2015 NFL Week 14 Preview

Minnesota Vikings vs. Arizona Cardinals
Thursday December 10, 2015 8:25pm
NFL Network -- Jim Nantz, Phil Simms
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ

The Vikings have been stumbling as of late, reaffirming that Teddy Bridgewater is nothing more than a game managing quarterback who needs to get better. In their last two home games, the Vikings have been outscored 68-20 to the Packers and Seahawks. Those were games for the Vikings to prove they are legitimate. The Cardinals are arguably the second best team in the NFC behind the undefeated Panthers. No way do I see the Vikings getting a win in Arizona. This could be a playoff game as well, as both teams stand to make the playoffs if the regular season ended today.

Minnesota Vikings 10 Arizona Cardinals 27

Tennessee Titans vs. New York Jets
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
CBS -- Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

The Jets played the right team in the Giants last week, who seems like they're handing out victories to opposing teams with awful decisions. The Jets were able to come back down 10 in the fourth quarter to obtain an overtime victory and improve to 7-5. The Jets must win games like this. There aren't any easy ones in the NFL, but the Titans at home is as close to a give me win as it gets. The Jets defense should be able to fluster rookie Marcus Mariota a bit, and help them to a win.

Tennessee Titans 14 New York Jets 31

LeSean McCoy has had a lot to say about Chip Kelly since Kelly traded him
to the Eagles.

Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
CBS -- Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

LeSean McCoy is returning to Philadelphia, and I am really unsure how he'll be received by Eagles fans. McCoy was traded, so he didn't want to leave Philadelphia. However, he's had some choice words in the media about Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. McCoy even went so far as to say Kelly was racist, which Kelly obviously denied. The Eagles have a running back distraction of their own, as it has been reported that DeMarco Murray went to owner Jeffrey Lurie to state his dislike for Kelly's offense. Both teams are in the playoff race, so they need to focus now and get a win. The Eagles are coming off a win against the Patriots last week. That should provide momentum for them in this game.

Buffalo Bills 13 Philadelphia Eagles 20

San Francisco 49ers vs. Cleveland Browns
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
FOX -- Joe Davis, Brady Quinn
FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, OH

The 49ers got a surprising overtime victory in Chicago last week, and the Browns just aren't playing well right now. It is very interesting when Austin Davis and Josh McCown plays poorly, the calls for Johnny Manziel to play are very loud. However, when Manziel struggles, the calls for his benching aren't anywhere around. Manuel has not looked like an NFL quarterback at all in his brief career. He has time to change that, but Manziel's return and start in this game will not help the Browns win this game.

San Francisco 49ers 20 Cleveland Browns 14

Detroit Lions vs. St. Louis Rams
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
FOX -- Chris Myers, Ronde Barber
Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, MO

I do not trust Matthew Stafford to go into St. Louis and get a win. However, the Lions are playing better than the Rams as of late, even with the heartbreaking loss to the Packers last Thursday. It is too late for the Lions to make a serious playoff run unless the Vikings completely bottom out and the Lions do not lose again, it may be possible. The Lions are at the bottom of the NFC North, so they'll need to surpass the Bears as well. The Rams have a lot of good talent on their team. However, their inability to be consistent is very baffling. Jeff Fisher is held in high regard in this league, but he's been able to hold head coaching jobs for a long time despite not having much to show for those years. Fisher has missed the playoffs a lot with the Titans and Rams, and he has one Super Bowl appearance on his resume. The Rams should win, but the clock may be ticking for Fisher.

Detroit Lions 16 St. Louis Rams 23

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
FOX -- Dick Stockton, David Diehl
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

The downward spiral for the Saints started with a home loss to the Buccaneers back in Week 2. Even though the Saints briefly recovered with a winning streak towards the middle of the season, the Saints struggles have been very evident. They fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan a couple of weeks ago, as the Saints' defense was porous to put it lightly. They are certainly capable of going into Tampa and getting a win. However, it really seems like the Saints only put forth their best performance in the Superdome.

New Orleans Saints 17 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31

Ben Roethlisberger will look to rebound from his sluggish performance
against the Bengals earlier this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
CBS -- Greg Gumbel, Trent Green
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

The Bengals barely beat the Steelers earlier this season in Pittsburgh, and Ben Roethlisberger seemed to be kicking himself over that loss. The Bengals, despite their great start, aren't really scary to anyone. This is the game of Week 14 because the Steelers are very capable of going into Cincinnati and coming away with the win. It'll be hard, but I'll go ahead and predict an upset win for the Steelers. Their offense is rolling right now, and I don't expect Andy Dalton to keep up with Roethlisberger.

Pittsburgh Steelers 20 Cincinnati Bengals 17

Seattle Seahawks vs. Baltimore Ravens
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
FOX -- Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis, Tony Siragusa
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD

Here is another road game the Seahawks should easily be able to win. The Ravens are without Joe Flacco, and Matt Schaub has been a pick six machine as of late. The Seahawks will look to hit their stride now and ride into the playoffs with a lot of momentum. Doug Baldwin did an interview with ESPN after last week's win against the Vikings, and praised Russell Wilson's ability to throw in the pocket. Wilson has been lights out lately, and he has looked like an exceptional pocket passer. This quarterback can really take this team to a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance if they get hot at the right time. The time difference for the Seahawks (playing on the East Coast) should be no issue.

Seattle Seahawks 24 Baltimore Ravens 7

Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
CBS -- Tom McCarthy, Adam Archuleta
EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL

It'll be interesting to see if it's Charlie Whitehurst who gets the start, or if it's Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck's injuries suffered in last week's loss to the Steelers sounds serious enough to hold him out of this game. The Colts are a better team than the Jaguars, but if Whitehorse gets the start in this one, I'll pick the Jaguars. There's a reason Whitehurst hasn't been a starter in this league for a long time. He's simply not good enough to lead this team. That could damage the Colts' playoff positioning, but the Texans do play the defending champions later this day, so that could actually save the Colts.

Indianapolis Colts 16 Jacksonville Jaguars 19

San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
CBS -- Andrew Catalon, Steve Tasker, Steve Beuerlein
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO

The easy schedule for the Chiefs continues, and this is a game they should win easily. That makes it more important for the other teams fighting for a Wild Card spot to get as many wins as possible. The Chiefs may very well win out, as I had predicted their game last week against the Raiders was probably their most difficult game they had remaining on their schedule. The Chargers have been bad, and that's putting it lightly. Philip Rivers has gotten paid, but he has been unable to overcome the many deficiencies the team has.

San Diego Chargers 6 Kansas City Chiefs 30

Washington Redskins vs. Chicago Bears
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
FOX -- Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

The Redskins truly blew their opportunity to seize momentum in the NFC East, losing at home to a Cowboys team that hadn't won a game all season without Tony Romo. This gives me very little belief that the Redskins can get a win against the Bears in Chicago. On the flipside, the Bears had an opportunity to get an easy home victory and continue gathering wins. However, they lost to the 49ers in overtime, blowing a huge opportunity for them. It's hard to trust Kirk Cousins on the road, so I'll go with the home team here. However, we've seen many surprises this year.

Washington Redskins 24 Chicago Bears 27

Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers
Sunday December 13, 2015 1:00pm
FOX -- Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

The Falcons remain in freefall mode, while the Panthers are undefeated. It looks near impossible for the Falcons to come in here and get a win. I couldn't propose an argument as to how the Falcons would be able to come in here and get a win either. The Panthers haven't necessarily played lights out football. However, the Falcons just haven't looked good at all since early October. The matchup to watch here is Julio Jones against Josh Norman. Norman has been the best cornerback this year, and even drew the ire of Cam Newton in training camp with his great play then. Jones is one of the best receivers in the league and can make anyone look silly. Can Matt Ryan get him the ball?

Atlanta Falcons 13 Carolina Panthers 34

Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos
Sunday December 13, 2015 4:05pm
CBS -- Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts
Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, CO

Brock Osweiler continues to play in place of Peyton Manning. However, it seems as if once Manning becomes close to fully healthy, the team will make the switch back to Manning. Who knows if that is the move to make. While not nearly as similar a situation as this is, the Patriots had a decision to make once Drew Bledsoe returned from his early season injury as well. They started 0-2, and Tom Brady took over after Bledsoe's injury. The Patriots stuck with Brady, and the rest is history. Osweiler has done well so far, and has won every game he has started so far, including against Brady. Should the Broncos go back to Manning once he's healthy?

Oakland Raiders 14 Denver Broncos 28

Had Dez Bryant held onto this ball, the Cowboys might've been playing
in the NFC Championship Game last season.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers
Sunday December 13, 2015 4:25pm
FOX -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

This is a rematch of last year's Divisional Round playoff game that saw the Cowboys lose after a pass that was supposedly caught by Dez Bryant was ruled incomplete upon further review. The Packers would advance to the NFC Championship game where they would collapse, but the Cowboys and Packers came into this season expecting to compete once again. The Packers have had their struggles, but they've been able to withstand those struggles and keep themselves in it. The Cowboys, however, were doomed the moment Tony Romo went down in Week 2. They got a surprising win this past Monday night, but they shouldn't expect another one here.

Dallas Cowboys 14 Green Bay Packers 31

JJ Watt said he broke his hand during the week but he'll still play
in this game.

New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans
Sunday December 13, 2015 8:30pm
NBC -- Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

This is a critical game for both teams, but more crucial for the Texans. A loss to the Bills last week really put them behind when they were gaining momentum. A loss here can really put them out of it with the Chiefs, Jets and Bills vying for the Wild Card spots. If the Colts win their game, then the AFC South division would be more distant for them as well. The Patriots have lost two straight, and have lost the grasp of the AFC's top seed and first round bye along with it. However, the Patriots are capable of winning anywhere with Tom Brady as quarterback. Therefore, there's not a whole lot to worry about. The Patriots will get back to winning here, and the Bengals probably will have lost to the Steelers at this point.

New England Patriots 27 Houston Texans 10

Saturdays at LSU for Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry used to be special
for the friends. They face each other in the NFL for the first time.

New York Giants vs. Miami Dolphins
Monday December 14, 2015 8:30pm
ESPN -- Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden
Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL

Picking the Giants to win has to be the most uncertain thing to do. They impress you in the first three quarters. Sometimes, they impress you to the point where you think they'd be able to compete with the top teams in the NFC like the Panthers and Cardinals to a degree. Then the fourth quarter comes and it just appears members of that team are incapable of making sound decisions. This might be another game where the Giants impress during stretches, only to blow it at the worst time possible. I'll give the Giants the benefit of the doubt in this must win situation, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if they lost. Odell Beckham Jr. will be on the field with his former college teammate and best friend Jarvis Landry. Two entertaining receivers should make this a must watch.

New York Giants 24 Miami Dolphins 21