After a hard-hitting Week 13, we’ll take a look at the top NFL Lines for Week 14.
Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers (-5), Sunday at 8:30 PM ET
Week 13’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals was brutal. It was filled with illegal hits, cringe-worthy injuries, and a total of 239 penalty yards handed out. Also stemming from the game was the loss of the Steelers’ top linebacker, Ryan Shazier, due to an apparent neck injury, and the suspension of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster due to a dangerous hit. As a result, the Steelers enter Week 14’s matchup shorthanded.
Despite that, Pittsburgh (10-2) is the favourite in the Sunday nighter. They’ve already defeated the Ravens this season and are currently riding a seven-game winning streak. If the next man can step up for Shazier, Pittsburgh will likely come away with a win against the Ravens, and will undoubtedly be a beast in the AFC come playoff time.
The Ravens (7-5), meanwhile, occupy the last Wild Card position in the AFC. While on a three-game winning streak of their own, quarterback Joe Flacco and the rest of the Ravens’ offence has managed to put up an average of 23.3 points per game, which ranks third-last in the NFL. Up against the fourth-best defence in the league this week, Baltimore will be hard-pressed to reach the end zone in Pittsburgh.
Oakland Raiders vs Kansas City Chiefs (-4), Sunday at 1:00 PM ET
In a battle of AFC West division rivals, the Raiders head to Kansas to try to take hold of first place in the division. Three teams have identical 6-6 records in the West, and the winner of this matchup will hold an edge in a battle for a playoff spot.
The pendulum seems to have swung in Oakland’s favour of late; they’ve won two straight games, while the Chiefs are in the midst of the four-game losing streak. Add the fact that two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters will miss Sunday’s game due to a suspension, and things are looking brighter all the time for the Raiders despite entering as a 4-point underdog.
Philadelphia Eagles vs Los Angeles Rams (-2.5), Sunday at 4:25 PM ET
At 10-2, it’s hard to believe that the Eagles enter Week 14 as underdogs to any team. But after dropping last week’s game to the Seattle Seahawks in underwhelming fashion, and facing the surprising 9-3 Rams, that’s exactly the position Philadelphia is in.
LA leads the NFC West by only one game, so they’ll be looking to take advantage of home field, and expand that cushion over Seattle by handing the Eagles their second consecutive loss for the first time this season. This game could easily be a preview of an NFC playoff matchup, so don’t miss a sneak peek into what playoff football may look like this postseason.
*Odds as of December 8, 2017