NFL: Harv’s week 14 predictions
By Harv Aronson
It’s Week 14 in the NFL and who will be victorious, who will be the losers? Harv’s predictions lie ahead.
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers are inching closer to matching New England’s perfect 16-0 of a few years back. At 12-0 they should go to sleep Sunday night 13-0. Panthers 34 Falcons 9.
Buffalo Bills at Philadelphia Eagles: After shocking the Patriots, can Philly stay in the race in the NFC East? Buffalo will test them. Eagles 24 Bills 21.
Detroit Lions at St. Louis Rams: Detroit is rolling and the Rams are struggling. It sounds to me like the Rams will get caught in the Lions’ den. Lions 37 Rams 14.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Colts are licking their wounds after the pounding they took in Pittsburgh while the Jaguars continue to to try to find themselves and stay consistent. Colts 27 Jaguars 16.
New England Patriots at Houston Texans: The Patriots have lost two in a row. I say it again—New England has been dumped in two consecutive games. That doesn’t happen often and now they must face a Houston team that nearly toppled the Bills on the road. Don’t be shocked if at the final gun, the Pats are losers again. Texans 24 Patriots 20.
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Saints found themselves in a shootout last weekend with the unbeaten Panthers and almost handed Carolina their first loss. I can’t see a second offensive explosion this weekend. Buccaneers 20 Saints 17.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals: What is the game of the week in the NFL this week? It takes place in Cincinnati and my prediction for this one as always comes in my preview forthcoming.
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs: Detroit is not the only team on a roll. The Chiefs with six victories in a row are still three games behind front running Denver in the AFC West, but have a solid grip on the #4 seed in the conference ahead of Houston, the Jets, and Pittsburgh.
San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns: Guess who’s back in the saddle in the ‘Dawg Pound? Johnny Manziel gets reinstated for the remainder of the season so for him, it’s make or break. His future with the Browns rides on his performance the rest of the way. This Sunday it’s Blaine Gabbert vs. Manziel. These are two quarterbacks that have struggled in one fashion or another. Browns 24 49ers 21.
Tennessee Titans at New York Jets: A game where Steelers fans will be cheering for Tennessee. The Jets are tied with Pittsburgh in the wild card race and hold a tiebreaker. Unfortunately, the Titans are just not that good and will struggle against a very good Jets defensive unit. Jets 31 Titans 12.
Washington Redskins at Chicago Bears: The Redskins had a chance to hold sole possession of first place in the NFC East last Monday night but Desean Jackson had that costly fumble. Although he redeemed himself with a tying touchdown, his team’s defense caved in at the end and allowed a winning field goal. Now there’s a three-way tie for first in the division and the Bears can play spoilers. Bears 19 Redskins 14.
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos: The Raiders have been a disappointment since narrowly losing to the Steelers. Now they face a Denver team that is trying to clinch their division. Broncos 33 Raiders 27.
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers: The Cowboys are coming off an invigorating victory against Washington. Green Bay is in a fight with Minnesota for the division title. Green Bay is much better than what they’ve shown of late. Packers 37 Dallas 21.
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens: A year to forget in Baltimore. Seattle is on the rise and there is no reason they should lose this game even though it is a road game. Seattle 44 Baltimore 9.
New York Giants at Miami Dolphins: Finally, Monday night gives us the Giants and Dolphins. mathematically, Miami is not out of the playoff race yet despite being 5-7. The Giants are one of those 5-7 teams at the top of the NFC East. Miami is a dangerous team so Giants beware. Dolphins 23 Giants 20.
In 15 games last week that I predicted, I correctly chose nine winners but got six other games wrong. Week 14 provides another opportunity too look into my crystal ball and tell you who will win and who will lose. How will I do?
Next: Why did the pirates trade Neil Walkers?
See you next week in my predictions column!