Week 14 NFL Picks Against the Spread (Hanson)
Here are my Week 14 NFL picks against the spread:
Houston Texans (+3.5) over New England Patriots
The Texans are the most complete team in the league and are currently the unanimous choice as the top team in our consensus NFL power rankings. In the preseason, they were my pick to win the Super Bowl. (And don't worry about who I had them beating ... that's not important.)
Since their four-way tie at 3-3 in the AFC East in mid-October, the Patriots have won six consecutive games. While it wouldn't shock me if the Pats extended their streak to seven, the Texans are the better team and this game will be close. I'll take the points.
Green Bay Packers (-6.5) over Detroit Lions
The Packers are on a five-game winning streak at home since losing the season opener to the 49ers. In addition, they beat the Lions on the road earlier in the season even if it took a pair of Mason Crosby field goals in the final two minutes to win and cover this game.
This is as much of a gut call as anything else. Aaron Rodgers has thrown an interception in four consecutive games and has only two passing scores in the past two weeks. I expect a big performance (three or four touchdown passes) from him this week.
Cleveland Browns (-6.5) over Kansas City Chiefs
The murder-suicide involving the late Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher is sad and the fact that his three-month-old daughter no longer has her parents is even sadder. The way the team rallied to beat the Panthers is truly amazing.
That said, I expect a letdown this week.
The Browns have not been as bad as many expected and they have won four of their past seven games. The Chiefs have problems on both sides of the ball while the Browns have a trio of rookies (Weeden, Richardson and Gordon) that are starting to move the ball.
All of our Week 14 picks will be posted on The Weekly Blitz page as they are made.
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