Best NFL Bets for Week 15: Our Experts’ Favorite NFL Picks Against the Spread

When it comes to betting on football, there are bad beats ... and then there are bad beats. What happened last week at the end of a game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos was perhaps the baddest beat of the 2025 NFL season.

Most bad beats are the result of a fluke play at the end of a game that has no impact on the result of the game but completely flips the script for bettors. But what happened at the end of Broncos-Raiders was no fluke.

The Raiders, a 7.5-point underdog, trailed by 10 when they went on offense with just 58 seconds left. Six plays later, they had a first-and-10 at the Denver 28-yard line with five seconds left. Not that a touchdown would matter at this point, but might as well throw one last pass into the end zone, right? Nope.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll sends in Daniel Carlson to kick a meaningless 48-yard field goal as time expires. Final: Broncos 24, Raiders 17. If you had the Broncos -7.5, you went from winner to loser in five seconds.

Bad beat.

After the game, Carroll insisted there was nothing nefarious about his intent. Carroll said he was lobbying to get officials to add a few seconds on the clock from the previous play, hoping that might have given him enough time to try an onside kick and get one more play in after that.

We’ll give Carroll the benefit of the doubt, though that won’t make bettors who had Denver -7.5 feel any better.

SEE ALSO: Against the spread picks for every Week 15 game

For the record, three of our Athlon Sports NFL experts had Denver -7.5 as a best bet last week. Check out the best bets this week from Athlon Sports’ NFL staff:

Week 15 Best Bets

Luke Easterling’s best NFL picks for Week 15

(Season: 22-20)

Packers -2.5 over Broncos
Seahawks -13.5 over Colts
Cowboys -6.5 over Vikings

Craig Ellenport’s best NFL picks for Week 15

(Season: 22-20)

Bills -1.5 over Patriots
Chargers +4.5 over Chiefs
49ers -12.5 over Titans

Doug Farrar’s best NFL picks for Week 15

(Season: 16-26)

Texans -9.5 over Cardinals
Rams -5.5 over Lions
Cowboys -6.5 over Vikings

Andrew Perloff’s best NFL picks for Week 15

(Season: 18-23-1)

Bills -1.5 over Patriots
Chiefs -4.5 over Chargers
Texans -9.5 over Cardinals

Kyle Wood’s best NFL picks for Week 15

(Season: 20-21-1)

Panthers -2.5 over Saints
Broncos +2.5 over Packers
Cowboys -6.5 over Vikings

Week 15 Sunday/Monday slate

Jets +11.5 at Jaguars
Cardinals +9.5 at Texans
Bills -1.5 at Patriots
Chargers +4.5 at Chief
Raiders +12.5 at Eagles
Ravens -2.5 at Bengals
Commanders +2.5 at Giants
Browns +7.5 at Bears
Titans +12.5 at 49ers
Lions +5.5 at Rams
Panthers -2.5 at Saints
Packers -2.5 at Broncos
Colts +13.5 at Seahawks
Vikings +6.5 at Cowboys
Dolphins +3.5 at Steelers