There’s just five weeks left in the 2021-22 NFL regular season, and plenty is yet to be decided in the race for the 14-team playoff field. While Week 14 doesn’t quite bring as many hard-hitting matchups as the past few weeks, there’s still tons of important outcomes to be decided.

Can the Arizona Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Rams again to all but wrap up the NFC West? Can the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers win to stay relevant in the AFC wildcard race? What about the Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Football Team in the NFC wildcard picture?

This week’s picks will be a bit briefer than usual, as I had limited time to write on a work trip to California this week. If you’re a regular reader, I’ll be back in regular form soon, and if you’re new here, be sure to stick around (you can follow me on Twitter) for more regular and postseason NFL coverage.

Picks Record

Week 13 Picks: 9-5

Week 1: 6-10

Week 2: 12-4

Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 12-4

Week 5: 13-3

Week 6: 10-4

Week 7: 9-4

Week 8: 9-6

Week 9: 5-9

Week 10: 9-4-1

Week 11: 12-3

Week 12: 6-9

Week 13: 9-5

Overall: 118-61-1 (66%)

After a poor Week 12, I had a pretty decent showing in Week 13 to keep myself picking successfully at a rate of 66%. My standout pick of the week was getting the Cowboys-Saints score exactly correct: 27-17.

In Week 13, I incorrectly predicted:

  • Bengals over Chargers
  • Vikings over Lions
  • Raiders over Washington Football Team
  • Ravens over Steelers
  • 49ers over Seahawks

See Also: 2021-22 NFL Season Predictions

Thursday Night Football

Photo: Getty Images/The Athletic

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5-1) at Minnesota Vikings (5-7)

Line: Minnesota Vikings (-3.0)

(I wasn’t sure Dalvin Cook was going to play on Thursday night)

Vikings win 27-20, Vikings win ATS

Sunday Games

Photo: Getty Images/CBS Sports

Baltimore Ravens (8-4) at Cleveland Browns (6-6)

Line: Cleveland Browns (-2.5)

After narrowly losing to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns are facing their AFC North rival for the second week in a row following a bye week. Baltimore is coming off a loss, but theres no reason to think Cleveland became the superior team over the past two weeks.

Ravens win 23-16, Ravens win ATS

New Orleans Saints (5-7) at New York Jets (3-9)

Line: New Orleans Saints (-5.5)

Even after throwing four interceptions in his first start of the season, I actually think Taysom Hill can settle down and lead the New Orleans Saints to a victory over Zach Wilson and the New York Jets.

Saints win 27-17, Saints win ATS

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10) at Tennessee Titans (8-4)

Line: Tennessee Titans (-8.5)

The Tennessee Titans have struggled mightily in back-to-back losses to the Texans and Patriots, but fortunately, get a paper-soft Jacksonville Jaguars team this week. Ryan Tannehill and the Titans should (almost) assuredly get back in the win column in Week 14.

Titans win 31-13, Titans win ATS

Las Vegas Raiders (6-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (8-4)

Line: Kansas City Chiefs (-9.5)

Aside from an overtime win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, the Las Vegas Raiders have lost four of their last five games. That included a 41-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that really started to turn the Raiders season sour. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, in Kansas City, should roll to their sixth straight win.

Chiefs win 36-22, Chiefs win ATS

Dallas Cowboys (8-4) at Washington Football Team (6-6)

Line: Dallas Cowboys (-4.5)

The Dallas Cowboys may be 4.5-point road favorites, but this game has the potential to be a very close matchup. Taylor Heincke and Washington Football Team has won four straight games, and while they may not be burying opponents, they’re still putting up a good fight every week. The Cowboys have been up-and-down, but in this important of an NFC East matchup, Dak Prescott and company should be able to find a way to win.

Cowboys win 27-24, Washington wins ATS

SEE ALSO: Post-Week 13 Power Rankings

Atlanta Falcons (5-7) at Carolina Panthers (5-7)

Line: Carolina Panthers (-2.5)

First of all, it’s amazing either of these subpar teams have five wins on the season. Then again, the Carolina Panthers jumped out to a quick 3-0 start, meaning they’ve gone 2-7 since then. Carolina is favored even after Cam Newton’s putrid passing game last week, and while the Matt Ryan and Atlanta Falcons are anything but a model of consistency, they’re the stronger of the two teams at this moment in time.

Falcons win 24-16, Falcons win ATS

Seattle Seahawks (4-8) at Houston Texans (2-10)

Line: Seattle Seahawks (-8.5)

The Seattle Seahawks are having a lost season, but should win their second straight game despite possessing both the 31st-ranked offense and 31st-ranked defense in the league. The Houston Texans just aren’t a talented team, even if I do like Tyrod Taylor at quarterback.

Seahawks win 24-16, Texans win ATS

New York Giants (4-8) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-5)

Line: Los Angeles Chargers (-10.0)

There’s uncertainty at quarterback for the New York Giants, but it’s a lose-lose situation. Mike Glennon was horrible against the Dolphins last week, and Jake Fromm has barely been with the organization for two weeks. I would go with Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers even if Daniel Jones was playing, but with the current situation, I’m worried it will be a blood bath.

Chargers win 33-9, Chargers win ATS

Detroit Lions (1-10-1) at Denver Broncos (6-6)

Line: Denver Broncos (-10.0)

Could America’s favorite underdog, fresh off their first win of the season, keep the magic going in Denver? All jokes aside, the Detroit Lions aren’t playing that bad right now, and even if I won’t pick them to win outright, I don’t know why a team like the Denver Broncos that doesn’t score a ton of points s favored by double digits. Lions against the spread would be a neat bet, if I were a betting man.

Broncos win 23-16, Lions win ATS

San Francisco 49ers (6-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)

Line: San Francisco 49ers (-1.5)

In one of the most important games of Week 14, Jimmy Garroppolo and the San Francisco 49ers take on Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, with playoff positioning on the line for both teams. Cincinnati has produced some huge wins this season, beating the Ravens, Raiders, and Steelers by 19 points or more, but has also laid some duds, including last week’s 41-22 loss to the Chargers. While Cincinnati won’t lay down here, I’ll still take the 49ers, who are on a 4-2 stretch despite a close loss to Seattle last week.

49ers win 30-27, 49ers win ATS

Sak Sports Blog Game of the Week: Buffalo Bills (7-5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-3)

Line: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3.5)

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are featured in my Game of the Week for the second straight week, and it’s hard to imagine a tougher slate of back-to-back opponents than the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s right, after losing a close game in wacky weather on Monday night, Buffalo gets the luxury of facing the man that terriozed their franchise for nearly two decades: Tom Brady.

I don’t want to make it sound like all doom and gloom for the Bills. The weather in Florida will be much more conducive to a big passing day for Allen, and while the Patriots have the strongest scoring defense in the NFL, Tampa Bays defense sits just 16h and is prone to allowing some shootouts. I think Brady and the Buccaneers will win, but this is my game of the week for a reason: I think the Bills will put up an epic fight.

Buccaneers win 38-35, Bills win ATS

Sunday Night Football

Photo: Bears Wire/USA Today

Chicago Bears (4-8) at Green Bay Packers (9-3)

Line: Green Bay Packers (-12.5)

Chicago Bears fans have been having a horrible season, but things could get even worse on Sunday night. Chicago is 1-6 in their last seven games, with just a narrow two-point win over the Lions on Thanksgiving, while the Green Bay Packers are 5-0 at Lambeau Field this season. Green Bay already downed Justin Fields and the Bears 24-14 in Chicago, and should perform even better at home.

Packers 30-17 win, Packers win ATS

Monday Night Football

Photo: Rams Wire/USA Today

Los Angeles Rams (8-4) at Arizona Cardinals (10-2)

Line: Arizona Cardinals (-5.5)

Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals downed the Los Angeles Rams 37-20 in Week 4 and have never really looked back in the NFC West race. Arizona is just 3-2 in the past five games, with a narrow loss to the Packers and a loss to the Panthers without Murray and Hopkins, but they’re still the cream of the NFL crop this season.

But more important than the fact the Cardinals already beat the Rams, in Los Angeles, is the fact that the Rams are struggling right now. Sure, Los Angeles beat the Jaguars 37-7 last week, but the previous three weeks against actual NFL competition, the Rams fell to the Titans, 49ers, and Packers in consecutive weeks. The Rams haven’t been firing on all cylinders since Robert Woods hit IR and Odell Beckham Jr. joined the crew, and if nothing significant changes, there’s no reason Arizona can’t win this game.

Cardinals win 31-24, Cardinals win ATS

Teams on Bye

  • Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
  • New England Patriots (9-4)
  • Miami Dolphins (6-7)
  • Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
SEE ALSO: Grizzlies Beat Thunder by NBA Record 73 Points in 152-79 Win

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