Only five weeks are remaining in the regular season before the playoffs begin. It’s been a long and grueling season, but it’s entering the home stretch. Last week was filled with crazy endings, blowout wins and everything in between. Let’s review some of the biggest moments in Week 13 before diving into Week 14 and some of our early best bets.
Week 13 storylines
Week 13 was a busy slate. It started on Thanksgiving, which featured three games and even a game on Black Friday before a massive slate on Sunday. It was hard to narrow down the biggest events from Week 13, but here they are.
Thanksgiving Day slate didn’t disappoint
Who doesn’t love a day filled with turkey and football? Week 13 kicked off with three games on Thanksgiving Day, and they didn’t disappoint. The first game of the day featured the Lions nearly squandering a big first-half lead, but fortunately for Detroit, the Bears made some controversial decisions in the last minute. That led to a disappointing loss for the Bears and the end of Matt Eberflus’ time in Chicago.
The Giants and Cowboys game followed, and Drew Lock finally got his chance. Even though he threw for 178 yards and was New York’s leading rusher, the Giants fell to the Cowboys 27-20. The day's last game featured the Dolphins and the Packers in Green Bay. Tua Tagovailoa tried to beat the narrative that the Dolphins can’t play in the cold, but the Fins did indeed look cold and lost by 13 points.
Chiefs win in another wacky ending
November was a crazy month for the Chiefs. Although they won four of their five games last month, those four wins were by a combined 13 points. The month featured defeating the Buccaneers in overtime, beating the Broncos by blocking the game-winning field goal and then surviving a comeback attempt from the Panthers. To conclude November, the Chiefs beat the Raiders because of miscommunication.
Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell led them downfield with only a few minutes remaining down 2 points and managed to get them in field goal range. With less than a minute left, the Raiders planned to run the ball, but the center snapped the ball before O'Connell was ready and forced a fumble. The Chiefs hopped on the ball and survived yet another late-game scare.
Josh Allen makes history on Sunday Night Football
It was a snowy night in Buffalo as the 49ers came to town for a primetime matchup with the Bills. Josh Allen was fresh off his engagement announcement to Hailee Steinfeld during the bye week and was looking to build off of Buffalo’s Week 11 win over the Chiefs. Allen and the Bills did just that, winning 35-10 and dominating San Francisco on both sides of the ball.
Additionally, Allen made history by becoming the first player to rush for a touchdown, throw a touchdown and have a receiving touchdown in a game. If you haven’t seen his receiving touchdown, you should check it out because he didn’t technically record a catch! Sadly for the Niners, Christian McCaffrey suffered a knee injury and is back on the IR.
Week 14 headlines
There are several teams with a bye in Week 14, but that doesn’t mean the slate will be any less exciting. Here are a few of the biggest things happening in Week 14.
An NFC North battle on Thursday Night Football
The Packers and Lions are back on Thursday Night Football after playing last Thursday on Thanksgiving. The Lions remain at the top of the NFC North and the NFC Conference, but the Vikings and Packers aren’t too far behind. Plus, the Packers have been on fire in the last few weeks. Green Bay has won seven of their last eight games, with their only loss coming from the Lions. These teams faced off in Green Bay at the beginning of November, and the Lions won 24-14, so could we see a similar result in Detroit on Thursday?
Kirk Cousins returns to Minnesota
Kirk Cousins spent six seasons in Minnesota and became a fan favorite for the Vikings. However, his contract ended last season, and the Vikings decided not to bring him back. Cousins has found a new home in Atlanta, and the Falcons sit at 6-6 entering Week 14. This will be Cousins’ first time returning to Minnesota since departing in the offseason, so it’s bound to be an emotional game for him. That said, the Falcons have been listed as 5.5-point underdogs.
Chiefs are back in the primetime for SNF
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are back in the spotlight in Week 14 as they will host the Chargers on Sunday Night Football. Last week, the Chiefs survived a scare from the Raiders, while the Chargers beat the Falcons even though they had just 187 total yards compared to Atlanta’s 350. It was a weird week for both teams, but the AFC West rivals will come face-to-face at Arrowhead with hopes to extend a winning streak.
Week 14 best bets
There are a lot of good matchups in Week 14 and plenty of value in certain spots. Here are our favorite picks for the Week 14 slate, featuring a pick from Thursday Night Football and Sunday Night Football.
Lions -3.5 (-105)
The Lions have won 10 straight games and have become the clear Super Bowl favorite. The offense might be one of the best we’ve seen in years, and Dan Campbell has become the frontrunner for Coach of the Year. Detroit took on the Packers a few weeks ago in Green Bay and won by 10 points, which gives me the confidence to back them at home since the Lions offense is much better on their home turf. At this small of a spread, back the Lions to beat the Packers once again.
Chargers +3.5 (-105)
The Chargers improved to 8-4 with their win last week, and the young but dangerous L.A. offense could cause some trouble for the Chiefs. Kansas City allowed Aidan O'Connell to throw for 340 yards and 2 touchdowns last week as their secondary looked beatable for the third week in a row. That could be a problem against the Chargers since they will keep the ball in Justin Herbert’s hands now that J.K. Dobbins is injured. Plus, Ladd McConkey has developed into a star in the Chargers offense. I think Herbert could find success against the Chiefs secondary, so take the points with them on SNF.
