It's Week 14 in the NFL. The byes are officially in the rear-view mirror, the playoffs are on the horizon, and there are 16 games on this week's slate. And what's better than quantity? Quality. Of those 16 contests, a whopping seven are between teams that are both sitting at .500 are better. It starts Thursday night with a battle for the AFC West summit between the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders, and culminates Monday night with a meeting of AFC division leaders, the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. Throw in several other games with postseason implications of the highest order, and we have what could easily be the most entertaining week of the season thus far. Yep, life is good for football fans. You can check out OddsShark for spreads, totals and moneylines for each game, and you can click through the gallery for my favorite Week 14 picks against the spread. (Getty)
Tennessee Titans
Opponent: vs. Denver Broncos
Line: TEN (-1)
In a vacuum, the Broncos are probably the better team, so getting them plus a point is awfully compelling. That said, Denver will be playing its fourth road game in five weeks, while the Titans are rested coming off a bye. The Broncos' pass defense (first in Football Outsiders' defensive efficiency ratings) will always give them a chance to win, but their run defense (24th) can be exploited by DeMarco Murray, Derrick Henry, Marcus Mariota and the No. 3 rushing offense (4.8 YPC) in the NFL. Throw in the fact that Trevor Siemian is battling a foot injury, and the Titans take a close one at home. (Getty)
New York Giants
Opponent: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Line: NYG (+3)
The Giants are the only team to beat Dallas this season, though it's tough to put much stock in that since it happened back in Week 1. Still, while the Cowboys look fairly unstoppable at the moment, it's worth noting the G-Men are 5-1 at home with their only loss coming to Washington by two points in Week 3. Eli Manning has played much better in the Meadowlands this year, while the suddenly terrific secondary--the Giants are seventh in yards per pass attempt allowed--should be able to slow down Dak Prescott. This will ultimately turn into a close game that could come down to the last possession, and in that situation, I like taking the home team plus three points. (Getty)
Detroit Lions
Opponent: vs. Chicago Bears
Line: DET (-7.5)
The Lions have quietly won seven of their last eight games and are fresh off a really impressive 15-point drubbing of the Saints at the Superdome. Matthew Stafford is red-hot (253.25 yards per game, 7.3 yards per attempt and a 14:1 TD:INT ratio over that eight-game stretch), the defense continues to improve (stopped Drew Brees' 60-game streak of throwing a touchdown at home), and they're in contention for a first-round bye. Chicago, on the other hand, is 0-6 away from home with an average margin of defeat of 12.83 points. The Lions should have no problem winning by two touchdowns. (Getty)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Opponent: vs. New Orleans Saints
Line: TB (-2.5)
The Bucs are oddly just 2-4 at home, but three of those losses (Broncos, Raiders in overtime, Falcons) came against teams with the same or better record, and all of them happened over a month ago. Since a Week 9 defeat to Atlanta, they have reeled off four consecutive wins, including one at home against the Seahawks and two impressive road victories against the Chiefs and Chargers. The Saints, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four, so what we have here are two teams moving in opposite directions right now. In a game that figures to ultimately turn into a shootout, I'll lean on Jameis Winston and Mike Evans taking full advantage of a shaky secondary at home. (Getty)
New York Jets
Opponent: at San Francisco 49ers
Line: NYJ (+1.5)
When in doubt, find the 49ers and pick against them. Granted, the Jets certainly left a poor taste in everyone's mouth on Monday night, but this is a matchup that sets up well for them. Offensively, they don't have to worry much about shoddy quarterback play because they can just pound the ground against the 49ers' league-worst rushing defense. Defensively, New York's secondary has been its weakness, but again, that's not such a problem against quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who had more sacks (five) than passing yards (four) in his last start. And the Jets are getting 1.5 points? Yes, please. (Getty)
NFL Week 14 Predictions: Best Picks Against the Spread