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Five outrageous predictions for Week 14 of the NFL season
With much at stake for both teams in this year's playoff race, can Tom Brady bounce back in the face of JJ Watt's historic defensive player run? Elsa/Getty Images

Five outrageous predictions for Week 14 of the NFL season

From J.J. Watt looking to put a hurting on Tom Brady to Dez Bryant heading back to Lambeau Field after all the drama of last year's playoffs, there are some pretty interesting stories heading into Week 14 of the NFL season.

Most of the games taking place this week have playoff implications. Such is the nature of the beast in an NFL where parity is the name of the game.

As we have done all year, here are five outrageous predictions for Week 14 of the NFL season. In addition to the Houston Texans and New England Patriots game as well as Dez and the Dallas Cowboys taking on Green Bay, we give you three other intriguing predictions that could very well come true this week.

1. Dallas Cowboys hand Green Bay Packers third consecutive home loss

Someone has to pull away with the NFC East, right? Why not the team that saved its season with a road win Monday night?

It seems patently absurd on the surface. Matt Cassel going into Lambeau Field and leading the Cowboys to a win over the mighty Packers. There would be no real explanation if this actually went down Sunday afternoon.

Though, there are a few things pointing to Green Bay failing to hold court at home.

First off, the Packers have lost their past two home games to opponents that are currently battling for last place in the NFC North.

Secondly, Green Bay simply hasn't had the same success on offense as we have seen in the past. It has put up 400-plus yards just twice and ranks 12th in the NFL in scoring. For comparison's sake, the Packers ranked first in the league in scoring at over 30 points per game last season.

With a rather solid defense to help keep this game close, Dallas could very well send the Packers to their first three-game home losing streak since 2006.

2. Derek Carr and the Oakland Raiders rebound from last week's loss 

Prior to last week, Carr was having a historical sophomore campaign. He had thrown 24 touchdowns compared to six interceptions, was in the top-10 in passing yards and found himself among the best in the NFL in terms of quarterback rating.

What happened last week — pretty much an anomaly for the young quarterback — was beyond disastrous. He threw three fourth quarter interceptions, including a pick six late in the game.

Considering everything was pointing in the direction of the Raiders winning that inner-division game against the Chiefs, Carr's performance couldn't have come at a worst time.

Now at 5-7 on the season and two games out of the final wild card spot, Oakland finds itself in a must-win position against a Denver Broncos team that's tied for the best record in the AFC. It comes on the road with a whole heck of a lot on the line.

From what we have seen Carr do this year, there is no reason to believe he won't have a rebound performance.

The biggest key here will be getting the ball to Amari Cooper and a newly-extended Michael Crabtree against the league's toughest pass defense. If Carr is able to do that, the Raiders may very well pull off the shocker.

3. J.J. Watt gets to Tom Brady three times, New England Patriots still win

Brady has been sacked 29 times this season compared to 21 times all of last year. Some of that has to do with injuries along the offensive line, and some of it has to do with his willingness to hold on to the ball longer. Either way, it is a telling stat.

Losers of two consecutive after starting the season 10-0, the Patriots are going to need Brady to find a way to release the ball at a much more rapid pace this Sunday night against one of the best defensive players of the modern era.

Watt has his Houston Texans in a tie for first place heading into this all-important Week 14 game. With 65 sacks since the start of the 2012 season, Watt is in the midst of one of the greatest stretches for a defensive player in NFL history.

Though, it's important to look at more than just sacks. Including the 29 he has tallied this season, Watt has put up 109 quarterback hits in his past 44 games. That's absolutely absurd.

Taking on a right tackle in Sebastian Vollmer who has allowed just two sacks on the season, it's not going to be easy for Watt. With that said, not a single player in the NFL stands a chance in one-on-one blocking assignments against him. Without a running back that can stick his nose in there and with no real blocking tight end, the Patriots could be in trouble here.

In terms of the game, New England is the vastly superior team. It is also coming off an embarrassing home loss to the hapless Philadelphia Eagles.

If we know one thing about Brady, it's that he's not going to let the team put up a repeat performance on national television with a first-round playoff bye potentially on the line.

No matter how much havoc Watt brings to the Pats backfield, it makes little sense to discount Brady's ability to make a statement on a big stage.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers put up another 500-yard game, remain alive in AFC North race

As consistent as a defense as there is in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals have yielded 400-plus total yards just once this season. This comes a year after the Bengals allowed at least that many yards a grand total of six times.

The primary difference here has been the pass rush. After recording just 20 sacks all of last season, Cincinnati has 32 through 12 games this season.

The Bengals will need this pass rush to come through in spades if they are going to wrap up the AFC North against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

In their first meeting of the year, Cincinnati got to Ben Roethlisberger three times while putting pressure on him 30 percent of the time he dropped back to pass. That's the main reason Cincinnati came out on top in a low-scoring 16-10 affair.

Interestingly, Big Ben has been sacked just nine times in his other seven games this season. Again, there is a correlation here. Pittsburgh is in the midst of a four-game stretch that has seen it put up an average of 530 total yards.

Based off what we saw Pittsburgh do to the Seattle Seahawks defense (26 first downs, 538 yards) on the road two weeks ago, I wouldn't bet against it putting up some pretty big numbers against the Bengals on Sunday. It will be all about whether the line can hold up against a good Bengals defensive front.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars pull to within one game in the AFC South

Losers of two consecutive games, it's absolutely ridiculous that the Jaguars find themselves still alive in the AFC South playoff race.

The interesting thing here is that the four-win Jaguars stand a darn good chance of pulling to within one game in the division when all is said and done Sunday.

Here's how it would work.

An angry New England Patriots team takes care of business against the Houston Texans on Sunday night. With two consecutive losses under their belt, the Patriots are looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2001. You better believe Tom Brady will have his team pumped for that game.

Meanwhile in Jacksonville, the Jaguars host a reeling Indianapolis Colts team that is coming off a blowout loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Whether it is Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie Whitehurst under center, Jacksonville has the clear advantage at quarterback and all over the field on offense. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Jaguars end Indianapolis' 16-game winning streak against AFC South competition.

Maybe this one scribe just wants to see the football world burn with the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting a playoff game. Either way, the team stands a decent chance of getting back into the playoff race when all is said and done on Sunday.

Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL

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