Friday Pick ’Em — Week 14 NFL Picks
A wild week in the NFL. A slate of games that did not look very promising on paper, but it delivered in a big way. We saw the NFC East prove that they are not as bad as everyone thought they were. The Giants made a statement with a win over the Seahawks, the Washington Football Team handed the Steelers their first loss of the season, and the Jets ~Almost~ got their first win of 2020 but lost on the final play to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Week 13 also saw Carson Wentz get benched for Jalen Hurts, the Patriots absolutely dominating the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 45–0, the Chicago Bears lose their 6th straight game and the Jets putting the kibosh on their defense coordinator, Gregg Williams. Last, but certainly not least, the accuracy of my week 13 picks saw slight improvement. Most importantly, my mortal lock of the week improved to 2–3.
An eventful week in the NFL to say the least. Here are my Week 13 results.
15 Games
Point Spreads — 9/15 (60%)
Over/ Under — 5/15 (33%)
Both Spread & O/U — 3/15 (20%)
Spreads and Over/ Under numbers courtesy of ESPN.Com as of Friday, 12/11/2020
Early Games (7):
Texans @ Bears
Spread: HOU -1
O/U: 45.5
Bears Vs Texans, Trubisky Vs Watson. Who will come out on top? Well, I don’t think the Bears are going to be able to right the ship this season. They have a better shot with Houston having to play the rest of the season without Will Fuller. I still think the Texans only need to put up 20–23 points to put the Bears away who are not capable of offense until garbage time.
Texans -1 | Over 45.5
Cowboys @ Bengals
Spread: DAL -3.5
O/U: 43.5
Not much to say about this game. Two bad teams that continue to get worse week in and week out. Both have been forced into using their backup quarterbacks as the starters for both teams suffered devastating injuries. That is about all I have for that.
Bengals +3.5 | Over 43.5
Chiefs @ Dolphins
Spread: KC -7
O/U: 49.5
This game looks decent on paper. The Chiefs don’t have trouble with any opposing defenses, but Miami will put up a good fight. I just don’t think the offense of Miami will be capable of keeping up with Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Chiefs -7 | Over 49.5
Cardinals @ Giants
Spread: ARI -3
O/U: 45.5
The Giants continue to play good football while the Cardinals are reeling a bit. The Giants defense was too much for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks last week, I like them to be able to shut down Kyler and the Cardinals as well.
Giants +3 | Under 45.5
Vikings @ Buccaneers
Spread: TB -6.5
O/U: 51.5
Mortal Lock of the week!!!
Vikings +6.5 | Over 51.5
Broncos @ Panthers
Spread: CAR -3.5
O/U: 46.5
I actually really like this matchup. These teams seem to pair up well with one another. Both offenses are hit or miss. I am hoping we get to see both clicking on all cylinders. Both defenses aren’t really capable of stopping a cold so I love the over in this one if the offenses are rolling and that is what I will assume will happen.
Panthers -3.5 | Over 46.5
Titans @ Jaguars
Spread: TEN -7.5
O/U: 53
Derrick Henry season is officially upon us. I think he will run all over Jacksonville’s defense so much so that Ryan Tannehill only throws 13–15 passes in this one. Tennessee dominates on the road.
Titans -7.5 | Under 53
Afternoon Games (6):
Colts @ Raiders
Spread: IND -2.5
O/U: 51.5
This is the game of the week in my eyes. Two teams that have performed at or above expectations all season, but two teams whose offensive and defensive stability has fluctuated week by week. I like Derek Carr to put on another show at home against the Colts defense who isn’t as menacing as they were earlier in the season.
Raiders +2.5 | Over 51.5
Jets @ Seahawks
Spread: SEA -13.5
O/U: 46.5
The largest spread of the week by far goes to a struggling Russell Wilson against a Jets team who hangs tight in most weeks. I like them to keep it close again, but Russell Wilson should get a nice chance to put up the big numbers that he hasn’t in a few weeks now.
Jets +13.5 | Over 46.5
Packers @ Lions
Spread: GB -7.5
O/U: 55.5
An NFC North Division matchup with little to no playoff implications. The Packers have a firm grasp on the Division and the Lions will look to take out a divisional foe. Overall, Aaron Rodgers will be too much and should have a monstrous day over the Detroit defense.
Packers -7.5 | Over 55.5
Saints @ Eagles
Spread: NO -7
O/U: 44
The Saints are still without Drew Brees and the Eagles will move to Jalen Hurts. An interesting QB matchup to say the least. The Saints defense will ultimately be too much for the Eagles to overcome.
Saints -7 | Under 44
Falcons @ Chargers
Spread: ATL -2.5
O/U: 49.5
The Falcons will be without star Wide Receiver, Julio Jones this week. However, it should not hurt them much against a Chargers team who is coming back down to earth in terms of offensive production. I say this every week, but the Falcons look way better on both sides of the ball without Dan Quinn. I like them to keep it rolling.
Falcons -2.5 | Under 49.5
Washington Football Team @ 49ers
Spread: SF -3
O/U: 43
The 49ers at ‘home’ in Arizona against the Washington Football Team who just handed the Steelers their first loss of the season. It depends on who is under center for the 49ers. It looked like they were going to make a move to CJ Beathard last week, but stayed with Nick Mullens. Overall, the Washington defense line will steal the show again and lead the Football Team to victory.
Washington Football Team +3 | Over 43
Sunday Night Football:
Steelers @ Bills
Spread: BUF -1.5
O/U: 46.5
The Steelers are coming off a humbling loss to the Washington Football Team while the Bills are coming off a dominant performance against the 49ers. I like the Bills to ride the hot hand of Josh Allen to another victory over a good Steelers defense.
Bills -1.5 | Over 46.5
Monday Night Football:
Ravens @ Browns
Spread: BAL -2.5
O/U: 47
The Browns continue to play well without Odell Beckham Jr. Baker Mayfield has proven that he can throw the ball when opposing teams take away the run game. However, the Ravens have a stout defense and Lamar Jackson looks to have rounded himself back into form since coming back from the Covid list. I like the Ravens to win by a field goal.
Ravens -2.5 | Over 47
