It’s always annoying to favorites when they lose to underdogs, but even moreso this time of year when it can have a big effect on the playoff race. The people that are happy are the teams that pulled the upset as well as the gamblers that correctly called it.
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The Week 14 NFL regular season schedule will feature plenty of games with intriguing underdogs. Some are smart picks on the moneyline to pull the upset, and others will be the choice to cover the spread. Here are some of the top underdog choices of the week. Odds provided by Bookmaker.eu.
Jacksonville Jaguars (+4) vs Tennessee Titans
The Jacksonville Jaguars got their groove back last time out, shutting out the Indianapolis Colts. Jacksonville’s offense is still a big concern but its defense has the ability to be elite as it showed last time out. The Jaguars must hit the road for a game against the Tennessee Titans. This one should be a low-scoring affair. The Titans are the four-point favorites but that seems a touch too high. The underdog Jaguars are the choice to cover and are also a worthy pick on the moneyline at +176.
Atlanta Falcons (+5.5) vs Green Bay Packers
The Atlanta Falcons looked pretty horrible last time out but this is a week-to-week league. They are going on the road to face off against a Green Bay Packers team that is also reeling. The Packers fired coach Mike McCarthy this week and have been instituted as the 5.5-point home favorites for this matchup. Both of these teams have underachieved this year but they are pretty even in talent level. Atlanta is the easy pick to cover this spread.
Washington Redskins (+3.5) vs New York Giants
The Washington Redskins are having a huge amount of trouble with injuries, as the offensive line is ravaged and the team is on its third quarterback. Mark Sanchez is taking over under center and while that’s not great news, it won’t be a disaster. Washington is a 3.5-point underdog at home this week against the New York Giants. The Giants do not have that good of a team despite a recent hot streak. The Redskins should be able to stay close enough in this matchup to cover the spread.
San Francisco 49ers ( +5.5) vs Denver Broncos
The San Francisco 49ers seem destined for the top pick in the draft unless they can grab a win in the final four weeks. This will be one of their best chances as they host the Denver Broncos in Week 14. The 49ers are a 5.5-point underdog but that line is much too high. San Francisco may even be able to pull off the upset and that would play off nicely at +222 on the moneyline.
Seattle Seahawks vs Minnesota Vikings (+151)
The best bet of the week is a team playing in primetime so it could have a lot of action. The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a road loss to the Patriots in which the offense had some serious trouble. The oddsmakers have overreacted to those issues while giving the Seattle Seahawks too much credit for their win over the 49ers last week.
Seattle has a better record than Minnesota and the home field advantage, so you can understand the thinking in making them 3.5-point favorites. However, the NFL is all about matchups, and this is a good one for the Vikings.
The Seattle secondary is not nearly as strong as in the past, which should allow quarterback Kirk Cousins to find receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen early and often. On the flip side, the Vikings have athleticism at linebacker which should help keep Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson from scrambling too much.
The Vikings are on the road but they know how much a win would mean to them. They are the choice to pull the upset at +151 on the moneyline.
Check out the latest NFL week 14 betting odds.
