NFL Predictions Week 14: Best Picks Against the Spread (ATS)
By Dan Salem
Betting against the NFC East is easy money. So is jumping on two winning bandwagons. These are your Best Picks Against the Spread (ATS) for NFL Predictions Week 14. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
The NFL standings seem to be rounding into shape in Week 14. There appears to only be two or three playoff spots up for grabs in the entire league…not counting of course whatever is going on in the NFC East. What will the spread be for the round one playoff game between the NFC East winner hosting the Seattle Seahawks? Seattle -6 on the road? More? And Seattle is a team who wasn’t even any good before putting things together just a few weeks ago.
For this week, I’m focusing on the NFC East insofar as I’m picking games those members are a part of, but solely choosing the non-East team to win and cover.
Buffalo Bills pick’em at Philadelphia Eagles
Chicago Bears -3 vs. Washington Redskins
If you can believe it, the line for the Bills/Eagles game opened at Philadelphia -1 and was actually bet up to Philadelphia -2.5. It’s too bad we don’t time these articles better each week because I would have loved to take Buffalo +2.5. Nevertheless, I feel great about the Bills winning outright in Philly.
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Sure, Sam Bradford returned for the Eagles this past week and they defeated the New England Patriots on the road. But that was as fluky and worthless a win as you can get. The Eagle offense created two scoring drives the entire game. Against scout team skill players on New England, Philly still tried its best to give the game away at the end.
There is little evidence that Philadelphia is any good. Meanwhile, Buffalo is actually pretty good, and it’s a solid 3-2 on the road this year. LeSean McCoy versus his old team is a side story to the Bills being better than the Eagles.
As for the Bears, they opened as just one-point favorites until everyone realized the Redskins are an atrocious football team on the road and shouldn’t be giving less than a field goal to any competent opponent. Chicago qualifies as a competent opponent. It would have been nice to grab this line under a field goal, but look for Washington to drop its road record to 0-6 either way.
Dec 6, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills tight end
Charles Clay(85) jumps over Houston Texans cornerback
Johnathan Joseph(24) during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Texans 30-21. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
DAN:
Picking against the NFC East is just good gambling. Not taking money when it’s presented to you with a proper greeting card is rude and inexcusable. I love both of your picks, except that Philadelphia has been kryptonite for the AFC East. My picks are jumping on some bandwagons. Won’t you join me?
Pittsburgh Steelers +3 at Cincinnati Bengals
Seattle Seahawks -6 at Baltimore Ravens
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The Steelers humiliated Indianapolis last week, so Vegas now slots them even with the mighty Bengals. Considering their level of dominance, I tend to agree. Pittsburgh needs this game much more than Cincinnati, and Ben Roethlisberger is itching to put a win streak together. He’s been sidelined on and off all season, but knows that the final month is where it counts. Don’t ignore this momentum.
I’m rolling with the Black and Gold, taking the points on the road. This is another week where we start to question the Bengals late season abilities. It’s another week where Big Ben and the Steelers remind us why we picked them as pre-season favorites in the division. It’s all Steelers in Cincinnati.
A similar story is unfolding in Seattle, who travel across the country to Baltimore. Usually a west coast team heading east spells trouble, but have you watched the Seahawks these last few weeks? This is a completely different football team. This is the team we know and love as defending NFC Champions. Oh and by the way, they take on the lowly Ravens.
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Baltimore has struggled to play good football this season. With Joe Flacco sidelined, its unlikely they put up much of a fight versus Seattle. Giving up less than a touchdown is an easy pick. The Seahawks win this by more than seven, so give the points and take your victory money.
Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at College Sports Madness, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.