Week 14 of the 2024 NFL Season is now in view, so let's dive into our picks and score predictions for this coming week's games. It's actually a shame that the 2024 NFL Season has gone as quickly as this year has, and it does feel like it goes faster each year.
The one good thing about the season progressing this quickly is that we are firmly in the NFL playoff races, so the games do begin to mean more and more, and we have seen some teams clinch playoff spots already.
As we hit Week 14 and beyond, more playoff-clinching scenarios will come down. Let's get into our picks and score predictions for some Week 14 action.
Bye Week: Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans
2024 NFL picks and score predictions for Week 14 games
Thursday Night Football - December 5th
Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions, 8:15 PM
In what could be one of the games of the year, the Green Bay Packers face off against the Detroit Lions. The Packers come into this game at 9-3, and the Lions are 11-1. It would still be possible for the Packers to win this game and win the NFC North, but that would force the Lions to have some sort of late-season collapse.
The Packers beat the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving, and the Lions took care of business against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving as well. The one advantage that Green Bay does have coming into this game is that the Detroit defense is beginning to get seriously banged up, and we kind of saw that in the second half of their Thanksgiving game, as Chicago was able to get right back into the contest.
The better team gets this game at home and is probably going to find a way to win a close one. Give me the Lions in a dramatic finish.
Lions win 27-24
Sunday Games - December 8th
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans, 1:00 PM
At the moment, we have no idea of Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence will be able to get healthy enough to suit up for this game. He took a nasty hit from Houston Texans ILB Azeez Al-Shaair in Week 13, and the LB was promptly ejected.
The Jaguars and Tennessee Titans are both in lost seasons, but Titans QB Will Levis may have made a hair of progress from his rookie season. He's now got 12 touchdown passes against nine interceptions on the season, so the Titans could stick with Levis into 2025 and give him one more crack at this thing.
The Jags should honestly shut down Lawrence for the rest of the 2024 NFL Season if you ask me; you just paid him all that money, and he is clearly not going anywhere, so in my view, sending him back out there would do way more harm than good. Plus, as bad as this may sound, allowing Mac Jones to start the rest of the way does give the Jags more of a chance to lose games.
They currently hold the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, so they could be in line for a blue-chip prospect. With the Titans, while they are also bad, they do have slightly more going for them in my opinion. In a game that won't be watched very much, those who do watch it could be in line for quite the slop-fest.
With Mac Jones in the lineup and not Trevor Lawrence, the Titans should win this game. This game shouldn't have many playoff implications if any, but it could have some major impact with the current draft order at the top of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Give me the Tennessee Titans in this one, and give me Will Levis playing well and throwing for multiple touchdowns.
Titans win 28-17
New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins, 1:00 PM
The New York Jets will absolutely not be in the playoffs this season. It's not happening, and it was odd that people thought a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers coming off of a torn Achilles was going to lead them there. They'll continue to have the longest playoff drought streak in the NFL, so at this point, they are only playing spoiler.
And the 5-7 Miami Dolphins are a team just barely clinging to life in the AFC playoff picture. Even though the Jets really don't have anything to play for, these teams who are out of it don't just quit. The Jets have undergone a ton of change this season, notably firing Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, and depeding on where you look, you can find a report saying that the team is not going to keep Aaron Rodgers in 2025.
Weirdly enough, in terms of points scored and allowed, the Jets and Dolphins are not all that far apart. Miami hosts this divisional game and is surely playing with more at stake, so it would not shock me if they got out to an early lead in this one.
But Aaron Rodgers surely does not want to go out like a wimp, and if this is indeed his last year in the NFL, he could be playing his final games. New York could match up well with Miami, so this game could be close, and to be fair to the Jets, their last two losses against better teams in the Colts and Seahawks were within one score.
I could see New York getting an upset here in Week 14, and in that case, the Miami Dolphins season could come to a crashing end. Dropping to 5-8 in the AFC would probably just about end things. The Jets get a little bit of vintage Aaron Rodgers and win this game.
Jets win 21-17
Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 PM
The Atlanta Falcons have now lost three games in a row and are 6-6 on the season. Just a few weeks ago, they were 6-3 and in a great position to simply run away with the NFC South in 2024. Well, the momentum is shifting, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are right on their tails at 6-6 as well. With Atlanta holding the tiebreaker, Tampa Bay will have to finish with a better record to win the division.
They travel to Minnesota to host the Vikings, a team that simply keeps finding ways to win games, and their latest example was an ugly, comeback win at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Not only do the Vikings keep winning, but QB Sam Darnold is still playing well this late into the season, and the Vikings are now 10-2.
They are still barely keeping pace with the Detroit Lions in the NFC North, but the Lions do have the 11-1 record. The two teams will have one more divisional matchup left, so both teams here in this game could be playing for a ton in Week 14.
I just have no faith in Kirk Cousins and the Falcons at this point. I mean, Cousins just threw four interceptions at home against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13, and he just does not seem to have the arm strength that he used to. There could be rumblings that Cousins could head to the bench in favor of Michael Penix Jr, and I am not sure it would be a wise idea for the Falcons to bench Cousins now and trot out Penix for his first NFL start in Minnesota against a very good team.
Kirk Cousins should start this game, but the end may be near, and this could be a rout by the Vikings, as the Falcons will then have lost four games in a row.
Vikings win 38-20
New Orleans Saints @ New York Giants, 1:00 PM
Another irrelevant game on the Week 14 schedule, the New York Giants are hosting the New Orleans Saints, a team that just about saw their season head down the drain with a Week 13 loss against the Los Angeles Rams. The Saints are now 4-8 on the season and would surely need to win out to even have a chance at making the playoffs.
The team signed Derek Carr in the 2023 NFL Offseason, and that has turned out to be quite the swing and miss. Carr didn't bring the stability, or whatever the Saints were looking for, to the offense, and it's been a year marred by injuries and a head coaching change. If you ask me, the Saints need to head toward a major, rip-it-down-to-the-studs rebuild.
It's not clear if GM Mickey Loomis would even entertain that, though.
And then we have perhaps the most dysfunctional team in the NFL in the New York Giants, a team that signed Daniel Jones to a $160 million extension last offseason, and a team that cut their $160 million QB last week.
I have no idea what is going on with this franchise, but they simply need to get the QB right, and that's their main issue. The Giants benched Daniel Jones for Tommy DeVito, who was too hurt to play on Thanksgiving, so Drew Lock got the start.
This is almost offensive to the NFL with the state of these two teams, but here we are. I would expect some major changes for each franchise in the coming offseason, but in this game, you have to think that the Saints do come with the advantage.
They do have better QB play and are simply the better team overall. I'm taking the Saints in this one in a pretty boring and nearly meaningless game.
Saints win 21-20
Carolina Panthers @ Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 PM
Don't look now, but the Carolina Panthers are showing up. It took a lot for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quite a bit to beat them over the last two weeks. The Chiefs needed a game-winning field goal as time expired, and the Buccaneers needed overtime to get the best of the Panthers.
Second-year QB Bryce Young is definitely playing with a ton of confidence, and at this point, it would be a shock if the Panthers used their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on a QB, so there's that. At the end of the day, though, the Panthers are still not a good team and are 3-9 for a reason, but they aren't slouches.
On the other hand, the Philadelphia Eagles come into this game as the hottest team in football, having now won eight games in a row, recently beating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Not only are the Eagles the significantly better team, but this game is in Philly, and while the Panthers aren't going to make the playoffs, the Eagles are still in contention for that top seed in the NFC.
The top seed would give them a bye week and home-field advantage throughout the entire postseason. I could be a wise guy and pick the Panthers to upset the Eagles, but the Panthers aren't quite good enough for that, and the Eagles are too good to have a stinker of a game like that. I believe Philadelphia wins this game and earns their ninth win in a row.
They'll likely be 11-2 when Week 14 of the 2024 NFL Season closes out. Is this Eagles team as good as or better than the version that made the Super Bowl in 2022? Maybe.
Eagles win 28-6
Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:00 PM
The Cleveland Browns are currently embarking on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos as I type these words. The Browns are in a lost season that has featured poor QB play and a torn Achilles from Deshaun Watson. At this point, you just have to wonder if Watson even plays another down for this team.
They have since turned to Jameis Winston, who has been capable but nothing special. That's just who Winston is, and he's honestly more known for his infectious personality and likeability. You'd really have to try hard to hate Jameis Winston.
Hosting the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers got upset by the Browns in Week 12, and now that the Steelers are firmly in first place in the AFC North and could threaten for a top-2 seed in the AFC, I would imagine that they come into this game much more prepared.
It would be hard for me to pick the Browns to beat the Steelers. When is the last time the Browns swept the Steelers in any season? Pittsburgh wins this one handily.
Steelers win 24-12
Las Vegas Raiders @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 PM
The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the worst teams in football and have to travel to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that has now found some new life in the NFC South thanks to three-straight losses by the Atlanta Falcons.
The Bucs are the better team from top to bottom and are going to likely destroy the Raiders in this one. Just about nothing has worked for the Raiders this season, and while the Bucs are a flawed team, they are better on both sides of the ball and will come out firing. Baker Mayfield is having a very good season and will be able to throw all over the place against this defense.
The Buccaneers win this game in what could be a huge blowout.
Buccaneers win 28-10
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 PM
Losers of two games in a row, the Arizona Cardinals are in desperate need of a win, and the Seattle Seahawks come to town, a team that has won three games in a row. Just a few weeks ago, we were talking about a 6-4 Cardinals team that was leading in the AFC West, but Seattle is now in first place, and they have a one-game lead over the Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams, two teams that do have a lot to play for.
If you ask me, this is the Cardinals season right here; if they don't win this game, Seattle improves to 8-5 and the Cardinals drop to 6-7, losing the head-to-head tiebreaker over Seattle. While I do like Kyler Murray a lot more than Geno Smith (and you should too), the Seahawks are trending in the right direction and are the more complete team here.
Seattle beat Arizona a couple of weeks ago in Seattle, and I would anticipate a similar result here in Week 14.
Seahawks win 27-20
Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 PM
The Buffalo Bills are the best team in the AFC if you ask me, and they really only need the Kansas City Chiefs to lose one more game to leapfrog them in the playoff picture. Being that the Bills beat the Chiefs a couple weeks ago, Buffalo does own the tiebreaker.
The Bills are traveling to face the Los Angeles Rams, a team that just notched a huge win against the New Orleans Saints, and I am feeling frisky for this one. The Rams also have a ton at stake themselves, so this could end up being one of the best games that we see from Matthew Stafford all season.
LA has typically always been able to hang with opponents who appear better, and in this game, not only will they hang with Buffalo, but they'll earn the upset victory.
Rams win 30-28
Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49ers, 4:25
Did anything happen with the Chicago Bears recently? I fell asleep right as the Bears were driving late in the game against the Detroit Lions. Surely they tied the game and it went into overtime, right?
Right??
I am only kidding; the Chicago Bears made the right move to fire Matt Eberflus, and it was needed in the worst way. This team continually found new ways to lose games, and with how talented this roster is, there is no reason why this team should be 4-8. They should be .500 at least, in my opinion.
Thomas Brown is now the interim head coach and will surely have a solid shot at earning the full-time job, but may not be likely that he gets the job. I would guess that the Bears would want to bring in someone like Mike Vrabel or Bill Belichick.
On the other sideline is the reeling San Francisco 49ers, a team that is now 5-7 on the season and have an injury list longer than a CVS receipt. And as wild as it may seem, the Bears probably have all the momentum coming into this game, as there is something to be said about teams in their first game with an interim head coach.
And it seems like Eberflus really, really lost the locker room and the support of his players. I do believe the Chicago Bears win this game and get to 5-8 on the season.
Bears win 20-16
Sunday Night Football
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 PM
This could be a stellar game, as I would not hesitate to say that the 8-4 Los Angeles Chargers and the 11-1 Kansas City Chiefs are both 8-4 teams at the end of the day. The Chiefs are finding these weird, fluky ways to win games, and if you watch them play, it's clear that they are far from a one-loss team.
This game is in Arrowhead, which is one of the toughest places to play in all of sports, so LA will be at a disadvantage, but I would not be shocked if they kept it close. The Chargers are in line to make the playoffs with the same group of players that they went 5-12 with in 2023, which goes to show you just how good of a coach Jim Harbaugh is.
The Chiefs are due for a loss if you ask me. They needed a game-winning field goal to beat the Carolina Panthers, needed a blocked field goal to beat the Denver Broncos, and got totally bailed out by the Las Vegas Raiders all in recent weeks. The Chargers win this one.
Chargers win 27-23
Monday Night Football
Cincinnati Bengals @ Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 PM
Closing out Week 14 of the 2024 NFL Season, the Cincinnati Bengals are traveling to Dallas to face the Cowboys, and before the season even started, a lot of us looked at this game as being a matchup of two of the best teams in the league.
Well, it's been a season to forget for both. Let's start with the Cincinnati Bengals. Their defense is among the worst in the NFL, and while QB Joe Burrow is having the best year of his career, the defense is letting him down, and let's not overthink this; it's the defense, and their lack of sucess has nothing to do with Joe Burrow.
You would hope that in the offseason, the Bengals front office would make strides to address the defense. The Cowboys lost former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the Washington Commanders, and that loss was felt, as new DC Mike Zimmer has not had the same impact.
The Cowboys also lost QB Dak Prescott to a pretty nasty hamstring injury, so Dallas is surely looking to 2025. While both teams are both mathematically alive in the NFL playoff races, neither team is going to get it; it's too late in the season for something that wild to transpire.
But at the end of the day, in this game, the Bengals do feel like the better team, and with Dallas having backup QB Cooper Rush in the lineup, the biggest advantage, the QB position, goes to the Bengals, so Cincy should win this game and grab their fifth win of the season.
Bengals win 35-24
There you have it, our picks and score predictions for Week 14 of the 2024 NFL Season.