Mattie T’s Week 14 NFL Predictions

Thanks to a crazy overtime finish, the Saints are still unbeaten (as is Indianapolis). But with Jim Caldwell reportedly willing to follow Tony Dungy’s guidelines of resting starters down the stretch, i think that New Orleans has the best chance of going 16-0.

We’ll see if Atlanta gives them another stern test on Sunday…

Week 13: 10-6

Overall: 124-68 (.646)

Pittsburgh at Cleveland.

Absolutely HUGE game for the reeling Steelers, who have lost 4 straight games & is coming off a stunning home loss to Oakland.

Hines Ward is in danger of missing his 1st game since 2007 due to injury (hamstring), but will try to give it a go with Mike Tomlin’s approval.

If Ward doesn’t play, look for Pittsburgh to lean more on the run as Rashard Mendenhall should have a big game. I like the Steelers here to snap their losing streak & start their Wild Card run.

New Orleans at Atlanta.

Falcons might have Matt Ryan back for Sunday’s huge divisional showdown, but will it be enough to stop the unbeaten Saints?

Atlanta was able to win last season at the Georgia Dome despite a monster game from Drew Brees, who threw for 422 yards during New Orleans’ 34-20 loss.

This time around, Brees should have the upper hand against a wounded Falcons secondary & with Robert Meacham, who has scored in each of the last 5 games.

Ryan’s presence makes it interesting, but Brees’ Saints march on to their 13th straight win.

Denver at Indianapolis.

Very intriguing game here, as Josh McDaniels’ Broncos will try to stop the Colts from making NFL History with a 22nd consecutive win.

Peyton Manning has very good history against Denver though, as he hasn’t lost a regular-season game to the Broncos since December of 2003.

It all depends on the play of Kyle Orton, who has thrived on the road with 8 touchdowns & just 1 interception for a 80.9 rating.

I am thinking upset & will pick Denver to spoil NFL History.

Seattle at Houston.

You have to feel some pain for Gary Kubiak & his Texans. All of their four straight losses have been by 8 points or less, while all but one of their losses have been decided by a touchdown or less.

Houston could be in big trouble if Matt Schaub (shoulder) can’t go Sunday, as that would open the door for Rex Grossman to make his 1st start since leaving the Chicago Bears.

The Texans are just too unpredictable for me at this point in the season, so i am going with the Seahawks.

Carolina at New England.

Thank goodness the Patriots are playing this game at home, because they’ve been anything but stellar away from Foxboro this season.

The latest road disappointment was a 22-21 loss to Miami, as New England failed several times to put the game away.

Steve Smith could potentially explode against a bad Patriots secondary, but i think Bill Belichick will find a way to slow down DeAngelo Williams (knee) with an unexperienced Matt Moore behind center.

New England rebounds with a big win to stay atop the AFC East.

Buffalo at Kansas City.

With two bad defenses squaring off against eachother, this could actually turn into a shootout.

Can’t trust that terrible Bills run defense though, as they gave up over 200 yards rushing during their Week 13 loss to the Jets.

Look for Jamaal Charles to have a big day as he will “run” the Chiefs to victory.

Detroit at Baltimore.

Even though the Ravens are banged up on defense without Ed Reed & Terrell Suggs, i still expect them to attack the Lions in a must-win game.

Joe Flacco was absolutely terrible on Monday night, as he completed just 15 of 36 passes for a season-low 137 yards & also threw a season-high 3 interceptions.

This week he’ll lean more on the run game, as Baltimore should eat up a weak Detroit run defense.

Look for the Ravens to play with desperation & pick up a crucial win to stay in the playoff hunt.

Cincinnati at Minnesota.

Vikings will try to continue their Super Bowl hunt without E.J. Henderson, who led the team with 83 tackles.

That could mean a big game for Cedric Benson, who returned from a hip injury in Week 13 against Detroit & ran for 110 yards during the team’s 23-13 win.

Cincinnati also sports the league’s 2nd ranked run defense, which might give Adrian Peterson back-to-back subpar outings.

I like for the Bengals to pull off the road upset, which would pull Green Bay just 1 game within the division lead with a win on Sunday.

N.Y. Jets at Tampa Bay.

Just when you thought things were looking promising for the Jets, Mark Sanchez got hurt & won’t play on Sunday.

This will force Kellen Clemens to start, who wasn’t all that impressive in Week 13 during their win over the Bills.

I sense that Tampa Bay will stack the box in order to slow down Thomas Jones, which will force Clemens to move the ball downfield with his arm.

That could work out, but only if Braylon Edwards stops dropping catchable passes.

Buccaneers deliver the home upset.

Miami at Jacksonville.

Such a tough game to predict with both teams in the playoff hunt, but this is a must-win for Miami. Their run defense is stout, so they’ll try to force David Garrard to beat them with his arm.

Chad Henne had a good performance last week during the team’s upset win over New England, so he will look to pick apart a weak Jacksonville secondary.

This should be very close, but i’m going with the Dolphins on the road.

Green Bay at Chicago.

Had the Bears totally CRUSHED the Rams in Week 13, i’d be ready to deliver an upset. After such an uninspiring performance though, you’d have to think changes are in store for Lovie Smith’s team this offseason.

Green Bay is still very much alive in the playoff hunt & have reeled off 4 straight wins since losing to that Brett Favre guy.

Look for Aaron Rodgers to attack the Bears defense with his talented group of wide receivers & Jermichael Finley, who scored twice last week during their win over Baltimore.

Packers for their 5th straight win.

St. Louis at Tennessee.

Write this down folks. Tennessee’s Chris Johnson will rush for 200 (or more) yards on Sunday!!!! He’s very much still in pursuit of breaking Eric Dickerson’s record, and St. Louis’ terrible run defense is the perfect team to do it against.

Look for the Titans to try & slow Steven Jackson, who is the Rams’ only chance of pulling off an improbable upset.

Not here, as Tennessee wins to improve to 6-7.

Washington at Oakland.

The Raiders have indeed pulled off some stunners this season with wins over both Pittsburgh & Philadelphia. They are known though to completely fall apart the very next week, and i like how Washington has played as of late.

Jason Campbell is coming off his best game of the season in which he totaled season-highs in passing yards (367) & touchdown passes (3) during Washington’s heartbreaking 33-30 overtime loss to New Orleans.

Shaun Suisham’s extra-point like 23-yard field goal miss last Sunday has cost him his job, as Graham Gano will make his NFL debut this week.

If it comes down to a FG to win it..i’m sure Gano won’t disappoint. Redskins in a close one.

San Diego at Dallas.

Such a huge game here for both teams, as the Chargers will attempt to win their 8th straight while the Cowboys are simply trying to stay in the NFC East hunt.

Philip Rivers has been outstanding on the road this season, where he’s averaged 250.2 passing yards per game with 13 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions for a 107.5 rating.

Tony Romo has been sacked quite a bit this season, but only 9 of his 27 sacks have come at Cowboys Stadium, where Dallas hasn’t lost since Week 1.

I think Dallas will come out & play one of their better games of the season after a disappointing loss to the Giants & knock off San Diego in a very close game on Sunday.

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants.

With a Dallas loss on Sunday, Philadelphia could essentially almost lock up a division title with a win over New York.

Donovan McNabb had one of his best games of the season against the Giants back in Week 8, as he completed 17 of 23 passes for 240 yards & threw for 3 touchdowns during the 40-17 blowout win.

McNabb has also won his last two starts against New York at the Meadowlands since that memorable Sunday night game last season where he was sacked TWELVE times.

I don’t see the Giants doing that here, as their defense still has major issues. Look forMcNabbto expliot them, while leading Philadelphia to a big divisional road win.

Arizona at San Francisco.

The Cardinals won a big statement game over the Vikings, while Kurt Warner showed no ill effects of his concussion by passing for 270 yards & throwing for 3 touchdowns.

Arizona has not lost a road start this season with Warner at the helm, as Matt Leinart started against Tennessee when Vince Young broke his heart again in the waning seconds of the game.

After their great effort against Adrian Peterson, the Cardinals’ run defense can prove it is for real if they do the same against Frank Gore.

Can Alex Smith generate enough offense through the air to keep it close? Not likely folks. Arizona wins here to pretty much wrap up the NFC West crown.