Five Best Week 14 NFL Matchups
It’s hard to believe there’s just one month left to the NFL regular season but that’s the case as we head into Week 14. Here are the five best matchups for this week, as well as the point spreads for those respective games.
Matchup 1: Eagles at Rams, 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday
Who would have thought that this would be the top matchup in Week 14 when the season started? Well, that’s certainly the case. The Eagles are now tied with the Vikings at 10-2 for the best record in the NFC and the Rams are right behind them at 9-3. After opening as a 1-point home favorite, the Rams are now a 2.5-point fave over the Eagles, who are coming off their second loss of the season, a defeat versus the Seahawks on Sunday night. If the Eagles lose this game and the Vikings beat the Panthers, then Philly could drop all the way to No. 3 in the NFC after holding the top spot for weeks. The Eagles are 4-0 against the spread in the last four meetings between these two teams but the favorite has covered in four of the last five meetings and the home team is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
Matchup 2: Saints at Falcons, 8:25 p.m. ET, Thursday
The Thursday night game this one is highly compelling, as the Falcons host their NFC South rivals the Saints in Atlanta. These two teams are bitter rivals so the games are usually good to begin with, but this year there’s added intrigue. At 9-3, New Orleans is currently atop the NFC South standings and at 7-5, Atlanta is fighting for a wild card berth but is currently on the outside looking in after losing last week to Minnesota.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Saints are now 1.5-point road favorites to beat the Falcons, who opened as a 2-point home favorite. The underdog is 13-3 against the spread in the last 16 meetings between these two teams but the road squad has cashed in four of the last five meetings.
Matchup 3: Vikings at Panthers, 1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday
By the time these two teams meet, the Panthers will know if they have an opportunity to tie the Saints atop the NFC South again. Granted, New Orleans would still own the tie-breaker by virtue of sweeping Carolina in the series meeting between these two teams. Still, a Saints loss to the Falcons and a Panthers win over the Vikings will allow Carolina to keep pace in the NFC South Division race.
Carolina opened as a 1-point home underdog but Minnesota is now a 3-point favorite as over 60% of tickets are on the Vikings to cover. The underdog is 4-1 against the spread in the last five meetings between these two teams but the Vikings have covered the number in five of their last seven games versus the Panthers.
Matchup 4: Seahawks at Jaguars, 4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday
Seattle is now back in the playoff mix after upsetting Philadelphia on Sunday night and Atlanta lost to Minnesota. If the playoffs started today, the Seahawks would own the sixth spot in the NFC while the Falcons would be on the outside looking in. Atlanta has a brutal schedule the rest of the way so it’s feasible Seattle holds onto its spot the rest of the way.
The Jaguars, meanwhile, are 8-4 and are trying to keep pace with the 8-4 Titans in the AFC South. Jacksonville opened as a 3.5-point home favorite but is now -3 to beat Seattle on Sunday. The favorite is 4-0 against the spread in the last four meetings between these two teams and so is the home team.
Matchup 5: Ravens at Steelers, 8:30 p.m. ET, Sunday
The Ravens might not be the most impressive 7-5 team in the league but they’re a current playoff team nonetheless. This is always a great rivalry and the fact that this game is on Sunday night only adds to the intrigue. Pittsburgh is currently a 7-point home favorite over Baltimore but is just 4-1-1 against the spread in its last six games versus the Steelers. The over is also 12-5-2 in the last 19 meetings between these two teams in Pittsburgh.