We have another massive week of NFL action and our free NFL picks have sorted through the best five games of the weekend for you!
There are divisional games everywhere you look and two of our five games feature big rivalry games that could help determine tie-breakers and postseason seeding. The AFC North, NFC East, and NFC West will majorly be affected with this week’s results.
Our NFL picks help find who that might be and provide you with our best bets from five of Week 14’s games.
Sunday, December 12th
Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Football Team – 1pm ET
Another rivalry as old as time will be played this week, as the Cowboys head to Landover to play the Washington Football Team. This game will have serious implications over the NFC East and NFC Wildcard race as the season winds down.
Michael Lantz
With the NFC East crown still very much in play, the first-place Dallas Cowboys head to FedEx Field to take on the Washington Football Team. Dallas still sits with a two-game lead right now as they come off a big Thursday Night Football win against the New Orleans Saints. Prior to that victory, Dallas had fallen in consecutive matches, as they suffered an overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and were blanked 19-9 by the Kansas City Chiefs. They’ll depend heavily on quarterback Dak Prescott in this matchup, as Washington is one of the three best teams at stopping the run and one of the five worst at stopping teams through the air. The Cowboys aren’t too far behind Washington in pass yards allowed, so this one should have plenty of big gains through the air. Dak Prescott obviously has the talent edge over Taylor Heinicke, but Heinicke plays smart football. With the Football Team playing at home and their defense going up against a Dallas team that’s been looking more vulnerable—I’ll go with Washington to cover.
Michael’s NFL Pick: Washington Football Team +4.5 (-114)
Mike Su
The Cowboys have been trending downward lately but picked up a win against the Saints. Despite the win, the Cowboys weren’t able to show the consistency necessary to be a proper contender. They didn’t contain Taysom Hill that well, who looked horrible and played with injuries. The Cowboys now face their division rivals who sit at 6-6. The Cowboys will need Dak and Zeke to play a lot better. The duo started the year well but hasn’t been the same. Dak hasn’t looked great despite having a bevy of weapons at his disposal.
Here’s the latest status on Parsons, Pollard, Gregory & more ahead of #DALvsWAS. ⬇️
Updates | @SleepNumber
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 10, 2021
The Washington Football team has been a great team to watch with Taylor Heinke as their quarterback. Heinke has led the team to 4 straight wins, including a win against the contending Buccaneers. The key to the WFT’s success is their stifling defense which has killed drives for opposing offenses. If the Cowboys aren’t able to get Dak in rhythm and Zeke continues to play at a mediocre level, the Cowboy’s offense may struggle. However, the Cowboys are 8-4 for a reason and I think that Dak and co can win this game and overcome the tough defense. I think the Cowboys win in a high-scoring affair.
Mike’s NFL Pick: Dallas Cowboys (-215)
Bonus Tip: Over 48 (-110)
Tony Battalio
This one should be a good one, as one of the most heated rivalries in the National Football League will add another chapter on Sunday. Coming along with it is a ton of playoff implications not only for the NFC East division but the NFC Wildcard race as well. Dallas comes into this game with a record of 8-4 and in first place of the NFC East, they hold a two game lead over their opponent this week, the Washington Football Team. They currently the #4 overall seed in the NFC.
The Washington Football Team Currently finds themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the 2021 NFC playoff race. Washington has a record of 6-6 on the year and are a full two games out of first place in the division. However they are quickly gaining ground as they have won their last four games. Washingtoncan put themselves in prime position with the victory over the Cowboys on Sunday. As for the result of this game I have the Dallas Cowboys coming away with the win on the road.
Tony’s NFL Pick: Dallas Cowboys (-215)
Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns – 1pm ET
AFC North showdown
Baltimore is on top of the division but haven’t been playing great as of late as they are and coming off of a loss to Pittsburgh. The Cleveland Browns are inconsistent and will almost certainly need to find a way to win to stay in the playoff race, coming off of their bye week.
Michael Lantz
The Ravens offense continued to look lost on Sunday night as they fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 19-20. This is the fourth straight game where the Ravens have failed to score 20 points, luckily they’ve constantly been kept in games thanks to their defense. On Sunday, they’ll face a team that they had a narrow win against two weeks ago, the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns had a bye last week, so the Ravens are actually the last team they faced. While the Browns defense did a bang up job, their offense needs to do better than 10 points this time around. Cleveland is currently in last place, but the division race is still very open, as the Browns sit just two games out of the Ravens first place standing. Cleveland kept it close in Baltimore, and I expect them to win at home. They’re due for a bit of an offensive outburst after a couple of weeks where, like the Ravens, they’ve had a hard time reaching 20 points.
Michael’s NFL Pick: Cleveland Browns (-146)
Mike Su
The Ravens play the Browns in a game that will be crucial for the Ravens in terms of playoff seeding. As the playoffs get closer, the Chiefs have begun looking better and better, and are right on the tails of the AFC’s top teams. The Ravens will be looking for a win to try build a campaign to be the AFC’s number 1 seed. The Ravens will need Lamar to replicate the heroics he had in the last matchup between the 2 teams but without all the interceptions. Lamar hasn’t been great the last few weeks with just 3 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in a 3 week span. The Browns were responsible for 4 of those interceptions 2 games prior and seemingly have the formula to stop Lamar in the passing attack. The Ravens will need Lamar to have a more efficient game to grab this crucial win. With the loss of Marlon Humphrey due to injury, the Ravens defense may not be able to contain the Browns as well as they did 2 games prior, but the Ravens defense as a whole will still be a formidable opponent for the hobbled Baker Mayfield.
The Browns also desperately need a win here as they need to grab every win to stand a chance at making the playoffs in the tough AFC. The Browns running game and defense are their key strengths and they need to play to them just like the Patriots did last week against the Bills. I think this turns out to be another low scoring affair where the Browns come out on top. The loss of Marlon Humphrey is more devastating than most people think. On top of that, in their last game the Browns could have easily won that one and I think they finally pull out the win here.
Mike’s NFL Pick: Cleveland Browns (-146)
Tony Battalio
For the second time in three weeks these two teams or face-off with major AFC playoff implications on the line. And a week full of rivalry games this one seems the most fitting as the old Cleveland Browns will take on the new Cleveland Browns in Cleveland. Since the Baltimore Ravens became a thing in the late 1990s they have seen much more success than their predecessors as they have won multiple Super Bowls. While the expansion version of the Cleveland Browns have suffered in NFL purgatory for the last 20 years.
However, it’s a new era in Cleveland as the Browns are fighting for a playoff spot this season after coming off an 11 and five campaign last year with a playoff win. They desperately need a victory to stay alive in a playoff race as they will likely have to go undefeated the rest of the way. While the Ravens are only a couple of games out of having the top spot in the AFC and getting a bye week in the playoffs. As for the result of the game, I have the Browns pulling off an upset at home and staying alive in the AFC playoff race, and pulling themselves into second place of the AFC North only one game behind Baltimore.
Tony’s NFL Pick: Cleveland Browns (146)
Buffalo Bills @ Tampa Bay Bucs – 4:25pm ET
Buffalo faces a familiar foe this week in Bucs QB Tom Brady, while they will be looking to recover from a recent run of bad play. Meanwhile the Bucs are riding high and Brady will be looking to continue his dominance of Buffalo.
Michael Lantz
In a potential Super Bowl matchup, the Buffalo Bills head down to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But, if the Bills want to make a Super Bowl, they need to turn their season back to the way it was early on, when they looked like the favorites in the AFC. In recent weeks they’ve been overtaken by a New England Patriots team that’s won seven straight, including a Monday night game over the Bills in Buffalo. The Bills will get a chance in two weeks for redemption, but for the time being, they’ll have to focus on the task at hand—and boy, could the task not be any more difficult this coming week.
They’ll have to face a man that tormented their franchise for many years in Tom Brady. Brady is once again showing why he’s the best to ever do it, as he leads the league in touchdown passes and a variety of other passing categories. The Bills have relied on defense a lot in the past two seasons, and that unit will be put to the test this Sunday against a Bucs offense that has so many weapons on it. The Bills will also rely on Josh Allen to make plays with his arm. The young quarterback looked like an MVP candidate through week 8, but since then his play has been a bit inconsistent. That being said, after he’s had a rough game in recent weeks he’s usually turned it around the following game. After underperforming against the Patriots on Monday night he’ll need to recompose himself against a Buccaneers defense that’s the best at stopping the run, but can be picked apart through the air. I don’t doubt Allen will have a solid game, but with the run game eliminated and the defense having a heavy task on the road, I’m just not liking the Bills in this one.
Michael’s NFL Pick: Tampa Bay Buccaneers -3.5 (-104)
Mike Su
The Bills come off an embarrassing loss against the Patriots where they were beaten by a team playing old school football. The Bills continued the trend of getting beaten by good teams and destroying poor teams. The Buccaneers are certainly in the good team category. Although the Buccaneers have had a relatively easy schedule in the past few games, they are currently on a 3 game winning streak. The key win was against the Colts who are quickly surging up the AFC and are one of the hottest teams in football. The Buccaneers are playing good football but are continually getting better in my opinion. The Bills on the other hand have 3 losses in their last 5 games including losses to the horrible Jags, Colts and Patriots. Although the losses to the Patriots and Colts are somewhat understandable, the loss to the Jags is inexcusable and until they prove otherwise, the Bills don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt.
We’re 6-0 when we have multiple takeaways in a game this season.@Amtrak | #BUFvsTB
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 10, 2021
Tom Brady is leading the MVP voting and has continued to play phenomenal despite his age. I think against the familiar Bills defense, Tom will have a field day. I think Tom Brady and the Buccs easily handle the Bills and I think the line here is great value despite the Bills’ record.
Mike’s NFL Pick: Buccaneers -3.5 (-104)
Tony Battalio
Two of the top teams in the NFL face off this Sunday to jockey for playoff positioning in their respective conferences. The Buffalo Bills will be looking to recover from a devastating Monday night loss to the Patriots in a game where New England only threw the ball three times but escaped Orchard Park with a victory. While the Buccaneers will be looking to build on their constant success this season. While looking to remain in the race for the NFCs number one overall seed which is currently owned by Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. At the same time Tom Brady will look to continue his dominance over the Bills.
The Buffalo Bills got off to a great start this season but have had a really disappointing run of play lately. Buffalo has lost three of their last five games and find themselves in second place of the AFC East behind a shockingly impressive New England Patriots. Meanwhile the Tampa Bay Bucs are one game out of the top seed in the NFC behind the Arizona Cardinals. As for the result of this game I look for Brady and the Bucs to pick up a win at home. As the Bills will still be unable to shake the demon that has haunted them for decades.
Tony’s NFL Pick: Tampa Bay Bucs -3.5 (-104)
Chicago Bears @ Green Bay Packers – 8:20pm ET
An NFC North showdown and one of the oldest rivalries in the history of the National Football League, takes center stage in Green Bay on Sunday Night Football. Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy is practically fighting for his job, while Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers have looked like a surefire NFC Championship team all season long.
Michael Lantz
One of the NFL’s classic rivalries has it’s second edition of the season on Sunday, as the Chicago Bears visit Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. In part one of this season’s matchup, the team the Packers waltzed out of Soldier Field with a 24-14 win. Since then, the Packers have continued to impress, gathering a 9-3 record with QB Aaron Rodgers playing in MVP form. They’ll hope to continue their dominance against Chicago on Sunday.
There is some good news for the Bears: rookie QB Justin Fields returns after being sidelined for a couple weeks and the team should have back Pro Bowl wide receiver Allen Robinson as well. With David Montgomery looking fully recovered in the backfield, this Bears team has the chance to finally be firing at all cylinders. That being said, the Packers defense has been very good this year as they rank in the top ten in fewest yards allowed both on the ground and through the air. It’ll be a big test for Fields, as the Bears’ young QB was really starting to come together prior to his injury. I think Fields will entertain with these healthy weapons by his side, but I
Michael’s NFL Pick: Green Bay Packers (-670)
Bonus: Over 43 (-110)
Mike Su
The Packers beating the Bears is a tale as old as me. The Packers have routinely destroyed the Bears for the last 2 decades if not more and this won’t change. Despite their defense, the Bears are still one of the worst teams in the league due to their horrible offense. Matt Nagy was apparently going to get fired after thanksgiving but that didn’t happen so he will remain in charge of the Bears offense meaning they will likely provide another anemic display. The Nagy and Fields pairing has been horrible to say the least with the Bears finding a lot more success when starting Dalton with Nagy.
For the Packers, they sit near the top of the NFC at 9-3. Rodgers continues to lead one of the best teams in the NFC but the team has stumbled over the last few weeks as 2 of the Packers’ 3 losses have come in the last 4 weeks. Although this is worrying, the Packers haven’t given me a reason to doubt them as they quickly rebounded from a tough loss to the Vikings with a win against the formidable Rams. The Packers defense played well against the Rams’ high-powered attack and they should do the same against the Bears. Overall I know the Packers will win, but I’m not going to take a risk on the line over totals here.
Mike’s NFL Pick: Green Bay Packers (-670)
Tony Battalio
One of the NFL oldest rivalries will write another chapter in historic Lambeau Field on Sunday night in primetime. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers have looked like a Super Bowl favorite all season and they will look to continue that narrative against the Bears. While Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is likely fighting for his job for the rest of the season and even winning out may not be enough to save him.
Those are just a couple of the storylines that play into this game. First and foremost both of these teams have playoff seeding to play for. Chicago is fighting to get in and Green Bay is fighting for that all-important bye week and the top seed. The Green Bay Packers come into this game only a full game behind the Arizona Cardinals for the top seed in the NFC. Luckily for the Packers, they also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Cardinals after defeating them on Thursday night football a few weeks back. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears come into this game with a record of 4-8 on the year and will likely need to win out to make the postseason and potentially save Nagy’s job. As for the result of this game, I look for the Green Bay Packers to pick up the win at home and continue their quest for the top seed and the bye week in the playoffs
Tony’s NFL Pick: Green Bay Packers (-670)
Monday, December 13th
Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals – 8:15pm ET
This game is a marquee matchup for NFC Playoff positioning. Both of these teams are potential Super Bowl favorites, as they have both put together great seasons. Los Angeles is 8-4 on the year, while Arizona is the top seed in the NFC with a 10-2 record.
Michael Lantz
In a showdown between the NFC West;s two best teams, the Los Angeles Rams travel to the Phoenix area to take on the Arizona Cardinals. After starting off the season 7-1, the Rams have fallen on some tough times, losing three of their last four. They had a blowout win against a terrible Jaguars team last week, but prior to that they lost three in-a-row. Luckily after some concern about Matthew Stafford’s play, the veteran quarterback has put up great stats over the last two weeks, bringing him to 30 touchdowns and 9 interceptions on the season. He’ll have to keep it going in this ever-important matchup that might be one of L.A.’s last chances to gain ground on Arizona for the division title.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals are thrilled to have star quarterback Kyler Murray and star wide receiver Deandre Hopkins back in their lineup after both missed a chunk of time with injuries. Still, even with those two sidelined, the team found ways to win as they sit at 10-2 on the season, with the number one seed being theirs to lose. I just can’t see them squandering this one to a visiting Rams team that is already without Robert Woods and now may be missing star wideout Connor Kupp as well. I’ll take the Cards by more than 2.
Michael’s NFL Pick: Arizona Cardinals -2 (-110)
Mike Su
The Rams face the Cardinals for the second time this season. Despite a strong 37-7 win against the Jags, the Rams are out of sorts. Before last week’s win they lost 3 games in a row with an average margin of over 13 points. The Rams defense allowed over 30 points per game during that stretch as well. These aren’t great signs going into a game against the best team in the NFL. The Rams will need Stafford to improve his horrible record against winning teams and put up points against the Cardinals, especially if the defense can’t contain the multi-faceted Cardinals attack.
Go through the #GamePlan and into the Film Room with Coach Kingsbury as we prepare for our matchup vs. the Rams.
📺 6:30pm MST on @12News pic.twitter.com/4emJM49VP2
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 11, 2021
Despite losing Murray for a few weeks in the middle of the season, the Cardinals continued to play well without him and now with Murray back, the team is firing on all cylinders. The Cardinals defense has looked as strong as their offense with a phenomenal showing last week where they generated 4 interceptions against Andy Dalton. Offensively, the Cardinals have shown they can beat teams fast or slow, as well as on the ground or through the air. I have nothing to fault the Cardinals on and I would be very surprised if they lose. Thus, I’m going with the Cardinals here to win by at least a field goal.
Mike’s NFL Pick: Arizona Cardinals -2 (-110)
Tony Battalio
This Monday night primetime NFC West game pits two of the league’s best quarterbacks and MVP front runners up against each other. Not only will the chance to make a statement for the MVP be on the line but positioning within the division and potential playoff berths as well. The Arizona Cardinals can clinch a playoff berth with a victory here on Monday night. As well as clinching a spot in the postseason a win brings them one step closer to winning the NFC West as well.
The Los Angeles Rams looked like the best team in the National Football League early on in the season. However they have since called off but they still find themselves in prime position to make a run in the postseason. Although their hopes are slightly hampered without superstar wide receivers Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. As for the result of this game I have the Arizona Cardinals picking up the win at home and securing their spot in the 2021 NFL playoffs.
Tony’s NFL Pick: Arizona Cardinals -2 (-110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.
