It’s getting down to crunch time in both the NFL playoff race and your confidence pools. Just five weeks remain in the regular season, and Week 14 features a lot of games that could have a huge impact on the NFL’s playoff picture. Let’s jump in and set our Week 14 NFL confidence pool picks by picking a winner for every game ranked in order of confidence.
Week 13 was full of upsets, but we did well in this picks article, seeing the high-confidence picks and hitting eight of the top 10 picks. Dallas and Chicago were the upsets that hurt us. Thursday Night Football for Week 14 starts with a big showdown as the Dallas Cowboys, fresh off wins over both Super Bowl teams from last season, head to Detroit to face the Lions. Those two teams are the first two “on the bubble” for the NFC side of things. Sunday features a big one between the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars in the battle for AFC South supremacy. In the AFC North, the Steelers and Ravens do battle; the winner will sit atop the division.
Sunday afternoon is a huge matchup in the NFC North as the Chicago Bears head to Lambeau to do battle with the Green Bay Packers. Sunday Night Football should be a good one as CJ Stroud and Patrick Mahomes face off for a few teams on the outside looking into the AFC playoff picture. It’ll all wrap up on Monday Night Football with a heavyweight bout between the Eagles and Chargers. Four teams will take the week off in the final set of bye weeks. They include the New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers.
Week 14 NFL Confidence Pool Picks
High Confidence Picks
1.Broncos Over Raiders
2.Seahawks Over Falcons
3.Rams Over Cardinals
4.Buccaneers Over Saints
It hasn’t always been pretty for the Broncos, but they’ve been taking care of business. The Raiders are making a case for being the worst team in the league. The Broncos will win this one easily.
The Seahawks-Falcons game is another story of the same case. Seattle is an elite team taking care of business week in and week out, especially on the road. This Falcons team is a mess. Kirk Cousins hasn’t looked great in his return. Seattle rolls.
The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Carolina Panthers last week. They aren’t losing in back-to-back weeks this time to the Cardinals. Jacoby Brissett has looked fine, but the Rams are another elite team with an easier matchup. These are the games we don’t have to overthink.
The New Orleans Saints have made most games respectable, and Tampa has struggled a bit this year. But the Buccaneers are favored by 8.5 at home. Baker may have his full complement of weapons back this week, and the Buccaneers need to keep winning for their playoff spot.
Confident Pick
5.Bills Over Bengals
6.Dolphins Over Jets
7.Commanders Over Vikings
8.Eagles Over Chargers
9.Chiefs Over Texans
The Buffalo Bills have been a hard team to trust this year, and Cincinnati has Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase back this week. But I’m feeling confident that they stack up another much-needed win as they look to secure a Wild Card spot.
The Miami Dolphins almost blew it against the Saints last week, but they’ve still been looking like a much better team here lately. The players are stepping up and playing for Mike McDaniel, who appears like he may just keep his job.
Washington was impressive last week, taking the Broncos to overtime before missing the two-point attempt and losing the game. The Vikings and their quarterback “Nine” haven’t looked good. Commanders win this one in an upset, and I feel confident enough about that to put it in the confident section.
On Monday Night, the Philadelphia Eagles look to bounce back after back-to-back losses to the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. They’ll go up against an injured Justin Herbert, or maybe Trey Lance if Herbert can’t go. The Chargers’ line is beat up, and this is a statement game for Philly.
The Kansas City Chiefs can’t lose again, can they? I was hesitant to put them in this section, but I’ll once again put some faith in Mahomes and Reid. It’ll be an ugly, low-scoring affair, but the Chiefs come out on top.
Toss-Ups
10.Ravens Over Steelers
11.Bears Over Packers
12.Jaguars Over Colts
13.Lions Over Cowboys
14.Browns Over Titans
It’s always scary to go against Mike Tomlin, but things may be crumbling in Pittsburgh. They didn’t look great against the Bengals last week, but Baltimore is very much alive in the playoff hunt and steals the win here.
The Chicago Bears lead the NFC with the best record, but enter this game as 6.5-point underdogs. What do they have to do to get some respect? How do you pick against this team after the way they manhandled the Eagles last week? Yes, it’s the NFC North and in Lambeau. But give me the Bears.
The Jaguars and Colts is a true toss-up game, but if you’ve been following this article, you know I’ve loved the Jaguars since the preseason. Duuuval.
Thursday Night’s matchup is another true toss-up. I gave out the Cowboys to cover a close game in my Thursday Night Preview. But ultimately, I do think the Lions snag the win.
The Browns-Titans is just the matchup American wanted, right? This game is gross, and I don’t love backing Shedeur Sanders, but this Browns defense is a game breaker, and they’ll be the difference.
