NFL Week 14 represents the final lap of the 2023 NFL regular season with matchups on Sunday and Monday helping determine playoff spots and potential award winners. In a slate that includes the Buffalo Bills vs Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys, there’s plenty to be excited about.
While there are plenty of marquee games on Sunday, including the Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks vs San Francisco 49ers, we’ve got our eyes on a few other matchups. In addition to the Bills vs Chiefs and Eagles vs Cowboys, several battles in NFL Week 14 should be must-watch games for fans.
Related: NFL coaching candidates 2024
Let’s dive into our bold predictions for NFL Week 14.
Buffalo Bills beat the Kansas City Chiefs by 7+ points
The Chiefs are a one-point favorite at Arrowhead Stadium against the 6-6 Bills. That should tell you everything about both the ramifications of Isiah Pacheco’s absence and how bad the Chiefs’ offense has been as of late. While Buffalo’s defense hasn’t been any better, this matchup is ripe for a Bills bounceback performance.
Related: 4 stats to know, matchups to watch for Kansas City Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills
For one thing, Buffalo’s third-highest pass-rush win rate should provide a boost against a Chiefs’ offensive line without left tackle Donovan Smith. Considering Patrick Mahomes has surprisingly been one of the worst NFL quarterbacks vs pressure this season – 62.1 QB rating, 51.5 percent completion rate – that’s an even bigger problem for Kansas City. Now, Mahomes will be under duress and only have two options (Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice) that he trusts to make plays.
As for the Bills, they actually match up well against the Chiefs’ defense. Kansas City has been a bottom-10 run defense in the last two months, meaning Josh Allen and James Cook can have success on the ground. With Kansas City also struggling against the play-action, Buffalo could ride its advantages to a sizable victory.
Keaton Mitchell emerges as Baltimore Ravens’ RB1 in NFL Week 14
The Baltimore Ravens have always been high on Keaton Mitchell, but he’s needed time to earn his offensive snaps. He logged his first NFL touch in Week 7, then erupted for 139 rushing yards in Week 9 on nine carries. While he received just four total touches the following week, Mitchell earned a career-high 11 touches against the Los Angeles Chargers before the Ravens entered their bye.
Now is the time for Baltimore to unleash him. NFL teams tend to use the bye week to get rookies more acclimated, increasing their practice reps and making a game plan that makes the rookie more of a central figure. On Sunday, the Ravens face a Rams’ defense that has allowed 113.6 rush ypg and 4.1 yards per carry in the last nine contests. An offensive line that is top five in ESPN’s run-block win rate (73 percent) should open up some running lanes for Mitchell. With those openings, he can have his breakout performance.
Tyreek Hill joins exclusive club with monster performance
Tyreek Hill is pretty accustomed to 200-yard games. He’s done it once this season and three times in his NFL career. In fact, the Miami Dolphins wideout has come within 10 yards of doing it two more times. In NFL Week 14, we could see an all-time performance from Hill.
First, consider Hill’s usage in the Dolphins’ offense. He leads the NFL in target share (33.4 percent), despite only playing on 67.9 percent of snaps. He’s fourth in targets 20-plus yards downfield (25) and leads the NFL in route rin rate (65.3 percent). Hill is phenomenal against great defenses. On Sunday, he faces nothing like that.
The Tennessee Titans have the sixth-worst average depth of target allowed (8.3 yards), rank 26th in pressure rate (19.4 percent), allow the eighth-highest completion rate (67.3 percent) and they’ve allowed 260-plus passing yards six times this year. We’ll project Hill to become just the 14th player in NFL history to eclipse 270 receiving yards in a single game.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys take control of NFC East with statement win
Just a few weeks ago, it looked like the Philadelphia Eagles could put it in cruise control and win the NFC East. As long as they didn’t slip up, the NFC’s No. 1 seed with home-field advantage and a first-round bye would be theirs. That’s no longer the case.
The Dallas Cowboys have everything they need to take out Philadelphia on Sunday. A leaky Eagles’ secondary that has allowed six 300-yard games this season faces Dak Prescott. Not only is CeeDee Lamb playing at an All-Pro level right now, but Prescott has been the best quarterback in football since Week 6. On top of that, the Cowboys’ offensive line is well-equipped to handle the Eagles’ pass rush.
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles’ offense is struggling. Jalen Hurts is playing hurt, Philadelphia’s offensive line has taken a step back from last season and the offense just isn’t as effective as it used to be. Against a hungry Cowboys defense that can generate pressures and takeaways, the Eagles need to be flawless in NFL Week 14. Based on everything we’ve seen from Philadelphia and Dallas over the last month, we’ll predict this game ends with the Eagles winning 34 to 24.