Well, it’s that excellent part of the NFL season where the schedule includes Saturday games, so for a few weeks of heaven football can be consumed on the majority of days in the week, and that means that we can spread our gambling kitties out a little wider.
Week 15 starts with an AFC West battle between the Los Angeles Chargers and the still playoff hungry Las Vegas Raiders, and on Saturday we get to watch the Buffalo Bills and the Green Bay Packers fight for their postseason position against teams who are more focused on their next year’s draft pick positions.
Throughout the weekend, there are some juicy confrontations that have playoff implications spattered all over them, with teams like the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Bucs and Arizona Cardinals doing their best to hold onto whatever playoff Wildcard spot they can grab.
These are our EARLY Week 15 predictions, picks, spreads, and odds…
Week 15 Thursday Night Football on December 17
Los Angeles Chargers vs Las Vegas Raiders (-3.5)
TNF, Thursday, 8:20 PM ET, NFLN
The Chargers have been eliminated from playoff contention, and their head coach Anthony Lynn will most likely be leading his final games in that position, and it won’t get much better in Vegas against these Raiders in Week 15 who have what it takes to stuff LA’s young rookie QB, Justin Herbert.
Just when the Raiders had thought they had figured themselves out on both sides of the ball, they went and got smashed by the Colts in Week 14, final score 44-27, which makes them all the more desperate to take care of these struggling Chargers, a game they will have to win if they expect to play in the postseason.
QB Derek Carr is a veteran who will find a way to victory in this must-win against the Chargers.
Pick: Raiders -3.5 (-124)
Week 15 Saturday Games on December 19
Buffalo Bills (-5.5) vs Denver Broncos
How to watch: Saturday, 4:30 PM ET, NFLN
Watching the Buffalo Bills beat the rarely beaten 2020 Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football was shocking – final score Buffalo 26, Pittsburgh 15- and now it’s tough to not believe in these once shaky Buffalo Bills and their QB Josh Allen, who is becoming one of the best young passers in the league.
Tough to count out these Denver Broncos after watching QB Drew Lock in a Week 14 win against the Panthers, 32-27, a career-best performance that included completing 21-of-27 passes for 280 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions, numbers that may not help Denver make it to the playoffs but sure is a hopeful sign of things to come.
The Bills are on a roll – expect them to take care of the Broncos despite their respectable D.
Pick: Bills -5.5 (-120)
Carolina Panthers vs Green Bay Packers (-8.5)
How to watch: Saturday, 8:15 PM ET, NFLN
The 4-9 Carolina Panthers look exhausted from handling a season full of key injuries, and their chances of playing football in January seem slim to none, though it’s still mathematically possible, of course, that would involve beating these Packers, which could be a bit too big of an ask for Carolina at this point in the season.
Aaron Rodgers is having himself a season in Green Bay and elsewhere, posting a league-leading 39 touchdown passes and a passer rating of 119.7, signs that this could be the year that he and his Packers get further in the playoffs and maybe even another shot at the Lombardi Trophy.
Green Bay will simply outscore Carolina for however long it takes and cover this wide spread.
Pick: Packers -8.5 (-110)
Week 15 Sunday Games on December 20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5) vs Atlanta Falcons
How to watch: Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX
Every week that Bucs quarterback Tom Brady gets to suit up with his Tampa Bay playmakers, he learns more about each of them and that translated into a Week 14 win over the Vikings and has kept Tampa Bay alive in the search of an NFC Wildcard spot, so a win here is essential for achieving that goal.
The Atlanta Falcons have been eliminated from the playoffs this season, so this game would be a spoiler game at best and don’t discount the possibility that QB Matt Ryan and his interim coach Raheem Morris can’t keep getting wins together to show the front office that they are a combo worth building the future of the team around.
Tampa Bay will find a way to win and take care of the Falcons in front of their home town.
Pick: Bucs -5 (-109)
San Francisco 49ers (-2.5) vs Dallas Cowboys
How to watch: Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
The 49ers fell victim to the Washington Football Team in Week 14, losing 15-23, giving no signs that they are serious about competing in the postseason, at this point just trying to get balanced and healthy enough on both sides of the ball to not embarrass themselves in these final three games.
The somewhat depleted Dallas Cowboys showed some life in Week 14 when backup QB Andy Dalton led them to a victory over the equally banged-up Cincinnati Bengals, trouncing them 30-7 and boosting their record to 4-9, now in total survival mode if they expect to snag one of the three NFC Wildcard spots available.
As broken as the 49ers look at times, they are still talented enough to beat these banged-up Cowboys.
Pick: 49ers -2.5
Detroit Lions vs Tennessee Titans (-8.5)
How to watch: Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX
The Lions are now 5-8 after losing to the Green Bay Packers last week, and worse news than that is the fact that QB Matthew Stafford has injured his ribs and could be out for some games or even the rest of the season, which would put backup Chase Daniel under center, making the rest of Detroit’s interim HC Darrell Bevell’s time in charge even more challenging.
The Titans have a winning formula that includes quite a bit of RB Derrick Henry, as evidenced in Tennessee’s whomping of the Jacksonville Jaguars, 31-10, and now they should keep their playoff chances (and AFC South lead) against these shaky and leaderless Lions.
Take Henry and his Titans to run all over these Lions at home for the win.
Pick: Titans -8.5
Houston Texans vs Indianapolis Colts (-7)
How to watch: Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
Something is not right with these Houston Texans – they let the Bears smack them around in Week 14, final score 36-7 – and regardless of how decent interim head coach Romeo Crennel is doing (4-5 since taking over for fired Bill O’Brien), these Texans look lost with no chance of being found this year.
The Colts got back in gear and embarrassed the Las Vegas Raiders in their new stadium – final score 44-27 – and now veteran QB Philip Rivers has a must-win situation in Week 15 if he expects to elevate his team to the top of the AFC South and edge out the divisional rival Titans who seem built to win big every week.
The Colts will have their way with this lost Texans team and cover the Week 15 spread.
Pick: Colts -7
New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins (-2.5)
How to watch: Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
With the ingredients that the New England Patriots have, it seems like they should be doing better than they are, but after losing big to the Rams on Thursday Night Football, 24-3, the Pats and HC Bill Belichick have to begin to figure out who will be their QB of the future, because Cam Newton seems to be only capable of playing like his former self in spurts, and the other times has led to his throwing twice as many picks (10) as TDs (5) and the team to its 6-7 record.
The Miami Dolphins didn’t beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14, but they came close, and that says a lot about who this 8-5 team, led now by a talented rookie QB, Tua Tagovailoa, who throws left-handed and seems like a legitimate threat to run at all times, that is if he isn’t launching an accurate pass for yet another completion instead.
At this point, the Dolphins should be able to take care of the Patriots and stay in the postseason hunt.
Pick: Dolphins -2.5
Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings (-3.5)
How to watch: Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX
In an excellent Week 15 matchup to help determine one of the NFC Wildcard slots for the upcoming playoffs, the Chicago Bears try to prove that despite their shaky quarterback play from week to week, they have the level of offense to outscore a team like the Vikings while fielding a defense that can stop a QB like Kirk Cousins.
The 6-7 Vikings are fortunate to still be in the playoff hunt, and a Week 14 win over these up and down Bears is a must if they expect to snag one of the three NFC Wildcard spots available, and since one of their main competitors for that spot is Chicago, a victory here seems absolutely critical.
RB Dalvin Cook will be too much to handle for Chicago, and if not, Cousins will take over and get the job done.
Pick: Vikings -3.5
Seattle Seahawks vs Washington Football Team (-5)
How to watch: Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX
When an NFL team wins 40-3 as the Seahawks did over the Jets in Week 14, it exposes a weak team that has been taken full advantage of by a far stronger team, and QB Russell Wilson and company have been looking incredibly strong, their 9-4 record putting them in the position to win the NFC West over the 9-4 Rams, but a win over Washington is an essential part of that plan.
With Alex Smith under center now, the Washington Football Team looks competitive, and now you add rookie sensations DE Chase Young, SS Kamren Curl, and WR Isaiah Wright to the mix and suddenly this team looks built for the future, though getting past these Seahawks might prove to be an insurmountable problem despite their weaker defense.
Washington with QB Alex Smith might have what it takes to topple these Seahawks and their bottom-ranked D.
Pick: Seahawks +5
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Baltimore Ravens (-13)
How to watch: Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS
The Jacksonville Jaguars let the Titans run all over the last week in a 31-10 loss that took the team to 1-12 and to the bottom of the AFC South, a franchise eliminated from the playoffs already and in danger of yet another loss to these Ravens and their rushing attack, which Jacksonville seems incapable of neutralizing.
The Baltimore Ravens played hard right to the end of their Monday Night Football victory over the Cleveland Browns, final score 47-42, the win coming in the final seconds from a Jeff Tucker 55 yard field goal, a team kept also alive by a strong defense that only allows opponents less than 20 points per game, though Cleveland seemed to have their way with them on the ground.
The Ravens should respond well to these Jaguars and use this win to build back the confidence they have been losing.
Pick: Ravens -13
New York Jets vs Los Angeles Rams (-16.5)
How to watch: Sunday, 4:05 PM ET, FOX
The one thing you can say about these Jets is that they don’t seem to be giving up – they just legitimately can’t win a football game and now they must take their 0-13 record out west to face the talented Los Angeles Rams, a certain loss and another positive step towards earning the first overall NFL draft pick next offseason.
The Rams discovered their RB of the future in Week 14 when Cam Akers went off on the New England Patriots, posting 29 carries for 171 yards plus 2 catches for another 23 yards, a production that could be even more valuable if it included a couple of trips to the end zone, but that shouldn’t take long for HC Sean McVay to figure out how to game plan.
Rams all day long in this one – these poor Jets will be lucky to score a point.
Pick: Rams -16.5
Philadelphia Eagles vs Arizona Cardinals (-6.5)
How to watch: Sunday, 4:05 PM ET, FOX
Watching the Eagles take care of the Saints in Week 14 was incredible, final score 24-21, mainly because QB Carson Wentz was benched and rookie Jalen Hurts got a chance to play, and his ability to throw the ball while being a threat to escape the pocket and run effectively made him tough to game plan against, and Arizona should have the same struggles this week.
Arizona QB Kyler Murray had a decent game in Week 14 with 24 completions for 244 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions with 13 carries for 47 more yards, and his 7-6 Cardinals team is now hanging on for dear life to the seventh NFC Wildcard slot, so a win against these ever-morphing Eagles would be a step in the right direction.
Take the Cardinal in this one – these Eagles are good, but they still need a few upgrades to be taken seriously.
Pick: Cardinals -6.5
Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5) vs New Orleans Saints
How to watch: Sunday, 4:25 PM ET, CBS
The Kansas City Chiefs won in Week 14, beating the Miami Dolphins by a score of 33-27, but they looked a bit vulnerable doing it, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing an unheard of 3 interceptions (he only has 5 on the season now) and the defense at times seeming incapable of covering receivers, though it’s always good to remember they are 12-1 and fully in charge of the AFC West.
At this point, the New Orleans Saints are probably missing starting veteran QB Drew Brees, since his backup is limited in the sense that he is not Brees, and his skill set involves more trickery than consistency, the Saints earning their third loss of the season in Week 14 to an Eagles team that decided to use their rookie QB.
The Chiefs have what it takes to win any game, any week, and these Saints are not looking steady enough just yet to earn the win.
Pick: Chiefs -4.5
Cleveland Browns (TBD) vs New York Giants
How to watch: Sunday Night Football, 8:20 PM ET, NBC
This game was flexed into prime time due to the playoff potential of these 9-4 Browns, who almost took care of the talented Ravens on Monday Night Football, final score 47-42, the loss coming in the final seconds after a Ravens PK Jeff Tucker 55 yard field goal, with quarterback Baker Mayfield proving that he is the franchise answer in Cleveland under center, along with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt setting records from the backfield.
The Giants were looking decent for a quick 3-0 stretch there, but the whooping they took in Week 14 to the Cardinals, 26-7, proved that they can fall back into bad habits still, something that is not going to fare well against these playoff-worthy Browns, who have a pass rush featuring DE Myles Garrett that will scare the sack out of young QB Daniel Jones.
The Browns are on fire and moving forward – these Giants don’t have what it takes to stop that
Pick: Browns TBD
Monday Night Football on December 21
Pittsburgh Steelers (-12.5) vs Cincinnati Bengals
How to watch: Monday, 8:15 PM ET, ESPN
Some of the doubters and haters of the Pittsburgh Steelers had accused them of doing well with a soft schedule, and now with two losses in a row, the 11-2 Steelers have not only lost their number one playoff seed potential, but they have also put themselves in the position to be challenged by the Browns to win the AFC North, a problem that a win over the Bengals will help to fix.
The Bengals were fun to watch with rookie quarterback Joe Burrow playing, but with him out for the season now due to injury, 2-10 Cincinnati looks like they did last season when they did poorly enough to earn the number one overall draft pick, and they are going to be one game closer to that after they face the Steelers here on Week 15 Monday Night Football.
The Steelers will be showing up with a 2-loss chip on their shoulder so expect them to take that out on these divisional rivals, QB depleted Bengals.
Pick: Steelers -12.5
