two teams are battling for a playoff spot, so it's important for both teams to get a victory. Mike Wallace returns to Pittsburgh for the first time, so he expects to hear boos. Maurkice and Mike Pouncey could've seen each other in this game also, but Maurkice is out with the knee injury he suffered in the opening game. The Steelers need a win in the worst way. They'll get it.
Miami Dolphins 17 Pittsburgh Steelers 31
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| The Eagles will look to avenge last year's home loss to the Lions after blowing a double-digit fourth quarter lead. |
Sunday December 8, 2013 1pm
FOX -- Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch
This game is an interesting game. Nick Foles has been on fire, but he isn't much of a mobile quarterback. The uptempo offense has helped him a great deal, as defenses are getting tired and are unable to apply much pressure. The Lions' defensive line is one of the best in the league, so Foles does not want to see Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, Ziggy Ansah or Willie Young in his face all game. The Lions have a tendency to have let-downs, and this is a difficult game for them on the road. I expect the Eagles to be the victors.
Detroit Lions 20 Philadelphia Eagles 30
Tennessee Titans vs. Denver Broncos
Sunday December 8, 2013 4:05pm
CBS -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
The forecast is calling for cold temperatures and a possible chance of snow. The Titans are hoping for a blizzard, as it is a way to slow down Peyton Manning. I'm not sure how the Titans are historically during blizzards, but one game many people remember is their 59-0 loss to the Patriots during the 2009 season in a blizzard. I'm not sure the Titans should be asking for a blizzard after all.
Tennessee Titans 10 Denver Broncos 28
St. Louis Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals
Sunday December 8, 2013 4:25pm
FOX -- Dick Stockton, Ronde Barber
The Cardinals are currently sitting at 7-5, one game behind the 49ers for second place in the division and the final Wild Card spot in the NFC playoffs. However, the Cardinals would be 8-4 if they held on to a double-digit lead in the season opener in St. Louis. Instead, the Rams came back and won, and the Cardinals must be wondering about a lost opportunity now that they're in the middle of the playoff race. They will not have a letdown in this one.
St. Louis Rams 14 Arizona Cardinals 28
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| Giants' QB Eli Manning and Chargers' QB Philip Rivers were traded for each other in the 2004 NFL Draft. |
Sunday December 8, 2013 4:25pm
FOX -- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa
Eli Manning has seemingly and conveniently forgot why he didn't want to play for the Chargers back in 2004, when he was drafted #1 overall by them. The trade swapping Manning and Philip Rivers has worked out for both teams, as they've been playoff contenders ever since. However, Manning has two rings and two Super Bowl MVPs, while Rivers hasn't gotten the Chargers to the Super Bowl yet. Chargers' fans might be more angry now than they were in 2005, when Manning played for the first time in his career in San Diego.
New York Giants 24 San Diego Chargers 21
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| Seahawks' QB Russell Wilson will look to guide his team to an impressive road victory. |
Sunday December 8, 2013 4:25pm
FOX -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Both teams are always looking forward to doing battle with one another. The Jim Harbaugh-Pete Carroll rivalry dates back to college, when Harbaugh was the head coach at Stanford and Carroll was the head coach at USC. It is clear they don't like each other, and Richard Sherman, who played for Harbaugh at Stanford, doesn't like Harbaugh either. Let's see how this turns out. The 49ers need a win to keep pace. However, I think the Seahawks will shock them in this one.
Seattle Seahawks 23 San Francisco 49ers 20
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| Panthers' QB Cam Newton has an opportunity to impress doubters with a strong showing on Sunday night. |
Sunday December 8, 2013 8:30pm
NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
This looks like a great game on paper, as both teams are tied atop the NFC South with 9-3 records. The Panthers' defense has been incredible, but playing in the Superdome against Drew Brees is very difficult. Also, the Panthers will need Cam Newton to play well in the noise, which I don't believe he's capable of yet. It looks good on paper, but I don't think this one will be close. These two will meet in Carolina in two weeks also. That should be a great one.
Carolina Panthers 10 New Orleans Saints 27
Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears
Monday December 9, 2013 8:40pm
ESPN -- Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden
The Cowboys will need a win to keep pace with the Eagles in the NFC East race, especially if the Eagles beat the Lions. The Bears are just a game behind the Lions in the NFC North race, so they need a win badly as well. It is looking like the two Wild Card spots will go to teams in the NFC South and NFC West, so the Cowboys and Bears must focus on winning their divisions if they want to make the playoffs. The Bears have shown they can't stop the run at all, so DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar can have a field day running the ball.
Dallas Cowboys 28 Chicago Bears 24
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