The Standings
Thru Week 13 Records |
Wins |
Losses |
Push |
Winning % |
Jack |
58 |
45 |
1 |
56% |
Nate |
51 |
48 |
1 |
51% |
John |
84 |
91 |
7 |
46% |
The Word
NFL WEEK 14 BEST BETS FOR THE 4:00 GAMES - Week 14 comes to us after a blistering Army vs. Navy game and another Raiders blown lead on Thursday Night Football. Six teams will take a bye this week and we wouldn’t blame you if you decided to take a breather as well.
Handicapping the NFL is hard. That’s why the two ranking members at the Pete Rose Church of the Prophets, Degenerates, and Sickos are here to help you catch a heater. We don’t take Sundays off, because we don’t lose. Except when we do. Sometimes we lose. Full transparency.
This afternoon has everything. Two injury plagued and anemic offenses battling in the Bay Area. The Chiefs are looking to roll the historically ridiculous Broncos. And the Seahawks continue their march towards an NFC West title. Will the Niners or Buccaneers score more than one total touchdown? Do the Seahawks keep rolling as a team of destiny? Is this going to be another underwhelming performance in Broncos Country?
Read below for our NFL Week 14 best bets for the 4:00 games.Â
All odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of 12/10
Nate's Best Bets
Smart Total and a Dumb Teaser
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (+9, o/u 44
On paper, this is sort of a funky matchup. The Chiefs are elite offensively, ranking #1 overall in offensive DVOA per Football Outsiders. But this isn’t the easiest matchup against a Broncos defense that rates #7 in defensive DVOA, and has done their absolute damndest to try and keep this team in games only to watch Russell Wilson or Nathaniel Hackett fritter them away.Â
Kansas City has some warts on defense that are masked by their outstanding offense, so if there was ever a moment where, maybe just maybe, the Broncos could get going, I suppose this could be it.
That being said, I am absolutely finished trying to predict when the Bronco offense will come alive. At this point it feels like standing next to a dormant volcano and wondering when the lava will start flowing. In short, we could be waiting forever to see this offense move the ball with any regularity.Â
There is a strong case to be made that Denver has inflated defensive numbers simply because they haven’t played many good offenses. Seattle is the only real offense they faced outside of the Chargers (and the Chargers aren’t exactly setting the world on fire right now).Â
Still, I just can’t ignore the silly trends for the Broncos. If you just bet under the total points in every Broncos game this season, you’d be 11-1 on the season.
I think there’s an argument to be made for the Broncos here as these divisional games late in the season often have some eyebrow-raising results, but I just can’t trust this team to score enough to keep this that close.Â
The under is the safest play. If we lose here, we can console ourselves with all the other unders this Broncos team has gifted us this season.Â
If you want to take a side here, I would suggest teasing this line down a little bit, particularly if youre book is at 8.5 points. There aren’t a ton of teaser options if you’re starting this late in the day, which is why I’ll break one of the golden rules of teasers. You should never, ever cross zero when you’re teasing a number, it’s just terrible value and doesn’t move you off many key numbers (3, 4, 6, 7, 10, etc.). That being said, I love the Seahawks, so we add them to the teaser because gambling is awesome. This is not a good teaser, and I’m not proud of it, but let’s get weird.Â
Nate’s Pick |
Under 44; 6. pt. teaser KC -3/Sea +2.5 |
Underwhelming Analysis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Francisco 49ers (-3.5, o/u 38.5)
I was really high on Baltimore a few weeks ago, but I’m starting to think I may have jumped the gun. The defense is certainly improving, but now Lamar is hurt and this team is playing down to opponents way too much to make me comfortable betting on them.Â
Tyler Huntley isn’t terrible, but he’s also not a MVP-caliber quarterback, which is what he's replacing here.Â
Pittsburgh’s defense is legitimately nasty with T.J. Watt on the field. When he’s out there, this is a top-5 unit.Â
I won’t fault anyone for taking the under here. We know what Pittsburgh’s offense is, and it isn’t scaring many teams. Add in the unknowns surrounding Huntley and his limited NFL appearances, and it's fair to wonder how this game is high-scoring.
Ultimately, I know what I’m getting with the Steelers and it’s a tough team that doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. I’ve already had doubts about the Ravens, but those are heightened without Lamar. I think Pittsburgh snags a tough divisional game here.
Nate’s Pick |
Under 38.5 |
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