Sunday, December 13, 2020

NFL Prediction Week 14 (Part I)

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NFL Predictions - 

Titans at Jags -

The Titans came up short last week vs the Browns and honestly they never had shot, after they went down by so many points by halftime. But they made it a game late in the 4th quarter and might have had a shot, if they played just a tad better on defense in the first half! But luckily, they are facing the Jags this week and that should lead to them being back on the winning side. As usual, they will probably ride Derrick Henry on the ground and pass whenever they need to. This is still one of the better offenses in the league and is 5th yards per play this season. However, I am very worried about their defense. That pass defense is very bad and it will cause a lot of big problems for them down the road. 

The Jags have played better than they did earlier in the season and almost knocked off the Vikings in week 13! But like I said in last week's article, they are good enough to be in the game but they don't have enough game changers or playmakers to put the opposing team away. And what happened last week? They had the Vikings on the ropes, but they just couldn't quite put them away. I get the feeling it will be the same in this game, but the Titans will likely pull away late, though. 

Prediction - This game will be closer than your average fan believe it will, but I think the Titans will score over 30 points and the Jags just won't be able to do enough to get the win. I also love the Titans' run game vs the Jags' run defense. It has improved over the past month (for the Jags), but not many defenses can slow down a freak like Derrick Henry. So yeah, I am going with the smart play here and taking the Titans! 

Vikings at Bucs - 

Tough game to pick here, honestly. I think both of these teams will be wildcard teams in the playoffs in January. I also believe this game could decide a lot for the seeding. I think a Vikings win will make things a lot more interesting between the No.6 and No.7 seeds. I also believe a win would make it really hard for any other team on the outside (like Chicago and Arizona) to grab that final wildcard spot, too. While, a Bucs win probably means the Bucs will be trending towards being the No.6 seed and then the Vikings would be in a tougher spot with how their remaining schedule looks. 

The Vikings have been really good since their bye and been one of the hottest team's in football. Their improvement with their health and in-game experience has helped their defense. And they have figured things out on the offense side of the ball. I still believe this team goes through Dalvin Cook, but Kirk Cousins has proven he can be put into big-time situations and deliver. Having guys like Thielen and Jefferson makes everything a lot easier, too. 

The Bucs have all the talent to make a deep postseason run and probably beat any NFC team. As a fan, I am worried about facing a team like this in the postseason. But at the same time, I realize the Bucs biggest threat is themselves and have consistently lost games this way. I think it will be a challenge for them to go in the playoffs and win three games on the road. I also believe Brady's ineffective deep ball is a major issue. It is fine, if they can win by running the ball and with short to immediate passes. But I know the Bucs like going with the deep ball, too. 

Prediction - Like I said tough game to pick, but I am going with the Vikings in this one. I think it will be very close, but I just got a feeling that the Bucs are gonna make a bunch of mistakes and the Vikings will most likely take advantage of that. Until the Bucs prove that they aren't prong to mistakes and start to be consistent, I am not on that bandwagon! 

Chiefs at Dolphins -

This might be my favorite game of the week right here! Your average football fan will probably think that Dolphins are overrated judging by their record and no way that they are THIS good and Chiefs should win easily. Two problem with that: 1) Dolphins (beside week one's 10 point lost) haven't lost by more than one score this season and have played really solid football all season. 2) Kansas City's defense is trending in the wrong direction and Kansas City haven't won by more than 6 points in the past month. So yeah, I say it is pretty unrealistic to say that this will be a blow out. I think the Chiefs have the best player in the league and probably a top 5 offense, even on their worst days. But the Dolphins has been lights out on defenses this season and only allowed one team to score 30 points on them in their last 8 games. While 7 of those other 8 games, they have held their opponents to 21 points or less. 

Prediction - I really want to take the Dolphins here because I think they will be in this game. But I don't believe that they will pull it off. I believe it will be close, but Pat Mahomes is still Pat Mahomes. And that really what the difference will be in this game.

Broncos at Panthers -

If you been following my predictions, then you know what my feels are about the Drew Lock and the 2020 Denver Broncos. They may have looked okay vs the 11-1 Chiefs, but I am still not very high on them. Like I have said many times this season, I don't think Drew Lock is the answer for the Broncos. Some guys just aren't ready in their first few years and need to sit behind someone. I think Drew Lock is one of those kind of guys, too. I do believe there are still some holes on this roster that needs address, though. When I look at this Broncos' team, I don't really see anything that they consistently do well and that is an issue. To me this Denver team is filled with inconsistency across the board. Denver need to focus on one thing and say we need to be really good at this and go from there. Every good team in this league is at least really good at one specific thing, if not two or three things. 

On other hand, I love what the Panthers have done this season. They aren't a great team, but they are just solid at almost everything they do when you watch them! They can move the ball on offense and simply make plays on defense. They after the quarterback and make good tackles. I mean, they don't score a crapload of points but they are consistent enough as a team for them to be in most games. Like I wouldn't love them in a shootout, but lower the score I think games favor them. This is one of those teams you don't want to get in a dogfight with. 

Prediction - I am not high on the Broncos as usual and I think the Panthers do enough things consistently that they can get the job done this afternoon. No CMC again, but they are well-coached team and well-coached teams don't make a ton of mistakes. One of the things that I am banking on from the Carolina Panthers in today's game! 

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