The 2011 NFL season has officially turned into a perfect model of inconsistency for Del. With the way the picks have gone through the first 12 games of the season, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde would be proud. Coming off a disappointing 7-9 performance in Week 13 and now 11 games below the .500 mark on the year, Del can no longer afford to mess around. These last four weeks have to be winners or Del is in danger of finishing below .500. Luckily, the top-3 have been killing it all season. Another successful 2-1 week last weekend brought the season total to 22-14 with the games Del is most confident in. With four lines off at the moment for Week 14, we’ll wait to pick a top-3 until later in the week. Here are Del’s Week 14 NFL Picks. Be sure to check back for Doc Brown’s selections later in the week.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
The first game that jumped out at Del this week is the Bengals laying 3 at home against Houston. Somehow, Houston keeps winning even with T.J. Yates at quarterback and Andre Johnson battling injuries. With Cincinnati having been blown out by Pittsburgh last weekend, this is a game they have to have in order to keep pace in the AFC. The Ravens, Patriots, and Steelers continue to win. With the Jets still lurking, it won’t be easy for the Bengals to grab a wild card spot. They should come out with a sense of urgency and come away with a win.
The second top-3 selection this week is the Saints -3.5 at Tennessee. While the Titans have quietly emerged as a playoff contender in the AFC, the Saints are hitting their stride at the perfect time. They have won four straight and Drew Brees is playing his best football of the season. While Tennessee is an impressive 7-5, I still have a hunch they are pretenders. The Saints have struggled at times on the road and their offense can become mundane outside the dome, but I don’t envision them having a problem with the Titans this weekend.
Rounding out the top-3 are the Niners laying 4 points on the road against the Cardinals. While San Francisco has clinched the NFC West, they won’t put it in cruise control just yet. With the Saints sitting at 9-3, the Niners still have to battle for the second seed in the NFC. Given their defensive style of play, locking up the two seed and as favorable a home-game playoff schedule as possible will be crucial. This line would seem to indicate the oddsmakers expect them to take their foot off the gas, but I don’t see that being the case. If both teams give it 100 percent, the Niners should obviously cover a four-point spread with ease.
