2009 NFL Week 14 Predictions

2009 NFL Week 13 was a weird week. Oakland beats Pittsburgh? New Orleans and Washington go to overtime? Brett Favre looks human? The beauty of the NFL is the drama that each week produces.

Week 14 in the NFL will continue to entertain. As teams make their playoff push they step up their intensity. The AFC wildcard race is completely up for grabs as is the AFC East and West divisional races. Similarly the NFC East and West have some uncertainty at the top. Hold on for the ride! Here are your 2009 NFL Week 14 predictions:

Thursday, December 10^th

(Pittsburgh @ Cleveland, 8:20PM ET, NFL Network) The Steelers have lost four in a row and are coming off of a loss to the Raiders. That in itself says how far Pittsburgh has fallen. However, they are playing the lowly Browns and will get a win to stay relevant in the wildcard race.

Pittsburgh 20, Cleveland 10

Sunday, December 13^th

(New Orleans @ Atlanta, 1:00PM ET, FOX) With Matt Ryan back the Falcons will be much more competitive than they were in Week 13. This could be an intriguing contest after seeing the Saints' vulnerabilities against the Redskins. Still the Saints are the Saints and you can't pick against them until they give a legitimate reason to.

New Orleans 31, Atlanta 21

(Detroit @ Baltimore, 1:00PM ET, FOX) There's no way the Ravens will let this one slip through their grasp. The Lions rank near the bottom of the league in nearly all statistical categories. If Baltimore hopes to stay in the playoff race they'll need this one.

Baltimore 24, Detroit 13

(Green Bay @ Chicago, 1:00PM ET, FOX) If the Bears win they win against low level opponents. The Packers are anything but a low level opponent. Win or lose Green Bay stays in the game and constantly works. Week 14 will be no different.

Green Bay 20, Chicago 13

(Seattle @ Houston, 1:00PM ET, FOX) The Seahawks posted a win against the 49ers last week but as usual were less than dominant in their endeavors. The Texans are in arguably the toughest division in the NFL and have the battle scars to prove it. Houston will use the air attack to beat Seattle's 25^th ranked defense.

Houston 27, Seattle 17

(Miami @ Jacksonville, 1:00PM ET, CBS) The Jaguars have a 5-1 home record and are tied for the lead in the wildcard. The Dolphins are coming off of a confidence booster with their win over the Patriots. These teams are evenly matched and will play a close contest.

Jacksonville 20, Miami 17

(NY Jets @ Tampa Bay, 1:00PM ET, CBS) The Jets have the #1 ranked defense in the NFL and the Buccaneers are just plain bad. Although the Jets' offense has been sputtering as of late, the Bucs will make them look like a high powered offensive machine.

NY Jets 24, Tampa Bay 10

(Carolina @ New England, 1:00PM ET, FOX) The NFL may now be convinced that the Patriots are mortal. Of course Tom Brady did throw for 352 yards but the New England defense couldn't come up with a stop when they needed to. But then there are the Panthers with their mediocrity. Someday they'll realize that the best game plan is to give the ball to Jonathan Steward and stay out of the way.

New England 28, Carolina 17

(Cincinnati @ Minnesota, 1:00PM ET, CBS) The featured matchup of the week! The offensive fire power of the Vikings against the smothering defense of the Bengals! Cincinnati has changed its image from a high flying point scorer to a stingy defensive squad. Minnesota took a beating last week but still carries a more balanced team.

Minnesota 24, Cincinnati 17

(Buffalo @ Kansas City, 1:00PM ET, CBS) The Bills lost a tough one on Thursday night but still have a respectable crew. You never know when Kansas City is going to put together a decent game and surprise an opponent. Don't look for too many points to be scored in this contest. Defense and poor offense will be the name of the game.

Buffalo 17, Kansas City 13

(Denver @ Indianapolis, 1:00PM ET, CBS) Did the Broncos turn things around last week? Probably not! While they may play well against the sad Chiefs they aren't going to be as spirited against the Colts. Indi continues to impress.

Indianapolis 30, Denver 17

(St. Louis @ Tennessee, 4:05PM ET, FOX) The Rams are continuing to compete for the #1 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. The Titans were able to gauge how far they still need to come before being amongst the elite last week. They may not be there yet but are definitely better than the Rams.

Tennessee 35, St. Louis 20

(Washington @ Oakland, 4:05PM ET, FOX) What can you say about these two teams? One comes away with a remarkable win and the other takes an unbeaten to overtime. With a new quarterback at the helm for the Raiders it's hard to judge just how good, or how bad, they really are. Meanwhile the Redskins should have a much better record based on statistics. Their semi respectable defense will shut down the inconsistent Oakland offense.

Washington 21, Oakland 12

(San Diego @ Dallas, 4:15PM ET, CBS) A very captivating competition this is. The Chargers have been on a roll while the Cowboys have been all over the page. So far this NFL season Dallas has been hardnosed at home. San Diego has been playing equally well on the road. The consistency of the Chargers will tip the scales here.

San Diego 24, Dallas 21

(Philadelphia @ NY Giants, 8:20PM ET, NBC) A divisional gem! Just when you thought the Giants were toast they come back with a win to stay in the thick of things. Statistically New York has a better team but the record says otherwise. The Eagles have been rolling along nicely lately and will carry that momentum into Week 14.

Philadelphia 27, NY Giants 20

Monday, December 14^th

(Arizona @ San Francisco, 8:30PM ET, ESPN) A week ago this was building up to be a much more interesting game. Unfortunately for the 49ers they made some poor end of game decisions in Week 13 that could have cost them a playoff spot. The Cardinals looked like the Super Bowl team of last NFL season but will they bring the same fervor to Week 14? San Francisco will be outclassed, outcoached, and outmatched.

Arizona 31, San Francisco 17