NFL Week 14 picks against the spread

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills (-3.5)

This is an interesting matchup to start the week. They are both coming off games where they covered the spread, but still lost the game. The Bills lost to the Dolphins in a back-and-forth affair, while the Jets blew a major lead to the Titans to probably put a proper dagger into the career of Todd Bowles. This matchup puts two teams with nothing to play for except pride and proving they belong on the sidelines next year.

These teams are very similar. They both start rookie quarterbacks with pages of question marks. They both have defenses with some good players, but not enough to be an overall good unit. The big difference between these two teams is coaching.

One thing going in the Jets favor is the return of Sam Darnold. People are completely off his bandwagon, and he will look to gain the trust of Jets faithful. The Bills had to deal with Nathan Peterman and Derek Anderson earlier this season, so Josh Allen is a major step up anyway. Also, the Bills spent the week answering questions about the release of Kelvin Benjamin, who will likely sign with a contender as a red zone threat. This will allow the Jets to keep this game close, and at least cover the spread.

Buffalo 21, New York (J) 20

New York Giants (-3.5) @ Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins season is spiraling down a drain week by week. After watching Alex Smith get one of the most gruesome injuries in NFL history, Colt McCoy was dealt the same fate. He broke his leg and likely won’t play again this season, even if he isn’t going on IR in hopes the Skins make the playoffs. Now, the hopes of the Redskins season are on the arm of Mark Sanchez.

The Giants are here to play spoiler, and it’s a weirdly motivating move. They did just that last week when they beat Chase Daniel and the Chicago Bears. A game where we thought Eli Manning would tattoo the ground thanks to Khalil Mack, they ended up with a victory. Now, they can end the Redskins season with a loss, and beat the former cross-town rival quarterback in the process.

One cannot put money on Mark Sanchez. Putting money on Eli is never smart, unless you can do it against an ice-cold Mark Sanchez. He had some throws when he came in for McCoy, but there was more bad than good. Go with the Giants even with this spread.

New York (G) 24, Washington 17