Week 14 of the NFL season starts with two desperate teams facing in Chicago as the Bears host the Cowboys. Later in the week, we have two divisional rivalries on Primetime as the Seahawks head to LA and the Giants look to avoid a 9th straight defeat when they meet the Eagles. As usual, we have a full preview and tips for some of the key games across the Week 14 slate below.
NFL Week 14 Betting Tips
Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears (Friday 12.20pm AEDT)
Luckily for Dallas, a 2 game losing streak hasn't cost them the NFC East lead as the Eagles continue to let him off. The Cowboys are coming off a disappointing Thanksgiving loss against the Bills at home (26-15) and their offence needs to get going on Friday. They've scored at an average of just 14 points in their last 2 as opposing defences have quelled the influence of Ezekiel Elliott/Amari Cooper. However, the Bears struggled with Kenny Galloway and a 3rd string QB so a rebounding effort by the desperate Cowboys could be on the cards.
It is season on the line for the Bears in this home game as they hold a 6-6 record and need help from here to make the playoffs. They have the Packers, Chiefs and Vikings in the run home so it's going to be tough and very unlikely. They have won 3 of their last 4 games and have started to show some signs of offence behind Mitchell Trubisky. But in reality, they've beaten the banged-up Lions twice and struggled to beat the Giants at home previously. So it starts with their defence getting stops and hopefully, the Bears can find a running game to ease the pressure on Trubisky.
Both sides played last Friday and will come into this game well-rested with an eye on a playoff spot. They've both struggled for consistency in recent weeks and we feel this will be a grinding low scoring clash in cold/windy Chicago conditions. Historically, the Cowboys have a great Unders record in December (13-3) and the fact they've scored under 16 points in their last 2 helps. Meanwhile, the Under definitely trends with the Bears involved. They're 8-1 against it at home, 5-1 overall and 4-0 in colder December games.
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams (Monday 12.20pm AEDT)
On the back of 5 straight wins, the Seattle Seahawks lead the NFC West with a 10-2 record and continue to get the job done in pressure situations. Last week, they held on to beat the Vikings 37-30 as their running game dominated again. Carson carried for over 100 yards and Penny had another nice game with 74 rush yards. The fact that top WR Tyler Lockett went without a catch is a scary proposition for defending this Seattle offence when he gets going. The pressure is off Wilson with this running game moving the chains as well. Meanwhile, their defence is hitting peak form and will be ready for this Rams offence.
Los Angeles recovered from the embarrassing 45-6 defeat to the Ravens by smashing the Cardinals 34-7. Rams QB Jared Goff finally found some rhythm with the likes of Woods, Higbee and Kupp. It also helped that the Rams defence ratted Murray with 6 sacks and they shut down all aspects of the Cardinals attack. Todd Gurley comes off 95 yards on 19 carries but will find running lanes a bit tougher against the Seahawks 8th ranked run D and they kept Vikings RB Dalvin Cook quiet last Tuesday.
Generally, when the Seahawks and Rams meet it's going to be a fun contest between two high scoring offences. So we have to like the Over. It has saluted in all of the last 4 meetings, including a Seahawks 30-29 victory in Seattle earlier this season. The Rams have also gone Over in 5 of their last 7 games after scoring 30+ points. Meanwhile, Seattle has a nice 7-1 Overs record against the division and it's 7-1 when they play a team with a winning record.
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (Tuesday 12.15pm AEDT)
The 2-10 Giants are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak. So while they're in line for the 2nd draft pick next April, a win over divisional rivals in the Eagles should give them plenty of motivation. It starts with Daniel Jones taking better care of the football after 3 picks in the 31-13 loss to the Packers. Saquon Barkley also hasn't found the endzone in 5 games and the Giants really need to give him 20+ carries and more involvement in the passing game. Especially with Golden Tate and Engram on the sidelines (both questionable for this clash). They’ve also need to find a way of stopping the Eagles passing attack after Rodgers picked them apart in the snow.
A 3 game losing streak for the Eagles has basically ended their season. So they're only chance of reaching the playoffs is if the Cowboys suffer a huge collapse in the last month of the regular season. Last week's 37-31 loss to the Dolphins added extra disappointment for the Philadelphia faithful after they led 28-14 in the 3rd quarter. Their defence just couldn't stop DaVante Parker and the Giants will be looking to exploit the same matchups with the Eagles short secondary.
We do expect the Eagles to come out firing after last week's collapse. But the Giants have covered in 4 of their last 6 against them and the last 2 meetings at Lincoln Financial Field have been decided by a field goal. So hard to pass up the Giants at the line if Daniel Jones can have success against the Eagles struggling secondary.
