SB Nation Minnesota's Week Fourteen NFL Picks

Again, our picks are a little on the late side, and I apologize for that. But, as the saying goes, better late than never, especially if you have as good a week as we did in Week 13, where we got ourselves back above break-even against the spread and kept our hot streak going with our straight-up picks as well.

I'll be doing these picks in a slightly more rapid fire fashion this week, so without any further ado, here we go!

Game of the Week - Chicago Bears at Denver Broncos (-3.5)

I've given up trying to figure out the whole Tim Tebow thing, folks. All I know is that the guy wins, and will continue to win this week against a Bears team that's without Matt Forte and Jay Cutler. . .or, as we refer to them, the entire Chicago offense.

Straight-Up - Broncos, ATS - Broncos

Lock of the Week - San Francisco 49ers (-4) at Arizona Cardinals

How in the heck are the 10-2 Niners only favored by four points in this game? Yes, I get that the Cardinals got a dramatic victory over Dallas at home last week. San Francisco is a heck of a lot better than that.

Straight-Up - Niners, ATS - Niners

Upset of the Week - Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5)

The Bengals have been a nice story and all that, to be sure, but the Texans have been among the AFC's best teams all season long, regardless if they've been starting Matt Schaub or Matt Leinart or T.J. Yates at quarterback. The Texans know they're still in the hunt for the AFC's top seed, and they'll play like it on Sunday.

Straight-Up - Texans, ATS - Texans

The Rest of the Week

Atlanta Falcons (-1) at Carolina Panthers

The Falcons are right in the thick of the wild card hunt in the NFC, and with the Lions and Bears doing their best to fall apart, Atlanta needs to take advantage of this one to solidify their position.

Straight-Up - Falcons, ATS - Falcons

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens (-18)

Last week, the Colts were 22-point underdogs, and only lost to New England by a touchdown. They might cover this week, too. . .but there's no way in heck they're winning this game, either.

Straight-Up - Ravens, ATS - Colts

New England Patriots (-9) at Washington Redskins

The Redskins are still not a very good football team. The Patriots, for all of their faults on defense, are playing to have the road to the Super Bowl run through Foxboro. The Patriots should cruise in this one.

Straight-Up - Patriots, ATS - Patriots

New Orleans Saints (-3.5) at Tennessee Titans

New Orleans is still fighting with the Niners for the second seed in the NFC playoffs, and can take a big step towards that with a victory over Tennessee. I don't know if a resurgent Chris Johnson can carry the Titans past New Orleans in this one.

Straight-Up - Saints, ATS - Saints

Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets (-12)

The Jets as a 12-point favorite? Man, Vegas is acting like the Chiefs are starting Tyler Palko at quarterback. Oh, that's right. . .they are.

Straight-Up - Jets, ATS - Jets

Philadelphia Eagles at Miami Dolphins (-3)

Two 4-8 teams in this one. . .one of whom might have expected to be here, and one that most certainly did not when the season started. Let's go with the team that may have expected to be there to move past it.

Straight-Up - Dolphins, ATS - Dolphins

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Buccaneers as a favorite on the road? Has anyone from Vegas seen any of Tampa's road games this season? Both of these teams are bad, but the Jags don't deserve that level of disrespect.

Straight-Up - Jaguars, ATS - Jaguars

Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers (-9)

Two more disappointing teams getting together in this one. Both of these teams got off to fast starts, and both of them went over the cliff faster than Toonces the Driving Cat. The Chargers should win here, but it will be closer than you think.

Straight-Up - Chargers, ATS - Bills

Oakland Raiders at Green Bay Packers (-13)

Ugh. (Yeah, that's all the analysis you get for Packer games.)

Straight-Up - Packers, ATS - Raiders

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys (-4.5)

Both of these teams seem bound and determined to fall apart in the face of potentially winning the NFC East. Let's take a mild upset here to make things more interesting for that division, shall we?

Straight-Up - Giants, ATS - Giants

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-11)

This is the point we're at with the Rams, folks. . .they're double-digit underdogs to a 5-7 team. They'll keep themselves in the race with the Vikings for the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Straight-Up - Seahawks, ATS - Rams

Straight-Up For Season: 113-63 (12-3 last week)
ATS For Season: 85-84-7 (9-6 last week)
Lock of the Week: 7-5
Upset of the Week: 4-8