Happy midweek, everyone! Today’s Pick Six newsletter is brought to you by Cody Benjamin, with tidbits on all the latest from around the NFL.
Be sure to subscribe right here, to ensure you never miss a daily dose of NFL updates. And keep on reading for everything from Pete Prisco’s Week 14 predictions to updated playoff projections.
1. Prisco’s Week 14 picks: Lions outlast Packers
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Pete Prisco went 12-3 making straight-up picks in Week 13. Now he’s back with predictions for every single Week 14 contest. Here are some of his most notable predictions:
- Lions 35, Packers 33: This is an enormous game for the NFC playoffs and the division. The Lions have a lot of important players out on defense, which could help the Packers. But the Lions have a dominant offense that will score here as they run it against the Packers front. It’s close.
- Vikings 24, Falcons 23: The Falcons have been lifeless on offense the past few games. That has to change, but that will be tough as Kirk Cousins comes back to face his former team. The Vikings are good on defense, but something says Cousins will … play well enough to keep Atlanta in the game.
- Chiefs 27, Chargers 21: This is one of the best games of the week. The Chargers are playing consecutive road games against a team with added rest. Advantage to the Chiefs. K.C. has won a lot of close games and I think they will win another here thanks to Patrick Mahomes.
2. Texans defend Azeez Al-Shaair after suspension
The NFL on Tuesday issued a three-game suspension to the linebacker, who was ejected Sunday for a hit that concussed Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Despite Al-Shaair’s repeated infractions involving late or unnecessary hits, his coach, DeMeco Ryans, and general manager, Nick Caserio, doubled down on their defense of the player, questioning the consistency of the NFL’s enforcement of such conduct, and suggesting quarterbacks’ late slides are part of the problem.
3. QB Power Rankings: Josh Allen is new No. 1
Every week, we rank all 32 starting quarterbacks from most trustworthy to most concerning. And now we’ve got a new No. 1, with Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen leapfrogging both Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow following his gutsy win over the San Francisco 49ers in the snow. Other big movers: The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Russell Wilson is approaching the top 10 as he continues to keep Steel City atop the AFC North, and Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix is now inside the top 15, fresh off a prime-time shootout win.
4. Playoff projections: Broncos, Seahawks on rise
With the postseason around the corner, John Breech has compiled the latest simulations from SportsLine’s projection model to forecast the entire 14-team playoff field. Here’s a look at some notable teams expected to make the dance as we enter Week 14:
- Atlanta Falcons: For the past few weeks, the computer was confident that Atlanta would win the division, but now, it’s essentially a toss up with Tampa Bay. The Falcons are given a 50.5% chance of winning the division while the Buccaneers are right behind them at 48.8%. The big advantage for the Falcons is that they swept Tampa Bay, which means the Bucs will have to finish a full game ahead of them in the standings if they want to steal the division.
- Denver Broncos: We’ve been doing these projections since the first week of November and the computer has had the Broncos in this spot the entire time. They have a 79.6% chance of making it.
- Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks might have been the biggest winner of Week 13. Not only is the computer now projecting them to win the NFC West, but Seattle is also being projected to get the No. 3 seed. Of course, if the Seahawks want to win the division, they’re going to have to take care of business this week against Arizona. The Seahawk currently have a 53.5% chance of winning the division, but that will shoot up to 82.3% if they beat the Cardinals on Sunday.
5. Hall of Fame finalists: Mike Holmgren advances
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Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Holmgren and star wide receiver Sterling Sharpe are among five Hall of Fame finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025. These candidates, along with contributor Ralph Hay and senior candidates Maxie Baughan and Jim Tyrer, will now need 80% of the vote during the weekend of this year’s Super Bowl in order to be inducted this summer in Canton, Ohio.
6. Extra points: Dak return timeline, Ekeler update
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