Before we get to Week 14 survivor, I need to catch my breath after that week of action. In the Circa Survivor Contest, 104 entries remained heading into last weekend, and the majority were nearly wiped out early Sunday. Key word: nearly.
The Vikings were the choice of half of the remaining field, and they needed a long field-goal miss by the Jaguars at the end of regulation to avert defeat. The Raiders were another popular choice, and they provided one of the best (or worst, depending on your vantage point) finishes of the season as they beat the Jets in the final seconds. Seahawks backers were not as lucky as the double-digit-underdog Giants stunned everyone with the biggest upset of the year in a 17-12 shocker.
As we regroup after a wild Sunday, let’s look ahead to a winning Week 14. Here are my survivor pool selections for this week:
GAMES TO CONSIDER
Titans (-7.5) over Jaguars
On Sept. 20, the Jaguars were 1-0 and tied late against the Titans, looking to become the feel-good story of the early season at 2-0. The Titans prevailed, and here we are in mid-December with the Jaguars still looking for that elusive second victory. Jacksonville has been feisty of late and are coming off a couple of narrow defeats against the Browns and Vikings. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, they catch a Titans team that will be coming to town in a bad mood after losing to the Browns in a game they trailed 38-7 at halftime. A division rematch (those tend to be close) and a shaky Titans defense will force me to look elsewhere.
Buccaneers (-6) over Vikings
The most popular survivor pick last week is now on the other end of what could be a trendy pick this week. The Bucs, coming off a loss and their bye week, have had two weeks to prepare for a Vikings defense that had a hard time slowing down Mike Glennon and the Jaguars. Tom Brady has never lost to the Vikings, and the Bucs would fall behind the Vikings in the playoff race if they lose this one. Tampa Bay should be rested and focused, but Minnesota has too much firepower on offense to feel comfortable turning this pick in. Pass.
Cowboys (-4) over Bengals
No. Just ... no. Absolutely not. Why would you even suggest this? Don't put ideas in my head. As cute and clever as this would be, the Andy Dalton Bowl is a total stay-away, despite the quarterback woes for the Bengals. Let’s just move on and pretend we never even discussed this.
THE PICK
Seahawks (-14) over Jets
Well, this works out perfectly. The Seahawks get to bounce back after getting upset by the Giants, and they draw the perfect opponent to do it against in the Jets. The Jets, after nearly suffering a heartbreaking victory against the Raiders on Sunday, will be able to move one step closer to securing Trevor Lawrence and remain winless on the season. As ugly as the Seahawks played Sunday, they will encounter a less enthusiastic opponent than the Giants, who are inching toward a division title. Seattle still has its own division crown to capture, and they’ll use Week 14 to do what the rest of the NFL has done this season: Beat the Jets.