Weekly Taste: John Venezia’s best NFL Week 14 bets and tips

Uhhh ohhhhh. The kid’s getting hot. Don’t let that happen. Calling that Washington upset on Monday night was…… BUTTER!

We need to keep this hot roll going with Week 14 bets. It appears to be a strong slate of games, a lot to choose from. Despite the temptation to throw a ton on the lineup this week, it’s important to resist the urge and stay level headed. Can’t mess with the winning formula. Another short slate for the final quarter of the season.

Check out the full Weekly Taste Sunday Morning on @JohnnyVTV FYI. I have been monitoring the lines and injury reports all week. Here are the contests that should be locked in on. Let’s stay scorching.

Best NFL Week 14 Bets and Tips:

Minnesota Vikings @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6.5) | Is Tampa Bay ready to make a playoff push fresh off a late season bye?

It’s been an up and down season for the 7-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to say the least. They’ve had highs and lows all year, looking extremely vulnerable at times. With all that being said, they appear to be mostly healthy and ready to start a postseason run off their bye week. Squaring up against a surging Vikings fighting for an NFC wildcard spot, this is a pivotal game for the Bucs if they hope to lock down a playoff spot. With a fully loaded roster available, Tampa needs to start fast on Sunday.

What can we say about the Vikings from Minnesota? Since their Week 6 beatdown from the Atlanta Falcons, the Purple People Eaters have won 5 of their last 6 contests, some in extremely dramatic fashion, to position themselves as a legitimate post season threat to the NFC. Budding superstar rookie wide out Justin Jefferson has been nothing short of sensational. Standing at a 61/1,039/7 thru 12 games, Jefferson is a real threat to win Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020. A road upset is not out of the question for the Vikes.

An intriguing matchup, we could see some fireworks in this bout. Ultimately, Tampa is my SuperBowl winner, so it would be almost detrimental to see them lose. We should see Brady and company come out firing on all cylinders after a week of rest.

PREDICTION: Bucs win and cover the home 6.5.

New Orleans Saints (-6.5) @ Philadelphia Eagles | How will Jalen Hurts fare in his first NFL start?

The 10-2 New Orleans Saints have found ways to win games all year, no surprise. Head Coach Sean Payton is a master of finding ways to win games. Firmly entrenched in the mix of the conference’s number 1 seed, the Saints remain one of the best teams in the league. Without QB1 Drew Brees, the offense does look a lot different with Taysom Hill operating as the starter, but nonetheless it has been effective. This system will have to travel to Philly to take on the pathetic Eagles starting Jalen Hurts for the first time in his career.

The Eagles are somehow still in the thick of a disgusting NFC East division race. Quarterback Carson Wentz has been nothing short of abysmal in 2020, sparking the switch to Hurts. There honestly isn’t a whole lot of positivity to say about this team right now. It doesn’t seem like they will thwart the notion of the Saints not being able to play in the outdoors/cold weather.

Watching Hurts in his first start should provide some excitement and spark to this game, but otherwise the Saints should dominate wire to wire. With the playoff bye hanging in the balance, New Orleans should have their foot on the gas all day.

PREDICTION: Saints win and cover the road 6.5.

Week 14 NFL Teaser Play (+6):
The two team teasers have been straight GAS.

Green Bay Packers -1.5 (originally -7.5): Packers have been playing hot lately. Still fighting for the 1 seed, Green Bay should handle their divisional foe Lions. Although, I do see Detroit putting up a good fight at home.

New Orleans Saints -0.5 (originally -6.5): See Analysis.

JohnnyVTV currently sits 55-52 on the season. For all NFL betting plays, follow @JohnnyVTV and @InTheZoneIO on Instagram.