There are only 3 weeks left in the NFL Regular Season. As crazy as it sounds, a lot hasn’t been decided yet. In fact, even a team like the Dallas Cowboys, who went into Week 14 with only one loss, hasn’t wrapped up its division. What’s going to happen in NFL Week 15? See below for our Week 15 preview of every single NFL game!
Editors Note: Check also Week 15 Betting Picks by Matt Ross
NFL Betting – Regular Season Week 15 Preview
Thursday, Dec. 15
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks -14 (8:30 pm ET)
The Rams fired head coach Jeff Fisher this past Monday. It’s strange to fire a head coach so late in the season. This is especially true since the Rams have no way of finding Fisher’s replacement until the off-season. Seattle should win this game but beating L.A. by more than 14 points is wishing a lot. The Rams and Seahawks is a rivalry game. L.A. beat Seattle 9-3 earlier in the season. This is a trap game for football handicappers. I’m taking the 14 points.
Sunday, Dec. 18
Miami Dolphins -2.5 at New York Jets (1:00 pm ET)
Could Miami possibly beat the New York Jets on the road by at least a field goal without QB Ryan Tannehill who suffered ACL and MCL sprains in Week 14? I think so. The Jets’ defense gave up a ton of rushing yards to San Francisco in Week 14. Miami’s Jay Ajayi could run wild against a Jets’ D that has slowed considerably from the first few weeks of the season. I don’t see the Jets’ offense having much success against Miami’s defense, which played exceptionally well when holding Arizona’s offense to only 23 points in Week 14.
Green Bay Packers -6.5 at Chicago Bears (1:00 pm ET)
Green Bay has been on a roll when winning its last 3 games. If you’re a Packer fan, you must be happy. But Chicago is no slouch. The Bears’ defense, as to be expected since their head coach is the great John Fox, has led Chicago to 4 straight covers against the spread. This is one of the great rivalries in all of sports, not just in the NFL. The spread is much too high in a game where Green Bay has looked like a good team due to the failures of its recent opponents and not as much due to its own play.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans -6 (1:00 pm ET)
There is no way that Houston should ever be favored by 6 points over any team in the NFL. The Texans are only 6-6 ATS this season. They are a Brock Osweiler interception away from losing a game outright in every battle, much less from losing against the spread as a favorite. Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles didn’t throw a pick in a surprisingly decent game against Minnesota in Week 14. The Jags lost. But they played well. I have to take the points in this important AFC South Division match up in Week 15.
Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills -10 (1:00 pm ET)
Buffalo’s defense is garbage. It’s so garbage that I’m not only taking the points but I’m calling the Browns as a straight up winner in this match up on Sunday. Cleveland has played well enough to win a few games this season. More importantly, the Bills’ defense suddenly can’t stop the rush. The offense is playing well, but the defense can stop anybody from rushing the football. That’s going to be how Cleveland beats Buffalo, a squad that showed signs of wear and tear in the snow losing to Pittsburgh in Week 14.
Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens -6 (1:00 pm ET)
Baltimore should cover the spread in this game. It’s going to be a learning experience for Philly QB Carson Wentz. He’s performed admirably in his rookie season. Baltimore’s secondary has gotten much better from game to game in 2016. The Ravens could pick off Wentz at least 2 times in this game. Not a problem if you’re a Philadelphia fan. The Eagles have already proven that they are on the way back after the terrible Chip Kelly years. I like Baltimore to cover the spread but I’ll be taking notes on Philly for next season.
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs -5.5 (1:00 pm ET)
This should be the game of the week. In my mind, it is. How important is the Week 15 throw down between Tennessee and Kansas City? Tennessee is tied with Houston for the lead in the AFC South. KC is tied with Oakland for the lead in the AFC West. Whomever wins this game takes another step towards a division title. That’s huge. I believe that KC is the better team. So, they should win the game straight up. But, I know that Tennessee is good enough to cover the spread. If the line goes down to KC -3, they’re the play. If it stays at KC -5.5, I must go with the Titans.
Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings -4 (1:00 pm ET)
The Vikings -4 is ridiculous. Indianapolis isn’t a good team. But, neither is Minnesota. The Vikings’ defense shouldn’t play well enough to hold Colts’ QB Andrew Luck to less than 250 passing yards and 2 TD passes. Since Minnesota has trouble scoring against every defense in the NFL, I’m taking the points in this battle.
Detroit Lions at New York Giants -4.5 (1:00 pm ET)
There are a lot of point spreads that I’m questioning in NFL Week 15. Here’s another one. Do I believe that the Giants win this game? Sure. Do I believe that they beat the Lions by more than 3 points? Nope. The Giants have become a defense first team. They proved it in Week 14 when beating Dallas 10 to 7. Guess what? Detroit has become a defense first team as well. They beat Chicago 20 to 17 in Week 14. The Giants win this game by a 17 to 14 score.
Pittsburgh Steelers -3 at Cincinnati Bengals (1:00 pm ET)
Too much emphasis is being placed on the Steelers beating Buffalo 27 to 20 in Week 14 when it comes to this betting spread against the Bengals in Week 15. Pittsburgh is not 3 points better than Cincinnati on the road. I know this because it took an unbelievable game from Pitt RB Le’Veon Bell to beat Buffalo in Week 14. I don’t see Pittsburgh winning this game straight up, much less covering the spread as a road favorite.
New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals -2.5 (4:05 pm ET)
The Cardinals shouldn’t be favored in this match up. New Orleans hasn’t looked great, but AZ has shown signs in the past month that they just don’t care to win football games anymore. Saints’ coach Sean Payton and QB Drew Brees aren’t going to let Saints’ players give up on the season. Plus, the Cardinals try to beat you by outscoring you. That should play into New Orleans’ favor.
San Francisco 49’ers at Atlanta Falcons -13.5 (4:05 pm ET)
I believe that the 49’ers can do enough on offense to keep the game closer than 14 points. I’m going with San Francisco at +13.5 because QB Colin Kaepernick is good enough to expose Atlanta’s flaws on defense. The Falcons’ D looked terrific when forcing 5 turnovers against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14. The Rams’ offense is the worst unit in the NFL. Don’t be fooled. A veteran QB like Kap could do enough to score points against Atlanta’s defense on Sunday.
New England Patriots -3 at Denver Broncos (4:25 pm ET)
The problem that Denver has in this game is stopping New England’s rushing attack. Big LeGarrette Blount bulldozed his way to 72 yards and a TD versus Baltimore’s number one ranked defense. Denver allowed the Titans to rush for 180 yards against it in Week 14. Blount should be ultra-effective against Denver’s D, which has shown a lot of wear and tear since the beginning of the season, in this rivalry match up on Dec. 18. The Patriots cover the spread.
Oakland Raiders -2.5 at San Diego Chargers (4:25 pm ET)
San Diego is out of the playoff chase. RB Melvin Gordon may not play on Sunday. The Raiders go into Week 15 off their first loss since Oct. 16. It’s hard to see San Diego putting up much of a fight. Oakland should easily cover the 2-point spread this Sunday even if the game between the Raiders and Chargers is a rivalry game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys -7 (8:30 pm ET)
Tampa Bay is on a 5 game winning streak. The way that Tampa has been winning is by leaning on their defense. The Bucs held the Saints to only 11 points in a 16 to 11 win in Week 14. The Cowboys lost 7 to 10 to the New York Giants in Week 14. I think Tampa Bay beats Dallas straight up in this battle on Dec. 18. What I saw in Sunday night’s loss to the Giants are Cowboy rookies Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott slowing down some. That’s not good going into a game versus the hot Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Monday, Dec. 19
Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins -4.5 (8:30 pm ET)
Carolina’s defense played well in the win over the San Diego Chargers in Week 14. I don’t think it has a shot against Washington and QB Kirk Cousins this Monday night. Washington is in the thick of the NFC Playoff Race. They must win out to get in. Cousins has improved mightily this season while the Panthers have regressed big time from last season. I see Washington putting a beating onto Carolina and winning this game by at least a TD and extra point.