Expert Consensus: NFL Week 14 Predictions

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Expert Consensus: NFL Week 14 Predictions

Today's NFL news focuses on the start of Week 14, dominated by major injury updates and tonight's Cowboys-Lions game.

Key Headlines:

TNF Tonight: The Detroit Lions host the Dallas Cowboys at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Injury Concerns: Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is a non-participant in practice (ankle), Eagles DT Jalen Carter is out (shoulder), and Chargers QB Justin Herbert's status is uncertain (hand surgery).
League News: The NFL announced a mandate for new, safer stadium playing surfaces by 2028.

For Week 14 predictions, expert consensus points to tight divisional battles, with analysts split on the Ravens-Steelers and Colts-Jaguars matchups, while the Texans are a popular upset pick against the Chiefs. Most specialists favor the Cowboys to beat the Lions tonight and the Packers to defeat the Bears.

Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season features several critical divisional matchups and potential upsets, with analysts generally favoring home teams and current frontrunners, but also seeing value in several underdogs. The overall sentiment points to a week where playoff contenders solidify their positions, while several key rivalries could see close, low-scoring affairs.

AFC North Battle: Steelers at Ravens

This rivalry game is expected to be a tight, defensive battle, continuing a historical trend of low scores. The Ravens are technically favored, with ESPN's FPI giving them a 67% chance to win, but many experts acknowledge the Steelers have historically matched up well with Lamar Jackson and head coach John Harbaugh.

Consensus: A low-scoring, tight game where defensive performance will be key.
Prediction Leans: Ravens are favored to win outright, but the Steelers are a popular pick to cover the spread (+5.5).

NFC North Showdown: Bears at Packers

With both teams in the thick of the NFC playoff picture, this game has significant implications for the division title. The Packers are strong favorites at home (around -6.5 points), with analysts pointing to the Bears' historical struggles in Green Bay and Jordan Love's strong recent performance.

Consensus: Packers are expected to win and cover the spread.
Prediction Leans: Packers to win, 27-20 is a common score prediction.

AFC South Head-to-Head: Colts at Jaguars

The winner of this game will take outright control of the AFC South. After a hot start, the Colts have cooled off, and the Jaguars are seen by some as the "wrong team" to be an underdog in this spot.

Consensus: A close game, but analysts are split on the winner.
Prediction Leans: Many analysts like the Jaguars to cover the spread (+1.5) and potentially win outright.

"Game of the Week": Texans at Chiefs

Despite the Chiefs being favored, the Texans' top-ranked defense and recent surge make them a popular upset pick among specialists. The Chiefs have struggled to cover spreads recently, which adds to the intrigue of this AFC matchup.

Consensus: Chiefs are the favorite, but the Texans are a very live underdog.
Prediction Leans: Texans to cover the spread (+3.5) or even pull the outright upset.

Other Key Predictions

Thursday Night Football (Cowboys vs. Lions): The majority of experts are picking the surging Dallas Cowboys to beat the Lions on the road, with scores around 30-24.
Broncos vs. Raiders: The 10-2 Broncos are heavily favored to win easily against the struggling Raiders.
Rams vs. Cardinals: The Rams are expected to rebound from last week's loss and win comfortably against the Cardinals.

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