There is an exciting slate of 15 games on Sunday. Here are final score predictions for all of the Week 14 Sunday contests, with reasoning.
Keep track of my “Sunday Score” all season long. This weighted formula gives me five points for every correct outcome. For every team whose score I predict exactly correct, I get an additional three points. Here’s how I’ve fared so far:
Sunday Score: 528
Winner/Loser picked correctly: 90/165
Week 14
Indianapolis Colts 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21
The Buccaneers have a great run defense that could shut down the injured Marlon Mack, but I am anticipating we see the turnover version of Jameis Winston on Sunday, leading to the ball being in the Colts’ hands enough to get them the victory.
Miami Dolphins 20, New York Jets 14
The Dolphins won last week against the talented Eagles while the Jets lost to the then-winless Bengals. Miami has been playing solid football as of late and they should be able to knock off this struggling New York team.
San Francisco 49ers 31, New Orleans Saints 20
The 49ers will secure an early lead but in a very Sean Payton-like fashion, he will feel the need to re-gain the lead and forget about his running backs, simpling digging him and his team into an even bigger ditch.
Detroit Lions 10, Minnesota Vikings 24
David Blough isn’t bad at football, but neither are the Vikings. Minnesota will secure an early, two-possession lead and the Lions will fail to come back, handing the Vikings an even bigger lead in the race to be crowned NFC North champions.
Denver Broncos 14, Houston Texans 21
This is going to be a snooze-fest of a game, with the exception of the five touchdowns. Houston will keep the lead throughout the entire game but won’t pull away. Nonetheless, a win is a win, and the Texans will emerge victorious as the playoff race heats up.
Washington Redskins 24, Green Bay Packers 34
The Packers’ legitimacy deserves to be questioned, but this week, they will secure a win over the struggling Redskins. Green Bay will hold a three-score game late in the game before a garbage-time touchdown makes this tilt finish in a 10-point difference.
Cincinnati Bengals 23, Cleveland Browns 17
The Bengals’ dismantling of the Jets could say more about the Jets than the Bengals, but Andy Dalton looked extremely promising in his first game back nonetheless. The Browns are coming off a tough loss to Pittsburgh and could lose another divisional tilt this week.
Baltimore Ravens 27, Buffalo Bills 30
This is a bold pick and I am unsure if it is the right one. However, I’ve been really impressed by the Bills’ play as of late. This is going to be a close game but I think the Bills’ defense will do enough to stop Lamar Jackson and their offense will dismantle Baltimore’s defense.
Carolina Panthers 13, Atlanta Falcons 27
The Panthers lost to the hapless Redskins last week with Ron Rivera at the helm, and I expect them to struggle even more with a coaching staff thrown together for the final stretch. The optimism surrounding Atlanta has died down, but they’ll still defeat the Panthers.
Los Angeles Chargers 21, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
The Jaguars have looked really bad lately. While they did insert Gardner Minshew back in as their starter, I don’t think it’ll be enough to knock off the also-struggling Chargers. However, I am prepared for the scenario where Jacksonville proves me wrong.
Tennessee Titans 44, Oakland Raiders 20
This Titans team is extremely explosive. They will keep on winning; now, they just need the Steelers to choke away their playoff spot. Did I mention the Titans are extremely explosive?
Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Arizona Cardinals 16
Speak of the devil. The Steelers will hold on to their playoff spot for at least another week as they dismantle a Cardinals team and hand them their fifth straight loss. Devlin Hodges won’t look elite or anything, but he’ll lead his team to a valuable win.
Kansas City Chiefs 23, New England Patriots 28
This is an extremely crucial game for the Patriots. A win solidifies their grasp on the AFC East while a loss sees them become tied with the Bills (head-to-head advantage, Patriots). New England won’t need to worry about that, though, as the offense will return to a cohesive form while the defense figures out Patrick Mahomes (as much as the reigning MVP can be figured out).
Seattle Seahawks 38, Los Angeles Rams 20
I’ve said it before and I feel extremely comfortable saying it again: the Seahawks are the best team in football. The numbers will back that, too, as these predictions which see the Ravens and 49ers lose would give the Seahawks the best NFC record and be tied with the Patriots for the best record in the NFL.
New York Giants 14, Philadelphia Eagles 20
Philadelphia lost to Miami last week but they should be able to bounce back in this divisional clash with the Giants, led by Eli Manning with Daniel Jones injured. It could be a sloppy win, but it’s a win nonetheless for Philly.
