NFL picks for a humbling Week 15
The games are a little more important, and a little harder to pick, this week.
I owe last week an apology: I assumed the games would mostly be stinkers but they were actually a lot of fun. Football has a way of humbling you and challenging what you think you know.
For instance, I did not think Bill Belichick would ever take a head coaching job in college. When Josh Allen was drafted, I did not think he would ever be an MVP-level NFL quarterback. And I thought the Jets might be able to sneak into the playoffs this year!
At least my picks have been pretty good lately. Hopefully I can keep it up this week, when there were several difficult decisions to make.
My Week 15 picks are in bold below, along with the odds from DraftKings.
Ravens at Giants (-16.5)
Commanders at Saints (+7.5)
Chiefs at Browns (+4)
Bengals at Titans (+5)
Dolphins at Texans (-3)
Jets at Jaguars (+3)
Cowboys at Panthers (-3)
Steelers at Eagles (-5.5)
Colts at Broncos (-4.5)
Bills at Lions (-2.5)
Patriots at Cardinals (-6)
Buccaneers at Chargers (-2.5)
Packers at Seahawks (+2.5)
Bears at Vikings (-6.5)
Falcons at Raiders (+4)
And you can get a peek at Christian’s picks at FTW. Now let’s run through the rest of the 15 games on the slate this weekend.
Week 15 picks
Ravens over Giants
I think everyone, the Giants most of all, wish they could just run out the clock on the season.
Commanders over Saints
The Saints have been on a bit of a hot streak as winners of three of their last four, but without Derek Carr — and, like, half of their offense — it’s hard to believe they can keep it up.
Chiefs over Browns
The only real question is: what bizarre way will the Chiefs win this one/Browns lose it? I will guess that Jameis Winston butt-fumbles, recovers the ball, then throws a walk-off pick-six.
Bengals over Titans
Maybe Brian Callahan’s familiarity with the Bengals can help the Titans pull the upset, but I think an angry Joe Burrow is a dangerous one.
Texans over Dolphins
The Dolphins have been better than the Texans in the second half of the season, but Mike McDaniel has struggled coaching against other members of the Kyle Shanahan tree.
Jets over Jaguars
I’m picking the Jets to win a game — what could go wrong?
Panthers over Cowboys
I’m picking the Panthers to win a game — what could go wrong?
Eagles over Steelers
I really wanted to take the Steelers because of all the drama in Philadelphia, but they will be without George Pickens for the second straight week. If you check out Pittsburgh’s receiving stats last week without him, you’ll understand why I’m sticking with the favorite here.
Broncos over Colts
This is a pivotal game for both teams’ playoff hopes, but I think the Broncos have improved this season more than the Colts — and technically, they already have a win over them this year (it was preseason but still).
Bills over Lions
I would rank the Lions higher than the Bills if I put together my own power rankings, but I think the Lions’ litany of defensive injuries could finally catch up to them against the MVP frontrunner.
Cardinals over Patriots
The Cardinals have dropped three in a row, but to good teams … which the Patriots are not.
Buccaneers over Chargers
Even if these Chargers aren’t the same old Chargers, Justin Herbert’s ankle injury makes me a little wary of taking them in a big game.
Packers over Seahawks
Another tough one! I ultimately let their DVOA rankings decide this one — the Packers are No. 3 and the Seahawks are No. 15.
Vikings over the Bears
The Bears are on the road. Enough said.
Falcons over Raiders
One of these teams is going to end a free fall. I guess I’ll roll with the Falcons, even though it backfired on me last week.