LOGUE: NFL Picks For Week 14

As we head into Sunday’s games, someone had asked recently if I posted an entry with my picks in addition to playing. I told them I just played like everyone else, not thinking anyone really cared or that it would matter all that much.

They said that adding an entry with my picks and the reasons behind them might be a fun read, so thanks to that suggestion, here’s a quick rundown of my predictions for this week. For anyone who hasn’t played thinking it’s a little intimidating to pick games or you’re not sure you can do it, this should hopefully assure you that there’s no exact science and it just makes for a fun reason to keep an eye on the outcomes:

My Season Record: 123-70
Last Week: 9-6

1) New England at Los Angeles – I had the Patriots thinking that they would build off of last Sunday’s performance over the Chargers and finally turn a corner. I also thought they would have an advantage having already played a game at SoFi Stadium the previous week, where they made it their house with a blowout victory. Instead, the Rams took it back and kicked New England out. Definitely a tough loss, but “It is what it is”. – LOSS

2) Houston at Chicago – Houston has played a little uneven in recent weeks and with a cold game in the elements on the road, I feel like the Bears will pull this one off at home. Both teams aren’t great (Houston is 4-8, Chicago is 5-7), but I’ll go with the home team. – My Pick: Chicago

3) Denver at Carolina – Two 4-8 teams facing off and neither really seems to be a clear winner. My philosophy has been the last two years, “when in doubt, pick the home team”, so that’s what I’m doing. – My Pick: Carolina

4) Dallas at Cincinnati – Again, two bad teams meeting up but the Bengals certainly appear to be worse off. For some reason I like the Cowboys in this one, despite the fact 4 of 5 starters are out on defense. I just don’t feel like Cincinnati has enough to win this one. – My Pick: Dallas

5) Tennessee at Jacksonville – Coming off a loss to the Browns, I feel like the Titans got a wake-up call and I don’t give the Jaguars much of a shot in this one. – My Pick: Tennessee

6) Kansas City at Miami – This is another instance where I give the edge to the home team, especially given that Brian Flores has Miami playing well defensively and I feel like they’ll do enough to make life tough on Patrick Mahomes and steal this one. If this game was in Kansas City, I might feel differently. Since it’s not, I’m taking the Dolphins. – My Pick: Miami

7) Arizona at NY Giants – Joe Judge has turned things around in New York and the Giants have slowly started to show improvement. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have been a bit of a mess, so this one was a little tough. I’m picking the home team. – My Pick: NY Giants

8) Minnesota at Tampa Bay – This is another weird one. Minnesota comes into this game with a fair amount of urgency with the potential of dropping below .500, while the Buccaneers need to make a run as they try and stay in playoff contention. But I’m picking Tom Brady and the home team in this one. – My Pick: Tampa Bay

9) NY Jets at Seattle – Little explanation needs to be given in this one. Someone in our contest picked the Jets to pull off the upset in Seattle. However, it definitely wasn’t me as I don’t give the Jets much of a shot in this one. That being said, I certainly won’t be disappointed if they put one in the loss column for Pete Carroll’s club. – My Pick: Seattle

10) Indianapolis at Las Vegas – The Raiders have had a tough couple of weeks and I’m honestly torn with this one. Again, when in doubt, take the home team – so that’s what I’m doing. – My Pick: Las Vegas

11) Green Bay at Detroit – The Lions might be at home but I’m taking the Packers. If I’m wrong, I’m fine with that. Seeing Aaron Rodgers lose will never hurt my feelings. I just don’t think that will be the case. – My Pick: Green Bay

12) Atlanta at LA Chargers – While the Falcons have turned things around as of late, I’m a fan of what I’ve seen from Justin Herbert and I feel like the Chargers are going to be ready to play after getting blown out last Sunday by New England. Plus they’re at home, so that’s the other reason. – My Pick: LA Chargers

13) New Orleans at Philadelphia – Not much to say in this one. The Eagles are a mess, the Saints are not. So I’m picking New Orleans. – My Pick: New Orleans

14) Washington at San Francisco – Two 5-7 teams and despite Washington coming off a game where they pulled off the upset against the Steelers, I’m going to go with the home team – although I don’t feel great about this one. – My Pick: San Francisco

15) Pittsburgh at Buffalo – What would be better than to see an undefeated team drop two in a row? Nothing would make me happier than to see Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin lose back-to-back games after probably believing they’d go undefeated, as well as having players in that locker room already penciling themselves in for the Super Bowl. So the Bills – who are at home – need to make it so. – My Pick: Buffalo

16) Baltimore at Cleveland – The Ravens are another team in need of a win. But Cleveland is on a roll with a big game on Monday night football and since they’re at home, I feel like they might surprise everyone. I’m pretty sure watching John Harbaugh lose makes any Patriots fan happy, myself included. Hopefully, Baker Mayfield and company can get it done. – My Pick: Cleveland

For those who are playing this week, best of luck. If you’re not signed up, you can still participate in the weekly leaderboards and have a little fun. So register here and then give me a bit to manually approve your account then once you’re set up, you can fill out your picks here.

About Ian Logue

Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.

View all posts by Ian Logue