Schrock's Week 14 picks: Can 49ers bounce back vs. Washington?
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.Week 13 threw us a few surprises, but that's to be expected in a normal season and even more so in a season played during a pandemic.The Pittsburgh Steelers are undefeated no more after blowing a 14-0 lead to the Washington Football Team. They also lost Bud Dupree for the season, a hit that should ding their chances of contending with the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks were stymied by the NFC East-leading New York Giants, dropping them out of first place in the NFC West after the Los Angeles Rams suffocated Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.The 49ers' playoff hopes were dealt a massive blow when Josh Allen arrived at State Farm Stadium and lit up their secondary to drop them to 5-7.Let's not forget about the Raiders who were set to give the New York Jets their first win before Gregg Williams called a zero blitz with 15 seconds left and gave up a 46-yard touchdown to Henry Ruggs.Week 14 promises to be even stranger as teams come to terms with their playoff fates. Let's get to the picks.RECORD: 86-88 ATS (112-61-1 SU)
Line: Rams -5.5
This is a rematch of Super Bowl LIII in which Bill Belichick completely shutdown the Rams with a defensive masterclass.
Cam Newton and the Patriots' offense have been hard-pressed to get much going, but I think they can do enough to keep this one close.
Rams win in a squeaker.
Pick: Rams 23, Patriots 20
Line: Texans -1.5
Deshaun Watson does all he can to will the lifeless corpse of the Texans to wins. He came up just short last Sunday against the Colts.
Now, he heads to Chicago to face a Bears team that chose Mitch Trubisky over him.
I can't bet on this Bears team. Take the better QB.
Pick: Texans 24, Bears 16
Line: Bucs -6.5
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings narrowly avoided being upset by the Jaguars and now they get Tom Brady off a bye.
The Bucs should be motivated to prove their issues are behind them. Brady puts on a show in a rout.
Pick: Bucs 31, Vikings 20
Line: Titans -7.5
The Titans are one of the most Jekyll and Hyde teams in the NFL. However, Mike Glennon and the Jaguars don't have the offensive weapons to exploit a porous Titans secondary.
Derrick Henry gets rolling early and it's curtains for the Jags before halftime.
Pick: Titans 30, Jags 17
Line: Chiefs -7
The Chiefs are on autopilot until the playoffs begin, content with playing down to their opponents and squeaking out wins.
The Dolphins have a defense that can frustrate Kansas City and Tua Tagovailoa looked sharp in the second half against the Bengals.
Chiefs win a tight one again.
Pick: Chiefs 27, Dolphins 24
Line: Cowboys -3.5
Andy Dalton returns to the place where he spent most of his career Sunday in a matchup of two teams no one wants to watch.
The Cowboys don't do anything right and the Bengals have struggled to score without Joe Burrow.
Take the Cowboys, but don't watch.
Pick: Cowboys 23, Bengals 17
Line: Seahawks -13.5
Just as the Seahawks' defense started to improve, the offense has started to taper off. The offensive line play in front of Russell Wilson is concerning, to say the least.
The Jets have been frisky of late and would love not to see their name go on the infamous 0-16 list.
Seahawks will win but it's closer than you think.
Pick: Seahawks 27, Jets 17
Line: Cardinals -2.5
Kyler Murray hasn't been right since that Thursday night loss to the Seahawks two weeks ago. If he's not getting involved in the run game then Arizona's offense stagnates.
The Giants have been improving each week under Joe Judge and their defense is a legitimate force. Blake Martinez's status is something to keep an eye on.
The Cardinals need a win to get back on track and I think they get back to their high-flying ways in East Rutherford.
Pick: Cardinals 28, Giants 23
Line: N/A
There are some COVID questions with the Panthers, but it appears everyone should be on track to have everyone, including Christian McCaffrey, against the Broncos.
Denver emptied the tank against the Chiefs last week and still came up short. Now, the Broncos have lost cornerback A.J. Bouye to a suspension.
Give me the Panthers.
Pick: Panthers 27, Broncos 20
Line: Packers -7.5
Detroit got a new coach bump and miraculously rallied to beat the Bears in Week 13. But Matthew Stafford still doesn't look right and the reliance on Adrian Peterson is a little scary.
That being said, I can't lay more than a touchdown in a division rivalry. Give me the Lions.
Pick: Packers 27, Lions 23
Line: Falcons -2.5
Anthony Lynn can tell his team it's Pearl Harbor (he did). He can take over the abysmal special teams unit (he did).
None of that matters. After a 45-0 beat down, it's clear the Bolts are done and need a new voice.
The Falcons have played hard for Raheem Morris and should be able to pick apart what has been a shaky Chargers secondary.
Pick: Falcons 26, Chargers 20
Line: Saints -7
Taysom Hill vs. Jalen Hurts is not what the NFL thought this game was going to be when they scheduled it.
Nevertheless, it should be a fun one to watch.
The Eagles were re-energized when Hurts came in against the Packers, and Hill looked almost like a real quarterback in beating the Falcons for a second time.
New Orleans has won nine in a row and I think the buck stops here. Jim Schwartz finds a way to bottle up Alvin Kamara and Hurts makes enough plays to give Philly a reason to smile for Christmas instead of throwing snowballs at Santa.
Pick: Eagles 23, Saints 20
Line: Bills -2.5
The Josh Allen MVP train is back on the tracks after he torched the 49ers on "Monday Night Football." Now the Bills get another chance at a "Show Me Your For Real" game against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh has looked shaky for a few weeks and it finally bit the Steelers against Washington. The problems will get worse at The Ralph.
Allen puts on another show and hands the Steelers a second-straight L.
Pick: Bills 27, Steelers 23
Line: Ravens -1
The Ravens killed the Browns in their first tilt of the season all the way back in Week 1.
This is a different Browns team that has found its identity. Baker Mayfield is playing looser over the last few weeks.
The Ravens have a myriad of issues they need to fix. Lamar Jackson can only cover up so much.
Browns make a statement on "Monday Night Football."
Pick: Browns 27, Ravens 23
Line: Colts -3
Oh boy, the Raiders have some issues. If not for Darren Waller and Gregg Williams, they would be staring at 6-6 after a catastrophic loss to the Jets.
As it stands, they are 7-5 and control their playoff destiny. But the secondary is banged up and Trent Brown likely won't play again this week.
The Colts are nothing special, but Indy's defense can pressure Derek Carr and bottle up the Raiders' running game. As long as Philip Rivers doesn't throw the ball to the guys in silver and black, the Colts should escape with a win.
Pick: Colts 26, Raiders 21
Line: 49ers -3
Washington is in the thick of the NFC East race, but the Football Team has to keep racking up the Ws since it can't win a tiebreaker against the Giants.
Alex Smith has been solid, but it could be tough sledding for them if Antonio Gibson can't go.
Nick Mullens takes care of the ball, Brandon Aiyuk scores two touchdowns and the 49ers return to the fringe of the NFC playoff picture.
Pick: 49ers 24, WFT 20
