NFL Week 15 Predictions

Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

If Pats-Steelers and Chiefs-Chargers are the supremely interesting games of Week 15, this contest represents the other end of the spectrum. Denver routed the Jets, but no amount of positive outcomes the rest of the way can supersede the fact that the Broncos lost eight games in a row and went from "AFC contender" to "laughingstock" in what felt like the blink of an eye. Denver's quarterback situation is still very bad, and while the defense has allowed the fewest yards in the league, the offense's consistently awful, turnover-prone play has left them in difficult situations much too often. They're also a different team on the road. Indianapolis isn't good, especially on defense, but the combination of playing at home, and the fact that Jacoby Brissett can absolutely make some high level throws might be enough to carry the day. Plus, why would anyone trust this Broncos team to play well two weeks in a row?

Pick: Colts

Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

The Lions are down, but not out. Detroit needs to leapfrog both Atlanta and Seattle to get into the NFC playoff field, but the Falcons still have dates with New Orleans and Carolina, and Seattle has to deal with the Rams. By comparison, the Lions' remaining schedule is a little more manageable, though a final week date with the Packers, assuming Aaron Rodgers is back at full strength, isn't any picnic. Detroit probably has to win out to get in, but this game shouldn't be the issue. Matthew Stafford bounced back from an injurious loss to the Ravens with a solid game against Tampa Bay, though Detroit's defense did blow a two-touchdown lead in under six minutes. Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears are just trying to figure out what they're going to be next year, and they may have delivered their best collective performance to date in thrashing the Bengals in Cincinnati last week. Trubisky likely won't be as good in this one, and Detroit should get the win. It will, however, be close.

Pick: Bears

Saturday, 8:25 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

This game likely decides the AFC West, at least if both teams handle their business as expected in the season's final two weeks. The mere thought that Kansas City would be fighting for their playoff and division lives after the start they had is incredible. The stats suggest that Los Angeles is the better team, especially defensively. Anthony Lynn's team hasn't suffered a truly bad loss since Week 2. Every other Chargers defeat has either been on the road, or to a good team, or both. Kansas City has rediscovered their offense, and maybe their swagger, but their defense still leaves much to be desired. The Chiefs have a theoretical advantage as the home team, but this game really boils down to one simple question: which quarterback do you trust to deliver the goods? If you've been watching both teams for the last two months or so, you know that the answer is Philip Rivers.

Pick: Chargers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Bills have plenty of quarterback uncertainty, while the Dolphins are coming off their biggest and most impressive win of the season. If Buffalo has Tyrod Taylor, they have a good chance, and if the weather turns ugly like it did last week, it's hard to imagine Miami waltzing in and picking up a victory, regardless of Jay Cutler's familiarity with such conditions from his time in Chicago and Denver. If the forecast is clear and the Bills have to resort to Joe Webb, however, Miami would have the upper hand. Outside of injuries and field conditions, the most interesting dynamic is whether or not the Dolphins, still not completely dead in the playoff chase, can build off of what they did to the Patriots, or whether that was simply a monster effort in front of a national television audience. The guess here is that Taylor plays, Buffalo gets another big game from LeSean McCoy, and improbably maintains their playoff position.

Pick: Bills

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

John Harbaugh's team has to be frustrated. They did most everything right for about 40 minutes of their tilt with the Steelers, only to come out on the losing end yet again, thanks to the brilliance of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. The loss has them on the outside of the AFC playoff picture, and with Buffalo facing Miami in a winnable game, even a win over the Browns would likely keep them right where they are. Speaking of frustrated, one can only imagine how Cleveland is feeling after having a first win within their grasp, only to completely fritter it away over the course of the fourth quarter and overtime. DeShone Kizer played three very effective quarters, then completely fell apart. Josh Gordon makes the Browns both more interesting and more dangerous, but the Ravens are still the superior team. Myles Garrett might make Joe Flacco's life miserable, but Alex Collins will be a much more consistent thorn in Cleveland's side.

Pick: Ravens

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Is the end of the Marvin Lewis Era finally at hand? One would imagine Bengals fans are hoping so. Cincy followed up their normal outing against the Steelers (make a scene, lose the game) with an utterly listless performance at home against a bad Chicago team. The Bengals got run all over by Jordan Howard, and more distressingly showed very little ability to bother Mitchell Trubisky. Cincinnati certainly has the look of a team that has quit. They could not have a worse possible matchup, given their current straits, than a Vikings team that doubtless wants to get back on the winning track after stumbling in Carolina. Minnesota's offensive line injuries were the major cause of their derailment in Charlotte, but if they are healthy and ready to go in that department, they should cruise over the Bengals. Even if they aren't healthy, Marvin Lewis' team won't beat them, and shouldn't even stay particularly close.

Pick: Vikings

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Josh McCown is out for the season, and with him go the Jets' chances of being competitive against just about any opponent. Bryce Petty will get the start for New York, and one can imagine few situations worse than going into the Superdome to face an angry Saints team, well-rested and motivated after a surprising loss to the Falcons. Drew Brees should have his way, the Saints' running game doesn't figure to have many problems, and there exists virtually no chance whatsoever that Petty is able to engineer any kind of consistent offense, let alone the level required to actually stick with New Orleans. Fifteen points is a pretty massive spread for a game that doesn't involve the Patriots and/or the Browns, but in this case, it seems more than justified. 

Pick: Saints

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Carson Wentz's season-ending ACL injury shouldn't be an issue in this one, as the Eagles are still better than the Giants across the board, but the real intrigue here centers on how Nick Foles looks as the starter. Foles was nothing less than spectacular in 2013, but has done little of consequence since then. If he comes out and looks sharp against the Giants, Philly fans may allow themselves a small glimmer of belief that all is not lost with Wentz gone. Conversely, if Philly struggles, even if they win, Eagles fans will likely start treating this year as over before the playoffs start, even if they end up with the number one seed in the NFC. The Giants should be an effective patsy in this one, given the fact that Eli Manning looked abysmal against the Cowboys. The Giants need to decide what to do with their quarterback situation, but other than that and Foles' performance, this one figures to be a standard-issue beat down. 

Pick: Eagles

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

I am struggling to think of a less interesting game this side of Denver-Indianapolis. This is certainly the NFC's version of that contest, though the quarterback play should be better, thanks to Kirk Cousins. Cousins would be lethal on a team with better weaponry, which is why he will likely find a different home next year. Arizona has mucked their way to something resembling competence even without Carson Palmer and David Johnson. They haven't beaten an objectively good team on the road this year, or even an average one, for that matter. Washington exists somewhere in the realm between mediocre and average, and with Cousins no doubt motivated to keep putting up numbers and finish up the season strong, they should end up getting the win. That said, Washington, as previously noted, isn't very good, so the guess here is that this one will come right down to the wire, perhaps decided on a field goal. 

Pick: Cardinals

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Aaron Rodgers has been medically cleared to play, and thanks to two consecutive overtime escapes by the Packers, there is ample reason for Rodgers to return. If Green Bay wins out, they have a good chance at making the post-season. Rodgers doesn't step back in with a cupcake, unfortunately. Carolina is riding high after out-toughing and generally outplaying a very good Vikings team. Cam Newton is performing at a high level, and made the biggest play of the game last week when his team needed it the most. The Panthers' defense will not make things easy on Rodgers, and it will be interesting to see if he is actually at or close to 100 percent. It is tempting, partly because of the story, and partly because of his reputation, to assume that Rodgers finds a way to get it done, but Carolina is the better team, top to bottom, and an NFC South title is still within their reach. Rodgers may play well, but it won't be enough.

Pick: Panthers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Jacksonville is tough to figure. A few weeks back, they're looking listless and inexplicably losing to Arizona. Last week, they're standing toe-to-toe with the notably physical Seahawks, beating them into submission and scoring an impressive win. At 9-4, the Jags have to be taken seriously in the AFC, especially in light of what they did to Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers a few months ago – at Heinz Field, no less. Houston isn't good enough to bring anything new out of the Jaguars, so the best way for Doug Marrone's team to make a good impression is to dominate the Texans early and never let this one resemble a close contest. Houston hasn't been totally inept on offense since Deshaun Watson's injury, but they are 1-5 in the games he's missed, which says more than any point or yardage total could. Jacksonville is very much in the discussion for a first-round bye in the AFC, particularly if the Steelers beat New England, so there should be no shortage of motivation.

Pick: Jaguars

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Rams appeared to have things in hand last week, holding a late one-point lead over Philadelphia, and having knocked Carson Wentz from the game. They couldn't capitalize, though, and if they can't find a way to score a road win over the Seahawks, they'll suddenly find themselves looking up in the NFC West. Both teams have fairly easy games after this, so it's no exaggeration to say that this one might decide the division. Seattle is a different team at home than on the road, but one thing they can't do regardless of setting is run the football with any consistency. Russell Wilson ends up making Seattle's rush yardage totals look good, but his scrambles are a far cry from a true running attack. The one thing the Rams don't do well is defend the run, but in just about every other area, they excel. Jared Goff has shown no signs of a sophomore slump, and Aaron Donald is the kind of disruptive force that should give Wilson fits. Robert Woods is also expected to return for L.A. in this one. His presence may be enough to push them over the top.

Pick: Rams

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

What is arguably the regular season game of the year should live up to its advance billing. Ben Roethlisberger might be playing better than any quarterback in the league, Tom Brady included. Brady gets Rob Gronkowski back, but the Pats will be hamstrung by injuries at several other spots on the field, and smarting from a loss to Miami. The Steelers are still trying to find answers at linebacker after Ryan Shazier's injury, but their bigger concern could be the secondary, where second-year starters Sean Davis and Artie Burns both had rough outings against Joe Flacco and the Ravens. The Steelers' offensive potency may mean that Bill Belichick's best strategy is to try and control the ball and keep it away from Roethlisberger. Or, the Pats may just rely on Brady and his tendency to shred the Steelers whenever he sees them. Either way, New England has historically had Pittsburgh's number, so it's awfully tough to pick against them. 

Pick: Patriots

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

Jimmy Garoppolo has made the Niners interesting, not to mention more successful. With Garoppolo at the helm, San Francisco has won two in a row, and piled up yardage much more consistenly than they did prior to his arrival. One need look no further than the line on this game to see how much Garoppolo's presence changes the perception of the 49ers. Tennessee, on the other hand, is reeling after an ugly, inept loss to the Cardinals. Marcus Mariota was horrible in that one, and the Titans got nothing going against a mediocre opponent. In theory, they would be the choice against San Francisco, but in the moment, it's more than fair to suggest that the 49ers match up pretty well top to bottom, and have the better quarterback, to boot. If Tennessee can't get their running game going, and control the tempo of this one, they could see their playoff standing become ever more precarious, with two very difficult games left on the schedule. 

Pick: 49ers

Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

Dallas has righted themselves of late, staying on the fringes of the NFC playoff chase and re-establishing themselves as something other than a laughingstock. Still, they need to win out to have a realistic shot at a playoff berth, and Seattle and Philadelphia will make that difficult. That said, they should be able to handle the Raiders, one of this year's most disappointing teams. Oakland was a no-show for three quarters of a pivotal showdown with the Chiefs, and their two late touchdowns merely prevented the final score from being a complete humiliation. Oakland also is in a must-win situation, but they still have to see Philadelphia and the Chargers, and they simply don't have the look of a team with another run left in them. The Cowboys still aren't very good without Ezekiel Elliott around, but they have proven themselves to be something better than a total disaster in his absence. 

Pick: Cowboys

Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The Falcons control their playoff destiny, but a trip to New Orleans followed by a date with Carolina means that winning a comparatively easy matchup with Tampa Bay is an absolute must. Matt Ryan didn't set the world on fire against the Saints, but Deion Jones and Atlanta's defense rose to the occasion when it mattered the most. Heroics of that ilk shouldn't be necessary against a Buccaneers team that simply isn't very good, and could end up losing their last six games to finish 4-12. This qualifies as nothing less than a lost season for Jameis Winston, and it is one that might well cost Dirk Koetter his job, unless the Bucs find a way to finish up strong. Atlanta might not have Tevin Coleman for this one, which would put a heavier burden on Devonta Freeman, but either way, the Falcons should be able to handle their business without too many worries.

Pick: Falcons