It’s Week 15 in the NFL and the playoff picture is starting to get clearer. Here is our preview and predictions.
12/18 1:00 ET Pittsburgh -3 At Cincinnati 44.5: The Steelers have played well in Cincinnati through the years. I expect more of the same this week.
Cincinnati is not going to make the playoffs and while they’ll play the Steelers tough, they can’t beat them. Pittsburgh as a 3 point road favorite is a good take so put your money on them.
12/18 1:00 ET At NY Giants -4 Detroit 40.5: The Lions have been a great story thus far this season but now we’ll find out how good they really are with games against the Giants, Cowboys and Packers to finish the season.
With Matt Stanford banged up, look for the Lions to struggle offensively. That’s why I’m putting my money on the Giants.
The G-Men need to win to stay in the playoff hunt and they have a favorite match up against the Lions secondary in the passing game. I like them by a touchdown.
12/18 1:00 ET At Baltimore -6 Philadelphia 40.5: The Ravens need to win or their playoff chances take a major hit. I think they’ll win but I don’t like them as a touchdown favorite. They are way too inconsistent.
Baltimore wins but I’m putting my money on the Eagles as a road dog. I think they’ll give the Ravens problems despite their road woes.
12/18 1:00 ET Green Bay -5.5 At Chicago 38: Aaron Rodgers is banged up and it is going to be frigid in Chicago. I smell an upset here.
I don’t think Chicago wins this game but they will make it awfully tough on the Packers. I like the Bears as a home dog. Green Bay wins by three.
12/18 1:00 ET At Minnesota -5 Indianapolis 45.5: Adrian Peterson is back and I think he will pay immediate dividends for the Vikings.
Peterson’s presence will obviously help the Vikings putrid running game but it will also help open up their passing game. Look for more play-action passes from Minnesota in this game.
The Colts are done. They won’t make the playoffs. -5 is a big number for a team like the Vikings given how much they’ve struggled on offense but I like them as a home favorite.
12/18 1:00 ET At Buffalo -10 Cleveland 41.5: The Bills are not very good but they are still good enough to beat the Browns. Will they beat them by 10? NO!
Hue Jackson and his team have pride and they heard all the noise coming from Buffalo this week.
That’s why I like the Browns as a road dog in this game. They won’t win but they’ll scare the hell out of the Bills. Put your money on them as a road dog.
12/18 1:00 ET At Kansas City -6 Tennessee 41.5: Marcus Mariota has never played in a game where the temperature was under 40 degrees. It’ll be 5 degrees today in Kansas City. That’s not good for him.
Look for the Titans to pound the football to take pressure off of Mariota.
As far as who wins this one, I like the Chiefs. -6 scares me a little with the Chiefs. Kansas City is not exactly a juggernaut offensively. I am going to put my money on them in this one but I’m skeptical.
12/18 1:00 ET At Houston -5 Jacksonville 39.5: The Texans have struggled offensively all season long but they are facing a Jaguars defense has been generous all season long. They are the perfect elixir for what ails the Texans offensively.
I’m putting my money on the Texans. They should win this game by a touchdown. It’s the Jaguars. It makes sense.
12/18 4:05 ET At Arizona -3 New Orleans 50.5: SHOOTOUT ALERT! This game will be a high scoring affair. Both Carson Palmer and Drew Brees have really struggled the last few weeks so this game could be an adventure.
The Cardinals have given bettors nightmares this season. They are so inconsistent and hard to figure out. I am going to put my money on them today but I’m nervous. I’m glad the number is only -3.
12/18 4:05 ET At Atlanta -13.5 San Francisco 51: Uggh. I want to put my money on Atlanta today but I have a feeling that San Francisco will play them tough and make this game close.
It’s just a feeling though. That doesn’t mean anything. Feeling don’t make you money in this business. I’m taking the Falcons. If they can crank up the Rams by 28, they can do the same to San Francisco.
12/18 4:25 ET New England -3 At Denver 44: I know Tom Brady has a 2-7 career record in Denver but that won’t matter today. The defending champs are trouble folks. They can’t run the ball and they can’t stop the run.
I’m putting my money on Brady and company as a road favorite. I think he’ll play well and the Patriots will exercise some demons today.
12/18 4:25 ET Oakland -2.5 At San Diego 49.5: SHOOTOUT ALERT! This will be another high scoring affair between these two AFL rivals.
The Chargers will be without Melvin Gordon so you know P-Riv and company will throw it 50 plus times.
That being said, the Chargers are not going to make the playoffs. The Raiders have way more to play for. That’s why I’m picking them in this game and that’s why I’m putting my money on them. -2.5 is a comfortable number.
12/18 8:30 ET At Dallas -7 Tampa Bay 46.5: The Cowboys really struggled last week offensively in a 10-7 loss to the Giants. They could struggle again tonight against a Bucs defense that plays physical and generates turnovers.
This game will be nip and tuck. Tampa is good enough to go on the road and win this game. They have won five in a row and they have proven they can win on the road.
That being said, I’m not picking them in this game. I think Dallas bounces back and wins by a touchdown. I’m taking them as a home favorite.
12/19 8:30 ET At Washington -6.5 Carolina 51: The Redskins need to win this game in order to stay in the playoff hunt. The Panthers are done. They have nothing to play for but pride.
I’m putting my cash on the Skins in this one. A touchdown is a manageable number. Plus, I think they’ll throw all over the Panthers vulnerable secondary.