NFL Week 15 Predictions and Picks Against the Spread: Six Best Bets
We're not talking about last week because what would be the point of lamenting a 1-5 week that was disastrous to our familial finances and caused us to hurt a lot of good people who tailed us? We'll simply say that we're sorry and are still technically above .500 for the year at 43-41. Here are our six best bests for Week 15.
BENGALS (-3.5) over VIKINGS
Jake Browning has proved himself to be pretty capable and the once-dead Bengals have improved their playoff hopes greatly over the past few weeks. Their games aren't exactly aesthetically pleasing but they count just the same. The Vikings were awarded a win in the standings for beating the Raiders 3-0 last week but they still decided to move on to Nick Mullens from Josh Dobbs. That pesky hook is very bothersome yet we're hoping that 14 points will be enough to do the job — and it probably will. Bengals 14, Vikings 10
PACKERS (-3.5) over BUCCANEERS
The Jordan Love hype train slowed in speed a bit yet we think that the Packers are still bound for the postseason. In a lot of ways these two teams are very similar and should do the Spider-Man meme at midfield during the coinflip. One way they are not the same is how they are built and a Florida team coming up to the frozen tundra seems like a recipe for disaster. Also, Jayden Reed is going to be superstar in this league. Never been more sure of anything. Packers 22, Buccaneers 15
BILLS (-2.5) over COWBOYS
Cannot wait for this one. Honestly, this might be a Super Bowl preview. If the Bills can find a way to win. And we think they will because they've been nothing but battle-tested. The Cowboys have a habit of taking a step back as soon as everyone starts to believe in them. The best bet here may be the over. Bills 36, Cowboys 33
JAGUARS (+3.5) over RAVENS
Lamar Jackson and the rest of the Ravens have been awesome and their win over the Rams last week was huge, but they are not as dominant as their 10-3 record would suggest. Very good, yes. Dominant, no. And thus it's hard to trust them with a three-and-a-half point line on the road. The Jags have their own issues but Trevor Lawrence has had another week to recover so he should have a much better showing against this AFC North squad. When these two met last season the margin was razor-thin and it feels like this will be more of the same. Jaguars 33, Ravens 30
EAGLES (-4) over SEAHAWKS
Taking a four-point road favorite in an environment like Seattle's is risky, but you gotta take some leaps of faith after a 1-5 start. The Seahawks have a lot of issues on both sides of the ball and we don't know if Geno Smith is fully healthy after he was a last-second scratch from last week's start. This line could end up looking very favorable depending on how his status develops over the week. But the basis for this pick lies in Philly. The Eagles have struggled for weeks now but Sunday night's beatdown at the hands of the Cowboys is going to sting. They're going to come out firing and it'll be tough for the Seahawks to climb back in it. Eagles 34, Seahawks 24
JETS (+8.5) over DOLPHINS
God help us, we're riding with Zach Wilson. He's coming off maybe the best game of his career, a performance that seemed to give the defense a lot of extra juice against the Texans. The Dolphins are coming off a horrific blown lead and we're starting to wonder if the team fading down the stretch is a feature and not a bug of the Mike McDaniel experience. More than anything the Tyreek Hill injury is quite worrisome. With him banged up and New York playing some spirited football it's hard to see this turning into a blowout, even if Miami pulls it out in the end. Dolphins 24, Jets 17