NFL Week 14 teaser: Buy into a pair of NFC playoff hopefuls
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Another week, another winner. Our weekly teasers have been cashing at an incredible clip this season, and our bankrolls are grateful.
Now, let's finish the season strong.
Vikings at Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET on Dec. 13
Line: Buccaneers -6.5
Teaser line: Buccaneers -0.5
The Vikings have bullied their way into a playoff spot with five wins in their last six contests. In doing so, they've moved to within a game of the Buccaneers, who stumbled into their bye with three losses in four weeks.
Competition has been fierce for Tampa over that span, losing to three of the best that the NFL has to offer in the Chiefs, Rams, and Saints. Despite the Vikings' recent surge, this is a step down in competition for the Bucs and a friendly matchup for their struggling offense.
Tampa's best solution for its offensive struggles is to give Tom Brady time to throw. Brady has been a deer in headlights under duress this year, posting a QB rating of 49, with five interceptions to just three touchdowns when under pressure. He's been close to unstoppable when kept clean in the pocket, with a 109 QB rating and a 25:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
The Vikings rank 25th in the NFL in sack percentage, and their pass rush grades as the league's third-worst unit, according to PFF. Those rankings are even worse after the team traded away its leading sack-getter, Yannick Ngakoue, after Week 6. Minnesota has managed just eight sacks in six games since then, and Ngakoue still leads the team despite being gone for half the season. That spells trouble for the Vikings against a Bucs team in a get-right spot coming off a bye.
Cardinals at Giants, 1 p.m. on Dec. 13
Line: Giants +2
Teaser line: Giants +8
This game holds massive playoff implications for a pair of teams trending in opposite directions. The Cardinals have lost three straight and four of their last five - their only win coming via a last-second Hail Mary - and find themselves outside of a wild-card spot ahead of their trip to New York. There, they'll take on a Giants team that has won four consecutive and sits atop the NFC East.
Kyler Murray's recent performances appear to be at the root of Arizona's struggles. Murray was playing at an MVP level through the first 10 weeks. He averaged 263.9 passing yards and 67.1 rushing yards through the Cardinals' first nine games, compared to just 204 and 20.3 in the last three. He also hasn't managed a single rushing touchdown over the last three contests after managing 10 through his first nine.
Can this be attributed to the shoulder injury that he suffered early against the Seahawks in Week 11? Or have teams simply figured out how to contain him in the pocket, with Kliff Kingsbury not making the necessary adjustments?
Whatever the case, there is legitimate cause for concern in Arizona. Things won't suddenly get better this week against a Giants team playing as well as just about anyone right now on defense. New York just made Russell Wilson look like Josh Rosen, and over its last four games, the club has registered 12 sacks, five interceptions, and 11 forced fumbles while allowing just three passing touchdowns. The wrong team is favored here.
Full teaser: Buccaneers -0.5, Giants +8 ($110 to win $100)
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
Alex Moretto is theScore's supervising editor of sports betting. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.