NFL 2019 Week 14 results and Week 15 picks

There were a few interesting results from last week.  The slides by Carolina and Dallas continue to confound their coaching staffs. New England lost again, their second consecutive loss and third in four weeks.  The fall of the Patriots is even more interesting than those of Carolina and Dallas.  Also, the Rams handed Seattle their first road loss of the season.

Power Rankings [Last week's rank]
1.  Baltimore Ravens (11-2) [1]
2.  San Francisco 49ers (11-2) [2]
3.  Kansas City Chiefs (9-4) [4]
4.  New England Patriots (10-3) [3]
5.  Minnesota Vikings (9-4) [5]
6.  Buffalo Bills (9-4) [7]
7.  New Orleans Saints (10-3) [6]
8.  Green Bay Packers (10-3) [9]
9.  Tennessee Titans (8-5) [11]
10. Seattle Seahawks (10-3) [8]
11. Los Angeles Rams (8-5) [13]
12. Dallas Cowboys (6-7) [12]

Division Rankings [Last week's rank]
1.  NFC West [1] : The power of the 49ers and Seahawks is starting to separate them from the NFC North
2.  NFC North [2] : Aside from the NFC West, the only division with three teams with winning records
3.  AFC South [3] : The only AFC division where three teams have positive point differentials
4.  AFC East [4] : Two top ten teams keep this division afloat, but the gap is nearly gone
5.  AFC North [4] : Pittsburgh is okay, but this division is mostly held up by Baltimore
6.  AFC West [6]
7.  NFC South [7] : The Bucs cannot be counted on, so the Saints ARE this division
8.  NFC East [8] : Not a single winning team in the division.  Nuff said.

Divisional Races
The Chiefs have basically clinched, but this week can close the book on that.  Also, a Ravens win OR a Steelers loss will give the AFC North to Baltimore.  Two divisions, AFC South and NFC East, are now locked up with a tie at their tops.

Thursday night game
New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens:  The top team in the AFC should make mincemeat out of the struggling (albeit improving) Jets.  RAVENS, 34-16

Sunday early games
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers: The Packers are starting to show wear, which makes them susceptible to strong defenses, like the one Chicago has.  I'd love to pick the upset, but Chicago often struggles against divisional opponents.  This one should be close, though, and perhaps swing the other way if the Bears' offense gets rolling.  PACKERS, 23-17

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs:  Denver pulled off a great win last week, but their streak ends here.  Their defense isn't strong enough to hold back KC, and their offense can't keep pace.  CHIEFS, 31-17

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans:  Houston faltered last week.  If that's an indication of the future, the Titans will win this game easily.  I think it was a fluke, and Houston will make it competitive.  The Texans might win, but the Titans are rolling nicely and I think they will score last.  TITANS, 27-23

Miami Dolphins at New York Giants:  Eli is back, and while the Giants did not win last week, it was not due to his play.  Against the pathetic Dolphins, the Giants should do well.  GIANTS, 23-16

New England Patriots at Cincinnati Bengals:  The Patriots are having real problems right now, but they should easily wipe out the pathetic Bengals.  PATRIOTS, 34-20

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins:  Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins hasn't quite figured out NFL defenses yet.  Once he does, he might be tough.  Right now, Wentz and the Eagles are still the better team.  EAGLES, 24-20

Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers:  The Panthers are marketing Cam Newton for a trade.  That should tell you everything you need to know about how the Panthers plan to end this season.  The Seahawks want to end as the NFC top seed, so they will see this as an opportunity to snatch an easy win.  SEAHAWKS, 24-10

Tampa Bay Bucs at Detroit Lions:  Detroit is suffering some real problems.  Bucs QB Jameis Winston is not playing consistently well, but he has the talent to get around the struggling Lions defense.  BUCS, 27-20

Sunday late games
Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers:  The 49ers got ahead of Seattle last week but beating New Orleans in the waning seconds, but they want a larger buffer than that, especially with a likely Seahawks win earlier in the day.  They want an impressive win here.  Given the current state of affairs with the Falcons offense, they will get it.  49ERS, 31-17

Cleveland Browns at Arizona Cardinals:  Kyler Murray, after early season success, hasn't been doing much for the Cards.  Baker Mayfield has been up and down, but at least he has a better supporting cast around him.  BROWNS, 26-16

Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders:  Oakland can be a tough team to figure out.  Sometimes they look sharp, and sometimes they foul up royally.  Given the Jags poor performances, though, they'd have to really foul up to lose this one.  RAIDERS, 20-13

Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys:  Okay, time to acknowledge that the Cowboys offense is really falling apart.  That bodes ill as they play a team that can have a dynamic offense, and are chasing a possible playoff berth.  RAMS, 27-20

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers:  The Vikings want to to stay ahead of the Rams, and a win here will go far to keep them in the playoff picture.  VIKINGS, 30-20

Sunday night game
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers:  Both teams are chasing a playoff spot, although Buffalo is doing a better job of it.  They battled Baltimore quite closely last week, and Pittsburgh isn't as challenging.  BILLS, 27-17

Monday Night Football
Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints:  The Saints came within seconds, and one missed tackle, of beating the 49ers last week.  They want an impressive performance to erase the memory of that one.  The Colts offense might surprise, but the Saints offense wants to shine after failing to reach the end zone three times in the red zone last week.  SAINTS, 31-23