Week 14 NFL odds are in full swing and we dive into the week’s slate in search of some of the best teaser legs to spot for NFL picks this weekend. Here’s what we’ve got, complete with an analysis and the current odds at the sportsbook exchange.
Two-Team, Six-Point Teaser Play
Cincinnati Bengals +1 teased up to +7 (vs San Francisco 49ers)
San Francisco lost some of its momentum last weekend following a surprise 30-23 loss to Seattle at Lumen Field. The Niners were pegged as the field goal favorites on the road, but they failed to come through for their backers on NFL picks and parlays.
They very nearly did only for the Seahawks defense, which has been the butt of criticism this season, to make an impressive goal-line stand.
The Niners take on the Cincinnati Bengals who are coming off a 41-22 beatdown by the Los Angeles Chargers. It was a disappointing loss for Joe Burrow and the Bengals after closing as the 2½-point home chalk. High expectations preceded Burrow in his first game against Justin Herbert and the Chargers.
Herbert won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award last season, an honor Burrow had his eye on too in his rookie season until he was eliminated from contention with a season-ending injury.
Justin Herbert has a HOSE pic.twitter.com/zbJTO05heF
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) December 5, 2021
Although Burrow’s first meeting with Herbert didn’t go the way of the markets, Cincy opened as the notional favorite over San Francisco in this Week 14 contest. The loss didn’t set back the Bengals in the eyes of bettors – consensus betting reports show that 61 percent of early bets have gone toward Cincinnati.
But it did set them back in the markets. Lookahead lines projected the Bengals as the two-point favorites before Week 13, but the line opened with the Bengals as the one-point favorite on Sunday.
The line has been on the move since markets opened on Sunday, shifting against the Bengals conspicuously. Now, the line has flipped entirely and Cincinnati emerges as the one-point home underdogs. The betting on this market underscores the unpredictable nature of this matchup where both teams have a comparable shot to win outright.
The Niners can come through as the one-point road favorites, but so too can the Bengals, as the newly-minted one-point underdogs, pull off the upset. Either way, getting an additional six points on the underdog in this matchup provides added wiggle room and should be considered a gift.
Note: If the line flips again, resulting in San Francisco emerging as the small underdogs, then the play would change here. The Niners would be the side that is teased up six points.
Pick: Cincinnati Bengals +7
Washington Football Team +4½ teased up to +10½ (vs. Dallas Cowboys)
The Washington Football Team was all but written off several weeks ago. Now, they’re back in the thick of it in the NFC East and looking to make a fist of it down the stretch.
Washington served up a 17-15 upset win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13 to extend their positive run of form to four-straight wins and improve to 6-6 on the season. During this run, Washington got the measure of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and the Raiders – all of which were upsets in the betting.
The Football Team defied the betting online odds, winning as the 1½-point road underdogs at Allegiant Stadium.
Beating Tom Brady and the Buccaneers was a dream of Taylor Heinicke ever since he’d lost to Tampa Bay in the Wild Card round last season in the nation’s capital. Getting his second crack at Tom Terrific and Co. less than a year later, he seized the opportunity. And, in hindsight, that win appears to have been some sort of springboard for a late-season push.
The Dallas Cowboys bounced back into the win column at the expense of New Orleans, beating the Taysom Hill-led Saints 27-17 at Caesars Superdome. However, it was only their second win in the last five games and it snapped a two-game losing streak ahead of Week 13.
Dallas has cooled off lately. Injuries and illness have played a part in this decline, but the weight of expectation might also be a factor. The Cowboys have one of the easiest schedules, which means they’ve rarely been tested.
It also means they lack match toughness. It’s all well and good when things are running smoothly and the offense is firing at all cylinders in the face of weak opposition. It’s another thing to rally and win hard-fought battles.
A lot is at stake in this intriguing NFC East showdown for both teams. The Cowboys are the 4½-point road favorites, while the Washington Football Team has home advantage and that counts. To be fair, Washington could serve up the shocker here, which would set up an even more fascinating return game in Week 16 at the AT&T Stadium.
On the flip side, the Cowboys could light up and win by more than 4½ points. To cover both scenarios, teasing Washington by six points seems to be a good play.
