If you decided to trust me last week and wager on the games I loved, then you would have come up positive last week. As promised, I will continue to document my record from the each of the previous weeks.
Week 14: 3-1
Washington – ½ at Philadelphia (favorite game)
Oakland +3 at Kansas City
Cincinnati -5 at Cleveland
Pittsburgh -2 at Buffalo
With the playoffs approaching and teams looking to lock up playoff spots/ first round byes/ home field advantage, week 15 is typically one of the last weeks that you will see every team continue to roll out all the starters as there is still a lot on the line. This is the week where you want to take advantage.
My Favorite Game
Pittsburgh -3 at Cincinnati
Pittsburgh is playing the way we all expected them to at the beginning of the year and look like one of the best teams in football over the last few weeks. Le’Veon Bell exploded for nearly 300 scrimmage yards and 3 TDs last week in the snow and Antonio Brown and Roethlisberger are still one of the most dangerous duos in the league. AJ Green is doubtful but his effectiveness is going to be questionable even if he does play.
Games I Love
Oakland -3 at San Diego
Fresh off a loss to division rival Kansas City, which dropped the Raiders from the 1 seed to the 5 seed in the AFC, Oakland now finds itself facing another division opponent in San Diego. I would be completely shocked if Oakland loses games in consecutive weeks especially against a depleted San Diego team who will be without Melvin Gordon in week 15.
New York Giants -4 vs. Detroit
After coming off a huge win against Dallas last week, the Giants face another tough opponent in Detroit. The Giants have been on a roll lately and the Lions, despite winning the last five games, haven’t looked as dominant. Couple that with Stafford’s dislocated finger on his throwing hand and Theo Riddick still not practicing with a lingering wrist injury, expect this Giants to take this one.
Miami -2.5 at New York Jets
The Jets needed a 14-point comeback and overtime to beat a terrible 49ers team. Even without Tannehill, the Dolphins might still have the advantage at QB as Matt Moore has more experience than Bryce Petty. The Dolphins defense has been playing playoff-caliber football of late and I expect them to lead Miami in this matchup.
Games I Hate
Jacksonville at Houston -5
It seems like we keep waiting for Jacksonville to turn it around. They are too talented not to. In a division game against Houston, (who seems to be overachieving) the Jaguars find themselves in a position to play potential spoiler and give the fans something to look forward to next season by finishing strong. I can see this all happening but I also don’t expect it.
San Francisco at Atlanta -14
I definitely expect Atlanta to win this game but the 14-point spread is always difficult to overcome in the NFL regardless of who you play. With that being said, however, I am definitely not going to put my money on the 49ers to cover.
Green Bay -5.5 at Chicago
Green Bay looks like a team that has figured it out and is peaking at the right time. They are poised to make a strong push for the postseason behind Aaron Rodgers great play down the stretch. If this game were in Green Bay, I’d bet the house on the Packers. However, it is being played in Chicago where the Bears are a surprising 3-3 and 2-0 against division opponents. In 2 of their losses, they had a meltdown in the 4th quarter against Jacksonville and were held on a goal line stand against Tennessee. Because of this dichotomy, I’m staying away.