Media by Associated Press – Buffalo Bills tight end Tommy Sweeney (89) protects at the line of scrimmage during the first half an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)
The playoff races are tightening up, and a few spots can be wrapped up this week depending on results around the league. Let’s take a look at a three-team NFL parlay for Week 14.
Buffalo Bills -9
The Buffalo Bills are back in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Both teams have everything to play for as the Bills (9-3) sit atop the AFC East by one game over Miami and hold the tiebreaker to lead the AFC over Kansas City. The New York Jets (7-5) sit in the last playoff spot, one game ahead of New England and one game behind the top Wild Card.
Last month the Jets beat the Bills at home, 20-17. The Jets knocked Josh Allen around with five sacks, two interceptions, and no passing touchdowns. They also held the Bills running backs to 48 total yards in the win.
The Bills’ offense has been much better at home this season, with 30 or more points scored in all games except a 27-17 win over Green Bay. They haven’t played at home since November 20 because of bad weather that left them in Detroit for two games, both wins.
Look for the Bills and an amped-up atmosphere to score early and often in a revenge game against the Jets on Sunday. They won’t let up if they get the chance to bury their division rivals and take a step closer to the AFC’s top seed.
Dallas Cowboys -16.5
Yes, this is a lot of points to lay in any game in the NFL. But the Houston Texans really are that bad. They keep flip-flopping bad quarterbacks, and they flat-out cannot score. Houston lost last week by 14 to a quarterback who hadn’t played in two years, and they haven’t topped 17 points since October 23.
The Dallas Cowboys offense is the exact opposite of the Texans. Dallas has scored at least 28 points in five straight games, and they put 54 on the board last Sunday against the Colts. Dallas has a 40-point game in that stretch, and in the last three home games, they have scored 49, 28, and 54.
Houston’s run defense ranks at the bottom of the league, and this week they will face two talented runners in Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott. Dallas ran for 220 yards last week on a much better Colts defense. Meanwhile, Dak Prescott tossed three touchdown passes and found CeeDee Lamb five times for 71 yards.
The Cowboys have a very talented defense as well. When they take the lead, the defense goes to work rushing the passer and playing all the passing lanes. Last week they picked off Matt Ryan three times, forced two fumbles with one returned for a touchdown, and racked up three sacks.
Once Dallas gets rolling at home on Sunday, they will keep it going and bury the Texans by more than 20 like they did to Minnesota, Chicago, and Indianapolis over the last month.
Philadelphia Eagles -7
Another favorite to look at this week is the NFC East leading Philadelphia Eagles, who travel to the New York Giants. The Eagles are 11-1, leading Dallas by two games in the division and Minnesota by one game in the NFC standings. The Giants, coming off a tie against Washington, are 7-4-1, sitting in sixth place in the NFC.
These teams haven’t met yet this season, and they will play again in Week 18 in Philadelphia. Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown are in domination mode right now, hooking up for three touchdowns over the last two games. Brown had eight catches for 119 yards against his former team last week, and the Giants’ secondary is hurting.
New York also has trouble with the pass rush, and they rank 24th in the league in points allowed per drive. Hurts can get out of the pocket and do damage with his feet like he did against the Packers in Week 12, running for 157 yards.
The Giants’ offense is not nearly as effective, scoring 20 points or less in three straight games. Saquon Barkley has rushed for 63 yards or less in each of those games, and Daniel Jones has topped 230 yards just once all season.
The Eagles’ secondary will pose a problem as well, as they have 15 interceptions on the season. If Jones doesn’t take care of the ball, this one gets out of hand early, and the Eagles win by double digits.
Parlay Preview
- Bills -9 (-110)
- Cowboys -16.5 (-105)
- Eagles -7 (-115)
Total: +596
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