NFL Week 14 Matchups: Can New QB Lead 49ers to Victory Over Tampa Bay?

Kansas City Chiefs Look to Take Another Step Toward Another Division Title

There are plenty of storylines when looking at the NFL Week 14 matchups and especially the three late afternoon NFL games on Sunday. None is getting more attention than the quarterback situation in San Francisco following the injury suffered by Jimmy Garoppolo. It has almost overshadowed what could be the final trip back to California for Tampa Bay’s future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.

Could there be back-to-back double-digit lines in the Kansas City-Denver series for the first time since 2012? Meanwhile, Seattle looks to continue its playoff push when it faces a Carolina team that is winless on the road.
Kansas City (+450) trails only the Buffalo Bills in the odds to win the Super Bowl. San Francisco is fifth at +1000 while Tampa Bay’s title hopes are priced at +2000.

Game of The Week

The injury to San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo leaves more questions about the 49ers than existed a week ago. Rookie Brock Purdy, the last player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, has completed 63% of his passes in limited duty. Now it is his show and it will be worth watching to see if the 49ers lean more on the running game or if the coaching staff believes enough in Purdy to let him throw the ball down the field.

The 49ers‘ defense is ferocious and that is not a word used to describe the Tampa Bay offense.

Tampa Bay does have a 1.5-game lead in the NFC South Division after scoring two late touchdowns to stun New Orleans. That was combined with Atlanta’s 19-16 loss to Pittsburgh to give Tampa Bay some breathing room is what has become the worst division in the NFL.

San Francisco is allowing the fewest yards and fewest rushing yards in the NFL. If Tampa Bay looks to win the game by passing the ball, keep in mind that the Buccaneers have a banged-up offensive line going up against one of the NFL’s best pass rushers in Nick Bosa.

Each of Tampa Bay’s five road games this season has gone under the total while the Buccaneers are 1-8-1 against the spread in their last 10 games. The 49ers have covered in four of the last five games against NFC teams. The NFL point spreads Week 14 are favoring the host 49ers.

The Buccaneers will be without offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs while defensive backs Antoine Winfield, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Mike Edwards are all questionable.

The line opened with the 49ers favored by six points and has moved to 3.5 thanks to San Francisco losing its second quarterback this season to injury. The total has gone from 41.5 to 37.5.

Other Games to Watch

When the schedule came out and people viewed the NFL Week 14 matchups, this was looked at being a huge AFC West showdown. Now it is a chance for Kansas City to extend its lead in the division race. The Chiefs are 3-0 against AFC West teams this season while the Broncos are 0-3.

More was expected from Russell Wilson after Denver mortgaged its short-term future while acquiring the former Super Bowl-winning QB. He has just eight TD passes in 11 games and most of the best receivers are either on injured reserve or close to it.

Rookie tight end Greg Dulcich is coming off an eight-catch game and he could be busy once again.

Denver’s defense has allowed the third-fewest yards in the NFL but now the Broncos face the No. 1 rated offense in the NFL led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.

Denver has covered in just one of its first five home games and just one of the Broncos’ games have gone over the total.

The Chiefs have won the last seven road games against the Chiefs.

With so much action coming in on Kansas City when the line opened at 7.5, it is now at 9.5.

When looking at the NFL Week 14 matchups, Carolina is the only team in the NFL yet to win on the road this season. It will be no easy task heading to Seattle to face a Seattle team competing for a playoff spot.

Seattle has scored the third-most points among AFC teams. However, there are questions about the availability of rookie running back Kenneth Walker as he is dealing with an ankle injury and that is the biggest issue when it comes to the NFL injury report for this game.

Carolina is a much better defense than many people might realize. The offense is a bit of a mess. It hasn’t helped that the Panthers traded running back Christian McCaffrey and receiver Robbie Anderson and just released quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Seattle has won three games in a row against Carolina with the average margin of victory being 14 points. Six Carolina turnovers haven’t helped the Panthers’ cause.

The total has gone under in eight of the Panthers’ last 11 games. However, the total has gone over in each of the last six times that Seattle played host to Carolina.

The line is currently ranging between 3.5-4 after opening at 7 in favor of the host Seahawks. The total is now at 44 after an opening number of 41.5.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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