NFL Game Week 14 - Schedule, Best Picks & Where to Watch
Thanksgiving has passed, which generally means crunch time in the NFL. Last week, fans were treated to an entertaining slate of Thursday matchups, highlighted by a baffling end to the Lions-Bears game that saw Matt Eberflus end his Chicago coaching tenure with egg on his face and a timeout still in his pocket. Detroit just about managed to hold onto the win, but they have the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers snapping at their heels, and a crucial match-up this week to ensure they stay in front.
The race for the AFC number one seed looked like it was also going to enjoy another major twist, only for the Las Vegas Raiders to embarrass themselves on a botched field goal that would’ve helped them beat their rival Kansas City Chiefs. With Buffalo dishing out a beat down on the San Francisco 49ers, KC will know they also have to be on point for the rest of the season if they are to keep the Bills at Bay. The pressure is very much on, so let’s see what’s on the docket for week 14.
Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions
- Date & Time: Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 8:15 p.m. ET
- Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
- Broadcast Details: Prime Video
It doesn’t really get much better than this. The NFC North is the most hotly contended division in the NFL this year, and Thursday night football in week 14 will see two of the leading contenders do battle. Both the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions will be playing their second consecutive Thursday night game in a row, but, this time, the stakes are at an all-time high. If Green Bay wins, they pull themselves within one game of their rivals at the top of the division, and if the Lions win, they move to 12-1 with just four games remaining.
This is what we wait all season for; meaningful December football between bitter rivals. The Green Bay Packers will be looking to establish the run, as they have done all year long, leading to 148.5 rushing yards per game, which is fifth-best in the NFL. Detroit are the perfect opponent in that sense, for the neutral fan, as their 93.5 rushing yards conceded per game also ranks fifth best in the NFL. It is a strength-on-strength matchup, but Green Bay can be comforted by the fact that they have one of the league's most exciting young quarterbacks in Jordan Love, who is averaging two passing touchdowns per game. He will fancy his chances going up against a Lions passing defense that is 25th in the NFL, giving up 226.8 yards per game through the year.
Of course, we know exactly how good the Detroit Lions have been this year on offense. Their 31.9 points per game lead the NFL, and they are ranking inside the top five for both rushing and passing yards per game. Their second-half struggles last week can be chalked up to divisional familiarity, and they will know they have to be on point for this one. We really are in for a treat.
Prediction/Analysis:
With both teams enjoying win streaks of at least three games, we are getting two of the hottest teams in the league in this one. It is very tricky to pick between them, but the Lions deserve the benefit of the doubt as their offense has appeared essentially unstoppable almost all year long. They will also benefit from playing in front of a home crowd here, which certainly helps.
Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals
- Date & Time: Sunday, December 8, 2024, at 4:05 p.m. ET
- Venue: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
- Broadcast Details: CBS, Paramount+
Our second match-up to keep an eye on is another divisional clash, this time over in the NFC West between the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. Arizona enjoyed a brief stint at the top of the division, only to have it stolen away from them by the Seahawk last week, who overcame two early touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers and a bundle of special teams mistakes to get a crucial victory.
Aside from that unusual first quarter against New York last week, Mike McDonald’s defense has really started to come together, and it was only two weeks ago that this unit held a strong Cardinals offense to just six points. On the other side of the ball, Geno Smith has been far from perfect, but he always seems to get the job done when the pressure is on in the fourth quarter. He has three fourth-quarter comebacks under his belt already this season, and the Cardinals will be wary of giving him a chance to produce another.
When these teams met two weeks ago, Arizona did manage to get to Geno for five sacks, and limited the team to 65 rushing yards, so they should fancy their chances at another strong outing now in their own stadium.
For Arizona, they will need to play better on offense this time around. Typically, their offense runs through James Connor, who averaged just 1.1 yards per carry when these teams met two weeks ago, producing just 8 yards from 7 rushes. The team then focused on getting rookie wideout Marvin Harrison Junior going as a focal point in week 13 against the Vikings, but he could only bring in five of his 12 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown. That is certainly not a bad outing by any means, but Arizona will be hoping to see better efficiency when targeting him moving forward. It won’t be easy in this game though, going up against a Seattle defense that ranks 12th best in both points and passing yards conceded per game.
Prediction/Analysis:
This looks set to be another very close match up, between two teams who have fluctuated in form this season. The Cardinals haven’t looked quite as hot on offense recently, whereas, we can be fairly certain that this Mike MacDonald Seattle defense is rounding into form nicely, and they proved to have the Cardinals' number just two weeks ago. I will be backing them to produce another strong outing against them this week.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs
- Date & Time: Sunday, December 8, 2024, at 8:20 p.m. ET
- Venue: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
- Broadcast Details: NBC, Peacock
Despite this game featuring two of the most exciting quarterbacks in the NFL, this game has low-scoring struggle written all over it. Neither Justin Herbert nor Patrick Mahomes has been able to push their teams into the top 10 for points scored per game this year, and they will be going up against two defenses that have managed to get inside the top 10.
Jim Harbaugh has been better than even the most optimistic Chargers fan could’ve hoped for, instilling a new culture of toughness into a Chargers team that have been somewhat of a pushover over the last decade. They rank in the bottom half of the league in both rushing and passing yards posted per game, but their number one-ranked defense, conceding just 15.7 points per game, is giving them a great shot at winning against any opponent. Last week, they picked off Kirk Cousins four times and held the Falcons to just 13 points, and they now turn their attention to the three-peat-hunting Kansas City Chiefs, who they lost 10-17 to back in September.
For Kansas City, nothing appears easy. Patrick Mahomes is struggling statistically, his offensive line can’t protect him, and his wide receivers are dropping balls again, yet they are 11-1 and seemingly on track for the number one seed. Every game is crucial though, especially considering the Buffalo Bills are looking red hot with a 10-2 record, and the tiebreaker in their favor. The Chargers would love nothing more than to knock the Chiefs off the top spot, so Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes will be feeling the pressure this week.
Prediction/Analysis:
Divisional matchups can often produce unexpected and unusual results. The crazy thing is though, that an LA victory here wouldn’t even be considered that unusual. The defense is surging, Justin Herbert is playing brilliantly, and the Chiefs are looking vulnerable, despite their record. Many of the wins that Kansas City have managed to steal in recent weeks have been because of coaching and execution in the crucial moments. With Jim Harbaugh running a tight ship in LA, I think he enjoys his first win over Andy Reid as a charger.
Honorable Mentions:
Atlanta Falcons @ Minnesota Vikings
- Sunday, Dec 8 | 6:00 p.m. | FOX
Cousins is in desperate need of a bounce back here against his old team, to ward off calls for Michael Penix Junior to be put into the lineup, and the Minnesota Vikings need a win to keep their hopes of an NFC North division title alive.
Author: Venuse, Inc.