NFL Week 14 Picks: Green Bay at Detroit and Tampa Bay at Washington

Kevin C. Cox/Getty ImagesIt was a strong week for our NFL picks last week—the Falcons mounted a late comeback to win and cover and the Rams didn’t need any late heroics to put away the lousy Cardinals. Here’s hoping that the momentum carries over to these Week 14 NFL picks and odds:Green Bay (-6.5) at Detroit (Sunday, Dec. 12, 1 p.m. EST)Green Bay has won five of its last six games, covering the spread in the last four. The one loss was at Atlanta, one of the tougher road venues in the NFL. In short, the Packers are playing solid football right now. Aaron Rodgers has been strong and the team is playing with confidence on both sides of the ball.The Lions, on the other hand, haven’t won a division game in a very long time; it's been even longer since they have beaten the Packers. Furthermore, the Packers have covered seven of the last nine meetings between the two.While there are some promising things going on in Detroit, they are few and far between. A lot of their issues are getting more and more significant as the season goes along—with their QB issues being chief among them.There isn’t a meaningful part of this game in which Detroit has an edge, and Green Bay’s edge on defense is particularly significant. Green Bay has a whole lot to play for with their playoff fate dependent on a few more wins down the stretch.This means nothing at all to the Lions. Zip. Zilch. It’s just another game between now and the end of the season for them. The line is available at Packers -6.5 and -7, according to NFL odds. I would like the Packers at -7, but I love them at -6.5.I expect Aaron Rodgers to have another solid day—with flashes of brilliance—and I don’t think Detroit has nearly enough weapons right now to answer the challenge.Tampa Bay (-1) at Washington (Sunday, December 12, 1 pm ET)It has taken me a long time to take this Tampa Bay team seriously. Surprisingly, it wasn’t until they lost their last two games that I realized they are no joke. They played both Atlanta and Baltimore tough, and are doing a lot of things right. This is a team with a lot of heart.The Redskins, on the other hand, don’t know the meaning of the word heart. They have one win in their last five games, and that win came against a Tennessee team that has even more issues than do the Redskins. The only thing Washington is at or near the top of the league in is drama. Beyond that they don’t resemble a good team in any way.Tampa Bay has covered the spread in 10 of their last 11 road games so there is no issue with them on the road. Josh Freeman has been surprisingly good, while Donovan McNabb has been a bit of a train wreck, throwing for 15 interceptions and just 12 touchdowns.I could go on and on, but the point is this: I really, really don’t like the Redskins, and can find all sorts of reasons to like the Bucs, especially at this price.