2017 NFL Week 14 Recap

There were some major incidents that occurred in NFL Week 14. The biggest, no doubt, is the Philadelphia Eagles losing their starting quarterback, Carson Wentz. Without Wentz, the Eagles’ Super Bowl odds flew from +350 to +1250. Minnesota and New Orleans are now favored over the Eagles in the NFC.

That other big news is that the New England Patriots lost straight up to the Miami Dolphins. That wasn’t supposed to happen. The Pats were a ridiculous -10.5 road favorite over Miami this past Monday night. Check out a recap of the Pats vs Fins game as well as recaps for all the action in NFL Week 14!

2017 NFL Week 14 Recap

Thursday, Dec. 7

New Orleans Saints -1.5 at Atlanta Falcons +1.5

It took a Drew Brees interception with about 1 minute and 20 seconds left for the Falcons to close the door on the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta beat their rivals in a game that they had to win. But, the victory comes with an asterisk.

Why? New Orleans was banged up on offense and defense. The fact that the Falcons let the Saints come that close to beating them straight up in their own building without RB Alvin Kamara means that Atlanta’s got a way to go before challenging for the NFC. Heck, the Falcons are only a single game ahead of Green Bay, Detroit, and Dallas in the wildcard chase. They’re tied with Seattle.

Recap: Falcons 20, Saints 17

Sunday, Dec. 10

Detroit Lions pk at Tampa Bay Buccaneers pk

Going into the fourth quarter, Detroit appeared to have sewn this one up. The Lions boasted a 21 to 7 lead. The Lions needed a field goal in the fourth quarter to beat the Buccaneers. QB Jameis Winston hasn’t developed into the deadly drop back passer every one thought he was just yet.

Winston is the reason the Bucs rallied for an almost tie in this game. He’s also the reason the Bucs were down by 14 points heading into the 4th quarter. Jameis threw 2 interceptions. The Lions kept their slim playoff hopes alive.

Result: Lions 24, Buccaneers 21

Oakland Raiders +4 at Kansas City Chiefs -4

I thought the Raiders might take it versus the Chiefs. That didn’t happen. Instead, Oakland’s offense stood still versus what had been one of the worst defenses in the NFL in the past month. Kansas City didn’t play a great game. What it tells me is that the Chiefs and the Raiders have no hope of winning the AFC West.

I think the L.A. Chargers are in the drivers seat for the division. That’s what happens when you play terrible for as many weeks as both the Chiefs and Raiders have.

Result: Chiefs 26, Raiders 15

Green Bay Packers -3.5 at Cleveland Browns +3.5

Oh, man. For a while there, I truly thought the Cleveland Browns might win their first game of the season. The Browns took a 21 to 7 lead into the fourth quarter. What happened? The Packers outscored Cleveland 14 to 0 in the fourth. The game went into overtime. Green Bay quickly scored 6 points to end the game.

So, not only did Cleveland miss out on a straight up win, the Browns didn’t even cover the spread. It was one of the most ridiculous games I’ve seen this season. Yes, it was ridiculous because I had money on Cleveland to win straight up.

Result: Packers 27, Browns 21

Minnesota Vikings -3 at Carolina Panthers +3

Minnesota’s luck finally ran out in Week 14. The Vikings had won 8 in a row. Minny had won 9 out of their last 10. Carolina would have none of it, though. The Panthers pounced on the Vikings early in this game. Minnesota fought hard just to lose by 7 points.

One thing to notice about the Vikings, is that at Carolina was their third straight road game. The Vikings had beaten both Detroit and Atlanta on the road before the loss to Carolina.

Result: Panthers 31, Vikings 24

Chicago Bears +7 at Cincinnati Bengals -7

It’s funny what happens during the course of an NFL Season. Earlier this season, I truly thought the Baltimore Ravens had quit. I didn’t believe the Ravens had any shot of getting into the playoffs. Baltimore looked horrible. I had also thought that the Cincinnati Bengals had quit. Then, the Bengals started playing decent football. What happened in NFL Week 14? Cincinnati flat out quit.

That’s the only reason to describe how a decent defense allowed Bears QB Mitch Trubisky to complete 25 of 32 for 271 yards. Trubisky also threw a TD pass. What more do I write about that?

Result: Bears 33, Bengals 7 

San Francisco 49’ers +3 at Houston Texans -3

The San Francisco 49’ers made it 2 wins in a row. That means when you read my NFL Rankings for Week 15, you’re going to see that the Niners have jumped all the way into the Top 30. That’s right. SF is now better than at least 2 more teams.

Heck, I might put San Francisco ahead of some 4 and 9 teams on my rankings.  All kidding aside, the 49’ers defense has gelled. Holding Chicago to only 14 points, like what it did last Sunday, is nothing compared to holding the Houston Texans with WR DeAndre Hopkins and RB Lamar Miller to only 16 points.

I must also write that Jimmy Garoppolo has the spark that San Francisco needed on offense. He threw another pick, which makes 2 interceptions since starting his career with SF, but he’s made up for it with a ton of passing yards and 2 passing TDs.

Result: 49’ers 26, Texans 16

Indianapolis Colts +3.5 at Buffalo Bills -3.5

Really, Indianapolis? The Buffalo Bills start Nathan Peterman at quarterback, and the terrible Colts still find a way to lose. That’s unbelievable to me. The Jets scored 34 points against the Bills defense this season. That’s the Jets.

The best the Colts could do on offense is only 7 points? That’s how bad Indianapolis is on offense? What a bummer game if your a Colts fan.

Result: Bills 13, Colts 7 

Dallas Cowboys -5 at New York Giants +5

This was a strange game. The Giants sure looked like the type of team that could hang with the Dallas Cowboys. NYG stepped onto the football field with enthusiasm. At halftime, the score was Dallas 10, New York Giants 10.

After the third quarter, it remained Dallas 10, New York Giants 10. Then, the Cowboys turned on a switch in the fourth quarter. The Boys outscored the Giants 20 to 0. Eli Manning threw 2 interceptions. Maybe, Eli shouldn’t start ahead of Geno Smith.

Result: Cowboys 30, Giants 10 

New York Jets -1.5 at Denver Broncos +1.5

The Broncos fantastic 23 to 0 win over the New York Jets showed exactly why Denver had dropped 8 games in a row. The Broncos defense has been good all season long. Often, the offense put the Broncos D in bad situations because Denver’s offense was terrible at moving the football.

The Broncos didn’t move the ball all that well versus the Jets, either. What the Broncos offense did do is protect the football, though. QB Trevor Siemian didn’t throw an interception. The Broncos didn’t lose a fumble. That inspired Denver’s D to dominate the Jets offense.

Result: Broncos 23, Jets 0

Tennessee Titans -3 at Arizona Cardinals +3

I didn’t predict many NFL games right against the spread in Week 14. But, I did predict Arizona vs Tennessee correctly. Tennessee’s offense was terrible versus the Cardinals’ defense. Arizona didn’t move the ball well.  What AZ did is score more points than what Tennessee scored.

Result: Cardinals 12, Titans 7

Washington Redskins +6.5 at L.A. Chargers -6.5

I thought Washington might stay close to the L.A. Chargers. That didn’t happen this past Sunday. The Bolts dominated a Washington that appeared uninterested in what was happening.

With the win, the Chargers moved into a tie atop the AFC West Division with the Kansas City Chiefs. LAC battles the Chiefs in Week 15. That’s crazy because the Bolts lost their first 4 games this season.

Result: Chargers 30, Washington 17

Seattle Seahawks +3 at Jacksonville Jaguars -3

Here’s another game I correctly called. The Jacksonville Jaguars defense played well early. Game balls go to the Jaguars’ offense, though. Jacksonville rushed for 156 yards versus one of the better run stopping teams in the NFL.

That’s not what impressed me. What impressed me is how QB Blake Bortles completed 18 of 27 for 268 yards and 2 TDs. Bortles has improved considerably this season.

Result: Jaguars 30, Seahawks 24 

Philadelphia Eagles +2.5 at L.A. Rams -2.5

Oh, man. Bummer time for the Eagles. Philadelphia managed to beat the L.A. Rams in La-La Land. That’s the good news. The bad news is that QB Carson Wentz is out for the rest of the season. Wentz tore an Achilles.

Result: Eagles 43, Rams 35 

Baltimore Ravens +7 at Pittsburgh Steelers -7

I must admit, the way the Baltimore Ravens almost beat the Pittsburgh Steelers was ultra-impressive. Baltimore has really come together on offense. QB Joe Flacco’s TD to INT ratio is 4 to 1 in the Ravens’ last couple of games. RB Alex Collins has rushed for 195 yards in the last 2 Baltimore games.

The reason I bring up the Ravens is because even though Pittsburgh beat Baltimore, the Edgar Allan Poes showed that they can hang with the best team in the NFL. Yep. Pitt is the best team in the NFL. Why? Read about the Patriots Monday night fiasco.

Result: Steelers 39, Ravens 38

Monday, Dec. 11

New England Patriots -11 at Miami Dolphins +11

Wow. There’s not other way to describe it. The freaking New England Patriots lost by 7 points to the Miami Dolphins. New England scrambled in the 4th quarter to get into position to tie the game. Miami didn’t let them.

The Patriots simply got outplayed in this one. New England dropped down a couple of spots on my power rankings. Make sure to check it out once we’re able to post it.

Result: Dolphins 27, Patriots 20