NFL picks, predictions, odds for Week 15: Eagles down Seahawks

The NFL Week 15 weekend, and I do mean weekend now that Saturday games are on the schedule, started with a rough AFC West matchup that saw the Los Angeles Chargers fully mail it in against the Las Vegas Raiders, leading to a housecleaning. However, the slate wraps up on a high note in a crucial NFC game for two teams on losing skids when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Seattle Seahawks. With that in mind, let’s get to our NFL Week 15 picks, predictions, and odds.

Last week brought us the good (Ravens winning on a walk-off punt return in overtime), the bad (another starting quarterback in Herbert going out for the season), the ugly (Patrick Mahomes throwing a toddler-sized temper tantrum), and the even uglier (the Minnesota Vikings and Raiders playing a 3-0 game INDOORS!) of NFL football.

Also, the playoff picture got even more convoluted and is only getting crazier as the weekend moves along. Entering the week in the NFC, there was one team at 7-6 (the Minnesota Vikings, who dropped to 7-7 on Saturday) and five teams at 6-7 battling for the final two playoff spots, plus two 5-8 teams still in the hunt. Oh, and a sixth 6-7 team (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) sits on top of the dreadful NFC South.

On the other side of the bracket in the AFC, there were eight teams at 8-5 or 7-6 jockeying for all three Wild Card spots and the AFC South as the week began. The Cincinnati Bengals moved to 8-6 with their comeback win over the Vikings, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos dropped to 7-7 with ugly losses.

In Week 15, we welcome back the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders as the NFL bye weeks are officially a thing of the past. Now, we get 16 games a week from here on out, including the Saturday action.

In the ClutchPoints NFL Week 14 picks, predictions, and odds column, it was another non-losing week, but the Monday night shockers kept us from winning money. Ultimately, we finished the week 8-7 picking the winners straight-up and 7-7-1 against the spread. That’s not ideal, but like when betting on individual games, sometimes it’s OK to take the push. These numbers keep the 2023 totals solid through 14 weeks, which are now at 131-77 (62.9%) straight-up and 111-87-10 (56.0%) taking on the spread.

Previous NFL Picks & Predictions: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12| Week 13 | Week 14

Now, here are the NFL Week 15 picks, predictions, and odds.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the NFL odds

Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders (-3.5)

Full Chargers-Raiders betting preview

If anyone deserves an injury in the NFL, it was Justin Herbert. And by that, I mean that he deserves a forced vacation to get away from his coaches and teammates who fail him and make him take a beating every game. Watching Herbert trying to beat the other team by himself every week was painful, and our biggest hope is that he fully heals up and comes back to a better, Brandon Staley-less situation next season. He deserves that, too.

Easton Stick was fine coming in for Herbert last week, but he didn’t do much for the offense overall. On the other side, Aidan O’Connell wasn’t good for the Raiders in their disgusting 3-0 loss. The rumors are that Jimmy Garoppolo or Brian Hoyer could start on Thursday, and even if they don’t the rumor alone means Antonio Pierce could have a quick hook for his rookie QB. With that a possibility, I think the Raiders go with whichever QB is playing better, and that’s why my Chargers-Raiders pick to kick off this NFL Week 15 picks, predictions, and odds column is for Las Vegas, even with Josh Jacobs hurting.

Pick: Raiders 17-10

Update: The Chargers embarrassed themselves in a 63-21 loss to the Raiders and then promptly fired head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco.

Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5)

Full Vikings-Bengals betting prediction

Joe Burrow who? OK, that is a bit of a stretch, but Jake Browning has been excellent since taking over from the Pro Bowl starter in front of him. After Burrow went down, everyone was counting the Bengals out of the playoffs. Now, after back-to-back wins over other playoff contenders, Cincinnati is a real threat.

For the Vikings, they have not found a consistent presence at QB since Kirk Cousins went out. Nick Mullens looked better than Josh Dobbs on Sunday, but the team still only managed three points in their win over the Raiders, which was one of the worst games in NFL history. These are two teams moving in opposite directions after losing their franchise QB, and I like that trend to continue with the Bengals taking this one by more than a field goal.

Pick: Bengals 27-20

Update: It looked like the Vikings were going to cruise to a victory, but they blew a 14-point lead and lost to the Bengals as the Jake Browning magic continues. 

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)

Full Steelers-Colts betting preview

The Steelers and Colts are two teams a 7-6 in the AFC battling for a playoff spot. Both are down to their backup quarterbacks in Week 15, but both backups are about as good, or maybe even better than the starters in the cases of Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett and Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew.

Last week, the Bengals cooled off the Colts a little, stopping their four-game win streak. But overall, the Colts offense is solid and can put up points on anyone, including a good Steelers defense. On the other hand, maybe Trubisky was flummoxed by a good Patriots defense last Thursday, but in the end, he did not look all that good. Give me Minshew and company here at home.

Pick: Colts 16-12

Update: The Steelers jumped out to a 13-0 lead and then gave up 30 straight points in a loss to the Colts.

Denver Broncos at Detroit Lions (-4)

Full Broncos-Lions betting preview

The Lions started the season looking like one of the best teams in football, and the Broncos seemed like one of the worst. Well, that has flip-flopped in the last month as Jared Goff and the Lions have completely hit the skids, losing two of their last three, while the Broncos have won six of their last seven.

Still, there are some underlying numbers here that say the Broncos are a little smoke-and-mirrors right now, and Dan Campbell and the Detroit crowd will help lift the team and get them fired up on Saturday night. I like the Lions to finally right the ship here in a convincing way.

Pick: Lions 28-13

Update: The Lions took care of business with a dominant 42-17 win over the Broncos. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers (-3.5)

Full Buccaneers-Packers betting preview

Tommy DeVito and the Giants said fuggedaboutit to the Packers on Monday night, taking them down a peg after winning three in a row. Christian Watson being out was a big problem for Jordan Love, and the Packers are again dealing with a lot of injuries at wide receiver as well as running back.

That said, the injury crisis is not the reason I’m taking the Buccaneers in this NFL Week 15 picks, predictions, and odds column. It’s because I keep winning on the Bucs, baby! For whatever reason, Vegas seems to hate Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers, so it seems like they are underestimated every week. I think that’s the case again in Week 15, so give me Tampa Bay.

Pick: Buccaneers 20-16

New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (-5.5)

Full Giants-Saints betting preview

Speaking of Tommy “Chicken Cutlets” DeVito, he did a solid job not messing up what the Giants defense and running game had going last week and even added to the latter with a few key scrambles. Look, he’s not Eli Manning or even Daniel Jones, but he has a good head on his shoulders. If he keeps listening to Brian Daboll and doing the right thing, the Giants can win some games at the end of the season here, including this one.

The Saints beat the Panthers last weekend, but they didn’t look all that good doing it. This team doesn’t have a real quality win under its belt this season, and not that the Giants are great, but they aren’t the pushovers the rest of the NFC South is. Give me the G-Men and DeVito’s dad and agent kissing in the stands again

Pick: Giants 24-23

Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) at Carolina Panthers

Full Falcons-Panthers betting preview

You think Giants-Saints is a rough game. Well, the Falcons-Panthers game heard that and said, “Hold my beer.” This is an unwatchable contest between two stinky teams, one of whom may win the NFC South and make the playoffs. What a time we live in!

It wouldn’t shock me if the Panthers rose up and won their second game of the season this week, but that’s not the way I’m going in this NFL Week 15 picks, predictions, and odds space. As long as the Falcons don’t get too cute and just let Bijan Robinson and the other offensive playmakers do the work, they’ll be fine.

Pick: Falcons 21-10

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (-3.5)

Full Texans-Titans betting preview

This spread is a combination of recency bias and the fact that we don't know yet if CJ Stroud will pass concussion protocol and play on Sunday. Remember just a few weeks ago when we thought Will Levis and the Titans were terrible and CJ Stroud and the Texans were headed for the Super Bowl? Sure, injuries to Stroud’s receivers have hurt the offense quite a bit, but let’s not act like the last time Levis played great (four TDs in his debut) he didn’t come out and stink for his next three games.

Stroud and Levis are the two best rookie quarterbacks this year, without a doubt. As they are both in the AFC South, this could be an amazing battle for the next decade or more. Right now, Stroud is the better player, but in Week 15, Levis has the better team. So, it comes down to this. If Stroud plays, give me the Texans and the points. If he's out, I'll take the Titans and give the points.

Pick: Texans 28-27 (with Stroud) Titans 21-13 (without Stroud)

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (-8.5)

Full Jets-Dolphins betting preview

Zach Wilson was incredible last week, throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns in a beatdown of the Texans. Can he do it two games in a row and give Aaron Rodgers reason to replace him? It’s hard to say.

The Dolphins have some question marks as well, mainly, is Tyreek Hill going to be anywhere near 100 percent in this game? If Hill doesn’t play, I think the Jets have a chance to win here. If he does play but isn’t full “Cheetah,” I think this game will still be a lot closer than anticipated. I know picking the Jets hasn’t worked out well in the past here, but for this NFL Week 15 picks, predictions, and odds column give me the Jets to play well and cover but not pull off the massive upset because, well, you know. The Jets.

Pick: Dolphins 28-27

Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns (-2.5)

Full Bears-Browns betting preview

Justin Fields and the Bears are coming on, winning three of their last four as Fields and Matt Eberflus fight nobly to save their jobs. On the other side, Joe Flacco has been a revelation, but you just know that somewhere deep inside he is dying to throw three picks and absolutely murder his team.

Sorry, Joe. You’ll have to do that another week. The stats are that the Browns defense is incredible at home, and they will fluster and frustrate Fields in a tough environment.

Pick: Browns 19-15

Kansas City Chiefs (-8.5) at New England Patriots

Full Chiefs-Patriots betting preview

When Patrick Mahomes finally stops whining and crying about the refs making an absluteley correct call after years of the Chiefs getting every call in the book, he’ll realize that his team needs to get it together now as the playoff approach. Kansas City will likely not have running back Isiah Pacheco again this week, and the receivers are still pretty terrible.

However, the Patriots offense had its crowning moment last week and won’t be able to muster three touchdowns in the first half against this Chiefs defense. I think Mahomes and the Chiefs roll here.

Pick: Chiefs 28-6

Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5)

Full Commanders-Rams betting preview

I can’t think of many (if any) times in NFL history where there has been as big a dead-man-walking coach as Ron Rivera. Everyone knows he’s out at the end of the season, including him, but he’s coaching out the string anyway. Coming off a bye, I have no idea if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

What I do know is that the Rams are playing well and pushing for a playoff spot after winning three straight and barely losing to the Ravens in overtime. I like the Rams here to pick up the win here and get one step closer to the postseason, but coming off a bye, I’ll give Rivera and the Commanders a little more of a fighting chance than Vegas does.

Pick: Rams 24-21

San Francisco 49ers (-11.5) at Arizona Cardinals

Full 49ers-Cardinals betting preview

This will be short and sweet because I just write the same thing every week in this NFL picks, predictions, and odds space. The 49ers are the best team in the league by far when fully healthy. They’re fully healthy (for the most part) this week, so they will destroy the Cardinals.

Pick: 49ers 35-12

Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills (-2.5)

Full Cowboys-Bills betting preview

The Bills fought through adversity last week and banded together, just like the 9/11… nope, not going to do that, Sean McDermott. Jokes aside, the Bills came out like I thought they would and played like a team that was playing for its life in a good way, not a reckless Josh Allen way.

This trend continues on the NFL Week 15 calendar as the Bills need to keep winning to sneak into the playoffs. On the flip side, the Cowboys need this, too, to have a chance at the division, conference, and home field throughout the playoffs, which they desperately need, but that’s the problem. Dallas just isn’t nearly as good on the road, so this trip to Buffalo will be a tough one.

Pick: Bills 34-31

Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Full Ravens-Jaguars betting preview

Trevor Lawrence made a miraculous recovery from his ankle sprain to play — and play fairly well in a close, high-scoring loss to the Browns. Still, the Ravens are the better team, and while the transitive property doesn’t always work in the NFL, I do think it applies here. The Ravens are better than the Browns. The Browns beat the Jags by three. So, in this NFL Week 15 picks, predictions, and odds column, we’re going to pick the Ravens to double that and beat the Jags by at least six points.

Pick: Ravens 27-21

Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) at Seattle Seahawks

Full Eagles-Seahawks betting preview

The Eagles have to be reeling a bit after getting beat down by the 49ers and Cowboys in the past two weeks. The only team feeling worse right now has to be the Seahawks, who have lost to the Cowboys and 49ers (twice) in the midst of Pete Carroll’s first four-game losing streak with the franchise.

If Geno Smith was healthy and guaranteed to start, I might think about taking the Seahawks in this spot to right the ship and pull the upset. They are not a great team, but they aren’t a typical lose-five-games-in-a-row team. That said, they had a murderous stretch of schedule here, and I think the Eagles get back on track to finish out this NFL Week 15 picks, predictions, and odds column.

Pick: Eagles 30-24

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