NFL Game Picks: Week 14
Host Jordan Hession and analysts Eric Fenstermaker, Logan Bourandas and Jon Draeger discuss the biggest matchups in Week 14 and give their thoughts and predictions.
As the season nears the finish line, this week sees many games that have serious playoff implications.
Week 14 can make or break a team’s playoff hopes.
New England Patriots (6-6) vs Los Angeles Rams (8-4)
Thursday night football gives us a rematch of Super Bowl 53.
The Rams enter this week after defeating a struggling Arizona Cardinal team 38-28. Jared Goff was excellent, passing for 351 yards.
As for the Patriots, they have been very inconsistent and Cam Newton is at the forefront of that. Newton has not been his MVP self that we saw a few years ago.
If Goff plays like he did last week, the Rams should come away with the win.
Prediction: Rams 17, Patriots 10
Minnesota Vikings (6-6) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5)
After barely beating the 1-11 Jaguars last week, the Vikings look to bounce back. Look for Dalvin Cook, Adam Theilen, and Justin Jefferson to have a big role if they are able to win.
The Buccaneers are well rested after their bye week and it came at a good time, as they had lost three of their last four. Tom Brady will have to get back to playing how he was earlier in the season for the team to get back on track.
Brady will dominate and spread the ball around to all oftheir weapons.
Prediction: Vikings 14, Buccaneers 35.
Arizona Cardinals (6-6) vs New York Giants (5-7)
The Cardinals have lost four of their last five and are not playing good football. The defense has struggled, Kyler Murray hasn't been playing as well as he had been at the start of the season, and the team has missed huge field goals.
The Giants are riding high, sitting atop the NFC East after upsetting the Seahawks 17-12 last week. The Giants have an excellent defense led by James Bradberry and Leonard Williams.
If Daniel Jones suits up Sunday, the Giants come away with a huge win.
Prediction: Cardinals 17, Giants 21
Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) vs Miami Dolphins (8-4)
The Chiefs are one of the best teams in the league led by Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. The Chiefs are looking to claim the top spot in the AFC and will look to extend their win streak to eight.
The Dolphins have been the surprise team of the year, as they are playing great football and sit at 6th in the AFC. Miami is an extremely well-coached team that has phenomenal defense led by Emmanuel Ogbah and Xavien Howard.
However, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense will be too much for the Dolphins to handle.
Prediction: Chiefs 31, Dolphins 21
Tennessee Titans (8-4) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (1-11)
The Titans lost a shootout last week to the Browns 41-35. This week, they get an easy matchup against a division foe in the Jaguars. Look for Derrick Henry and A.J. Brown to have monster games.
The Jaguars are the second-worst team in football and should be tanking to get a high draft pick to help them rebuild. They do not stand a chance against the Titans, who need to win this game.
The Titans will dominate the Jaguars in every facet of the game and come away with a huge win.
Prediction: Titans 42, Jaguars 14
Dallas Cowboys (3-9) vs Cincinnati Bengals (2-9-1)
Dallas has had a terrible season, due to injuries and inconsistent play by both the offense and defense. The Cowboys need Ezekial Elliot to play like a top running back like he has in previous years.
This has been a rebuilding year for the Bengals and now with franchise quarterback Joe Burrow done for the season, the Bengals will most likely look to lose out to get a better draft pick.
The Cowboys will win but in an ugly fashion.
Prediction: Cowboys 21, Bengals 10
Houston Texans (4-8) vs Chicago Bears (5-7)
The Texans have struggled this season, however, they do not have their first-round draft pick so they will not be tanking. Deshaun Watson will look to have another big game, as he is playing a team that passed on him the draft for another quarterback.
That other quarterback was Mitch Trubisky, who has been awful his entire career so far. The Bears offense has been anemic this season, due to a bad offensive line and quarterback play.
Watson will come out and dominate and the Texans will win big.
Prediction: Texans 31, Bears 17
Denver Broncos (4-8) vs Carolina Panthers (4-8)
The Broncos offense is one of the worst in all of football and this may come as a surprise as they have great weapons such as Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler. But quarterback Drew Lock has been terrible this year.
The Panthers have lost six of their last seven but fear not as Christian McCaffrey is back. McCaffrey has missed almost the entire season but when he is on the field he is an electric player.
McCaffrey will lead the Panthers to a confidence-boosting victory.
Prediction: Broncos 14, Panthers 24
New York Jets (0-12) vs Seattle Seahawks (8-4)
The Jets almost had their first win last week as they fell 31-28 to the Raiders on a last-second hail mary. The loss was for the better, as they will most likely get the first pick in the draft.
The Seahawks need this game, as the NFC playoff race is getting tighter. Russell Wilson needs to have a big performance, but lucky enough for the Seahawks, they are playing the worst team in the league.
The Seahawks will dominate in this game.
Prediction: Jets 7, Seahawks 45
Indianapolis Colts (8-4) vs Las Vegas Raiders (7-5)
The Colts have played well this season. They have a top 15 offense and defense. Look for guys such as Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. to have big games this week.
The Raiders almost lost to the Jets, a team that has not won a game this year. Darren Waller was great as he had 13 catches, 200 yards, and two touchdowns. Look for Waller and Josh Jacobs to have big games this week.
The Colts will come out on top as they will make more big plays in the clutch.
Prediction: Colts 27, Raiders 21
Washington Football Team (5-7) vs San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
The Football Team is coming off the biggest upset of the season as they took down the then-undefeated Steelers. Washington’s front seven has been excellent this season generating a ton of pressure.
The 49ers have dealt with a ton of injuries this season to many key players such as George Kittle, Nick Bosa, and Jimmy Garoppolo. Quarterback Nick Mullens will struggle against Washington’s defense.
Alex Smith will lead his team to a win over his former team.
Prediction: Football Team 21, 49ers 20
Atlanta Falcons (4-8) vs Las Angeles Chargers (3-9)
The Falcons have not played well this season due to their defense not playing well. Atlanta has a top 15 offense however their defense is toward the bottom of the league.
The Chargers have been really bad this season however rookie quarterback has been a bright spot as he has been excellent. This game is more about the future and Hebert will look to dominate after struggling last week.
The Chargers will bounce back after a bad loss last week with a win this week.
Prediction: 17 Falcons, Chargers 27
Green Bay Packers (9-3) vs Detroit Lions (5-7)
The Packers are one of the best teams in the league and that is due to Aaron Rodgers and Devante Adams. Green bay will look to keep pace with the Saints for the top spot in the conference.
The Lions have had an inconsistent season however one bright spot has been rookie D’Andre Swift. Swift is returning from injury this week and will look to have a big game.
The Packers will win big this week over their rival.
Prediction: Packers 38, Lions 17
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1) vs Buffalo Bills (9-3)
This will be an excellent matchup as it sees two of the top teams in the AFC square off.
The Steelers suffered their first loss last week and they will look to rebound this week. The Steelers need to limit their drops as they have 27 drops this season and that could be the difference in a close game.
The Bills are playing great football right now winning five of their last six. Both Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are having careers and that is who is driving their offense. Tre’Davious white has been excellent on defense.
The Bills will come away with a close victory
Prediction: Steelers 28, Bills 31
Baltimore Ravens (7-5) vs Cleveland Browns (9-3)
The Ravens have struggled mightily in the second half of the season as they have won two of their last six games. If they want to win Lamar Jackson will need to step up and have the best game of his young career.
Unlike the Ravens, The Browns have won 4 in a row and will look to continue their streak in this one. Running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have been fantastic and Myles Garrett has wreaked havoc on defense.
The Browns will come out with a win but barely.
Prediction: Ravens 21, Browns 24
Alex Rocco is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. You can contact him at afr5646@psu.edu
About the Contributors
Jordan Hession
Junior / Broadcast Journalism
Jordan Hession is a junior from Annapolis, Maryland majoring in broadcast journalism. Jordan is the co-host of CommRadio’s longest running live radio show The Sin Bin with Kyle Cannillo. In the summer of 2020, Jordan interned at SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio as a sports programmer. When Jordan is not discussing sports, he is writing various articles for collegiate and professional sports leagues and teams. Jordan has a love for all sports but has a genuine passion to spread ice hockey and baseball globally. Away from broadcast journalism, Jordan enjoys lifting weights and cooking. Jordan’s role models in the broadcast journalism industry include Doc Emrick, Gary Thorne and Mike Lange. In the future, Jordan sees himself working as a producer or host in sports talk radio and potentially television. To contact Jordan, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Logan Bourandas
Third-Year / Broadcast Journalism
Logan Bourandas is a third-year broadcast journalism major from Long Island, NY. He is a the news director for CommRadio and the host of Ducks on the Pond, which is an all-baseball talk show on CommRadio. He is also a sports writer, broadcaster and podcaster for CommRadio. He got his start as the station manager for his high school radio station WPOB in his hometown of Plainview, NY, where he hosted numerous radio shows and was involved in sports broadcasts. You can contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Alex Rocco
Third-Year / Broadcast Journalism
Alex Rocco is a third-year student from Long Island, New York majoring in broadcast journalism. Rocco is a general manager, football reporter and broadcaster for CommRadio. Along with covering football for CommRadio, he’s a women’s soccer reporter for The Daily Collegian. Rocco got his start as the president of his high school sports media department, where he wrote numerous articles and broadcasted many games. If you would like to contact him, his email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Jonathan Draeger
Third Year / Broadcast Journalism
Jonathan “Jon” Draeger is a third-year student from Butler, Pennsylvania, majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State University. He is the Production Director for CommRadio, alongside his work as a broadcaster and producer for the Sports department and insider for Penn State Men’s Basketball. Jon also works on the “After The Whistle” live show. He was apart of the social media and on-field entertainment crew for the Butler Bluesox in the summer of 2021 and worked as a Broadcast Intern for the Saugerties Stallions of the PGCBL in the summer of 2022. If you would like to contact him, you can do so at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Eric Fenstermaker
Senior / Broadcast Journalist
Eric Fenstermaker is a senior from Northampton, Pennsylvania, majoring in broadcast journalism. He is also minoring in business and sports studies and pursuing a certificate in sports journalism.
Eric is involved in After the Whistle and Penn State Sports Night (PSSN). For COMM Radio, Eric contributes to a variety of different podcasts and co-hosts the Hail Mary radio show, which is dedicated to analyzing NFL games.
Eric loves conversation and interaction with sports fans, and he looks to help generate meaningful dialogues in the sports world. Eric aims to create content that is accurate, timely and impactful. To contact Eric, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
