When the 2017 NFL season is said and done with, we’re probably going to look back at Week 14 and realize that it was the turning point in the season one way or the other for a number of teams. Between the Vikings/Panthers game, the Saints/Falcons game, the Seahawks/Jaguars game, the Ravens/Steelers game and the Eagles/Rams game, we’ve got 10 teams who are all fighting for their Super Bowl contender status. The winners of these games are likely to be the top dogs going into January while the losers could be looking at missing the playoffs entirely or having to win road games in the playoffs to get to the Promised Land.
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The Numbers
1: The number of games the Browns have won over the course of their last 28 games, the worst 28-game stretch in NFL history. It’s hard to say much of anything nice if you’re a Browns fan short of the fact that you’re likely to have two top-10 picks and four selections in the top-40 in the NFL Draft this year. Cleveland has around a 30 percent chance per ESPN’s FPI to finish the season without a single win, but that number is going to rise dramatically if this isn’t the week it gets its victory. The Browns are home against a Green Bay team that badly needs to win this game to stay in the playoff race. But have you watched Brett Hundley try to throw the ball lately? It’s not quite a joke like Nathan Peterman, but we serious believe that Aaron Rodgers would be better throwing lefthanded than Hundley is throwing the ball with his right hand.
6: The number of points the Cowboys are favored by over the Giants. New York just fired Ben McAdoo on Monday morning, and with that firing signals the end of a brutal era of Big Blue football. Dallas is laying a touchdown in Week 14 in the Meadowlands, the most points they’ve given to the Giants on the road since 1997 back the heyday of Cowboys football. It’s not that these Cowboys are anywhere near good. Sure, they beat up Washington last week to end a three-game losing streak, but this is a .500 team through and through. The Giants are just a horrid disgrace.
12: The number representing the highest point spread of Week 14. It was only a couple weeks ago that the Patriots were the biggest favorites on the board in the NFL this season at -17 against Miami. Now, the return leg of this series in South Beach features New England as the biggest road favorite of the season at -12. Tom Brady hasn’t had great success in Miami over the years, especially recently. The Patriots have been beaten in three of their last four visits to Miami, though it would feel like a huge stretch for the Fins to win this game. The Pats have only been favored by this many points in South Beach once since betting lines became widely available in 1985, that coming in their perfect regular season in 2007. That year, New England was -15.5 at Miami.
55: The number of points in the over/under of the Saints/Falcons game, the highest total amongst the Week 14 betting odds. The Saints are back in the top spot for over/unders for the fourth time in five games, and this one makes all the sense in the world. Sure, the Falcons are coming off of a 14-9 dud against the Vikings, but their offense is still tremendously explosive. Drew Brees has the goods to put 40 on the board against anyone, but if we’re being honest, at this point, this team belongs to Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram now. Slowing these two down is going to be the key to keeping this game under the total.
Opening Week 14 NFL Odds
Vikings at Lions (PK, 44.5)
Chargers at Cowboys (-1, 48)
Giants at Redskins (-7.5, 44.5)
Browns at Bengals (-9, 38)
Bears at Eagles (-13, 44)
Dolphins at Patriots (-17, 47)
Bills at Chiefs (-10.5, 45)
Buccaneers at Falcons (-10)
Panthers at Jets (+4, 39.5)
Titans at Colts (+4.5)
Seahawks at 49ers (+8)
Saints at Rams (-2.5, 53.5)
Jaguars at Cardinals (+5, 38)
Broncos at Raiders (-5, 44)
Packers at Steelers (-13.5, 41.5)
Texans at Ravens (-7, 38)
(Odds Courtesy of BookMaker.eu)
