Week 14 of the 2020 began with the Rams getting revenge on the Patriots, snapping a six-game losing streak that included a pair of Super Bowl defeats with a convincing 24-3 victory on Thursday Night Football. There is still plenty of football left on the schedule this week, with 30 teams still preparing for their respective matchups over the next two days. 14 of those matchups will take place on this action-packed Sunday, including a slew of meaningful contests that will have a wide-ranging impact on the 2021 NFL Playoff picture.
Some of the most important games of Week 14 kick off in the 1 p.m. ET window, including a critical NFC match between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings, a pair of teams currently vying for a Wild Card spot in the conference. The 7-5 Bucs would be in as the No. 6 seed if the postseason began today, but the 6-6 Vikings—currently the No. 7 team in the NFC—could close that gap and earn a valuable tiebreaker with a road victory today.
Another key early afternoon affair involves the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, a clash where the outcome will help shape the AFC portion of the 2021 NFL Playoff bracket. The 11-1 Chiefs are the only team in the conference to have clinched a postseason berth so far, but still trail the 11-1 Pittsburgh Steelers for the top seed, which is more important than ever this year as only the No. 1 seeds earn first-round byes. The 8-4 ‘Phins are having an incredible campaign after years of mediocrity, but still are far from assured a postseason berth despite their impressive record. The club would be the No. 6 seed if the playoffs began today, but have little breathing room with three teams sitting at 7-5 or better behind them. Miami is also just a game back from the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills, a team they lost to earlier in the year and will see again in the final game of the season, one that could wind up being critical for tiebreaker purposes.
Don’t sleep on the Arizona Cardinals-New York Giants bout either in this timeslot, a game that both sides will be desperate to win in order to keep their postseason dreams alive. The 5-7 G-Men have a slim lead in the NFC East by virtue of winning a pair of head-to-head matchups with 5-7 Washington, but that tiebreak advantage could be for naught if they don’t finish strong and at least tie the Football Team for best record in the division after Week 17. The 6-6 Cards aren’t out of contention yet either, despite being mired in a three-game losing streak and having dropped four of their last five after a hot start to the 2020 season. The club is currently the No. 8 seed in the NFC, but could turn things around and make a Wild Card run with three of their final four opponents owning sub-.500 records.
The late afternoon will see five games kicking off between 4:05 and 4:25 p.m. ET, a busy window that will showcase numerous contenders jostling to improve their postseason chances and seeding. Expect a fierce battle in the Indianapolis Colts at Las Vegas Raiders contest, as both organizations cannot afford a loss to remain in the hunt for a playoff berth. The 8-4 Colts are trailing the Dolphins for the conference’s final Wild Card seed, losing a tiebreak based on win percentage in AFC matchups. The 7-5 Raiders still have work to do, but a “W” against a tough foe like Indy would go a long way towards bringing this program back to the postseason for the first time since 2016 and just the second trip since their Super Bowl run in 2002.
The primetime schedule that closes out Week 14 is an intriguing one, beginning with a Sunday Night Football showdown between AFC powerhouses in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. The Steelers are reeling from their first loss of the 2020 campaign, dropping to 11-1 after being stunned by Washington this past Monday. They still hold the top seed in the conference, but need to turn things around in order to avoid being usurped by the defending champion Chiefs. It won’t be easy, as not only are the Steelers playing their third game 12 days, but the Bills also represent one of the toughest challenges Pittsburgh will face all year. This Buffalo team is talented and hungry to win its first AFC East title since 1995, sitting one game ahead of the Dolphins in the standings and owning the head-to-head tiebreaker for now, but will not want to let up with only a few games left to secure the divisional crown that eluded the franchise for so long.
Week 14 winds down on Monday Night Football with the AFC North taking center stage, pitting the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns together for the second and final time this regular season. The red-hot Browns are sitting in the driver’s seat to nab the conference’s No. 5 seed and still have an outside chance to contest for the divisional title at 9-4, while the Ravens are hoping to continue turning things around and make a late-season playoff push after snapping a three-game losing skid and moving to 7-5 with a win over Dallas last week. Baltimore obliterated Cleveland in the 2020 opener, but much has changed in the months since that matchup, but not so much that the Ravens aren’t still favored—by three on the road to be exact—to cap off the sweep in primetime.
With so much exciting action taking place over these next two days, it’s easy to miss some value on the board when betting these games or picking winners against the spread for pools. Fortunately for readers, Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com has done the work for you and sent along his predictions for some of Week 14’s top contests. Before getting to the pro handicapper’s projections, have a look at the kickoff start times, TV channels and updated odds for every game on the schedule. You can also find some key betting trends to help you make informed decisions when it comes to your Week 14 NFL picks.
2020 NFL Week 14 Schedule And Odds
Matchup (Odds), Time ET (Network)
Sunday, December 13
- Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars (+7), 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
- Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals (+3), 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
- Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants (+2.5), 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
- Houston Texans at Chicago Bears (+1.5), 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
- Denver Broncos at Carolina Panthers (-3.5), 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
- Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-7), 1:00 p.m. (Fox)
- Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins (+7), 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
- Indianapolis Colts at Las Vegas Raiders (+3), 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
- New York Jets at Seattle Seahawks (-15), 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
- Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions (+8.5), 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Chargers (+1), 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles (+8.5), 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Washington Football Team at San Francisco 49ers (-3), 4:25 p.m. (Fox)
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills (-2.5), 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Monday, December 14
- Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns (+2.5), 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)