NFL picks and predictions Week 14: Cowboys vs. Bengals

The Dallas Cowboys head to Cincinnati this weekend for a crucial game against the Bengals, fighting for the postseason in a tight NFC East race. At 6-6, the Cowboys face a scenario where anything less than three wins in the four remaining games of the season likely won't suffice, and they start that journey with a tough task in Cincinnati.

The Bengals (7-5) have now won four in a row, the last of which was a 20-13 road victory over the San Diego Chargers. Possessing a good combination of solid defense and opportunistic offense, the Bengals create matchup problems for the Cowboys on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Andy Dalton, completing 63 percent of his passes this season for 24 touchdowns and 2,980 yards, will take on a Dallas defense that is decimated by injuries up the middle and playing soft in the secondary.

As such, most experts are picking the Bengals to win on what could be a wet day in Cincy. Joel Thorman of SB Nation picks the Cowboys to lose, 24-14, saying:

The Cowboys have new life in the playoff picture now that they stand tied with the Redskins in second place in the NFC East, and one game behind the Giants for first place. Unfortunately, they can't run the ball and they would need to do that to keep the Bengals defense from killing Tony Romo. Cincinnati is No. 1 in the league in sacks. They're rushing the ball well over their four-game winning streak and they're protecting Andy Dalton. This one goes to the Bengals.

Both Mike Silver and Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports have picked the Bengals to win on Sunday, with only two out of nine experts at CBS Sports picking the Cowboys to walk away triumphant.

The Cowboys kickoff against the Bengals on Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. ET, with coverage on Fox.