Howdy, folks, and happy Wednesday. Joe Burrow's got a big game coming up this weekend (more on him in a bit), and that means John Breech has taken a midweek rest day to prepare his emotions. Have no fear: I, Cody Benjamin, am here to deliver all the latest from around the NFL.

This is the Pick Six Newsletter. Now let's get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you're signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don't want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)

We've got Week 14 predictions, tons of quarterback news, playoff projections and more:

Will Brinson welcomed Tyler Sullivan and SportsLine analyst Katie Mox to Wednesday's "Pick Six NFL" podcast, previewing all the notable Week 14 matchups from a betting perspective. Some highlights:

• Brinson is all over the Bengals (-6) against the Browns. Deshaun Watson may be better after an ugly 2022 debut against Houston, and Joe Burrow is 0-4 playing Cleveland in his career. But Brinson thinks the Bengals QB "is gonna go on an absolute tear," and maybe even challenge for the AFC's No. 1 seed this month.
• Mox is steering clear of the Cowboys (-17) against the Texans. Houston kept it close against the Eagles earlier this year, she noted, and Dallas could easily go up early and sit on a lead by leaning on the ground game: "Give me Texans all day" to cover.
• Sully likes the Over (53.0) for the Lions-Vikings divisional matchup. Detroit has been a quietly explosive offense all year, and both sides give up a ton of yards and points.

Catch the full episode (and subscribe for daily NFL talk) right here.

Pete Prisco is ablaze with NFL picks as of late, going 11-3-1 straight-up and 10-5 against the spread in Week 13. Now he's back with predictions for every single Week 14 matchup. Here's a sampling:

• 49ers 26, Buccaneers 17: The Bucs had an amazing fourth-quarter comeback Monday night to beat the Saints, but the offense struggled for most of the game. That's never a good thing against the 49ers defense.
• Lions 31, Vikings 28:  The Vikings are a shoo-in to win the division, but the Lions are alive for a wild card spot. Detroit's offense will present big problems for a Vikings defense that hasn't played that well. Lions win it behind Jared Goff.
• Chargers 33, Dolphins 28: This is Tua Tagovailoa against  Justin Herbert in a battle of 2020 first-round draft picks. The Chargers need the game more and should be able to move it against the Miami defense.

Big news out of Baltimore: the Ravens' star quarterback could be sidelined as many as three games while recovering from the knee injury that forced him out of Week 13's win over Denver. Coach John Harbaugh hasn't technically ruled Jackson out of this Sunday's game against the Steelers, but all signs point to backup Tyler Huntley making the first of what could be several starts. Next up for the Ravens after Sunday: Week 15 at Cleveland, Week 16 at home vs. the Falcons.

Lots of midweek news about signal-callers. Catch up right here:

• Rams claim Baker Mayfield off waivers: The ex-Browns starter requested his release from the Panthers, and now he'll quickly get acclimated under Sean McVay for a chance to lead an injury-riddled lineup.
• Jimmy Garoppolo could return in playoffs: Apparently the 49ers veteran doesn't require surgery for his foot injury, meaning there's a chance he could reclaim QB1 duties from Brock Purdy down the road.
• 49ers sign Josh Johnson: The journeyman arrives via the Broncos' practice squad to serve as Purdy's immediate No. 2
• Trevor Lawrence battling foot injury: The Jaguars standout may or may not play in Week 14 vs. Tennessee

We're all over the playoff picture as we enter the final leg of the regular season. You can find updated standings and projected first-round matchups right here. In the meantime, John Breech has collected SportsLine simulations to forecast which teams will make it, and which teams will be left out. Here are the latest predictions from the SportsLine model:

AFC: Bills (1), Chiefs (2), Ravens (3), Titans (4), Bengals (5), Dolphins (6), Jets (7)
Just missed: Patriots (38.8%), Chargers (34.8%)

NFC: Eagles (1), Vikings (2), 49ers (3), Buccaneers (4), Cowboys (5), Seahawks (6), Giants (7)
Just missed: Commanders (53.8%)

Hungry for more headlines? We've got a whole platter for you:

• Andrew Luck opens up on retirement: The ex-Colts star regrets the timing, but not the reasoning, of his departure
• Jalen Hurts headlines MVP Watch: Jared Dubin polls the CBS Sports NFL staff on this year's top player
• Week 14 clinching scenarios: How the Chiefs, Eagles and Vikings can punch their tickets early
• Nickelodeon Christmas Day broadcast: All the details for this year's special "NFL Nickmas Game"
• Top five Mr. Irrelevants of all time: A look back at history, with Brock Purdy set to make his first start
• Week 14 QB Power Rankings: Joe Burrow is just behind the MVP front-runners in this 32-man rundown