NFL Week 15 Predictions and Picks Against the Spread

A rough week for Liam and Kyle drags them below .500 once more this season, going 4-9 in Week 14 for a 99-103 overall record. Disappointing, to be sure, but there's still three weeks' worth of games to be picked and lots of ground to be made up. The fat lady is not singing for The Big Lead quite yet. Here are our Week 15 predictions and picks against the spread.

49ERS (-3.5) over SEAHAWKS

Everyone has gotten a bit too crazy with this Brock Purdy business and we don't feel like bad people in admitting it'd be great if there was some regression to the mean. But Seattle has real problems stopping the run and now establishing the run and appears to be the surefire playoff team who misses out by imploding down the stretch. There's a healthy Vegas respect for a road team at play here but it feels more likely to be a blowout than a 60-minute game. Niners 24, Seahawks 10

VIKINGS (-4) over COLTS

Minnesota should regain its form after playing the best team in all of football. Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson get out of bed — seperate beds! — combining for 150 yards and two scores. Jeff Saturday finally got the courage to ask if they could get some different Keurig packets. The Vikings will lock up the division in style and make all those pro-Saturday victory laps look even more ridiculous. Two birds, one stone. Vikings 40, Colts 17

RAVENS (-3) over BROWNS

Deshaun Watson will not shake the rust off this year. That's a small consolation for anyone who doesn't believe he should be playing at all. Baltimore has fallen into this dangerous habit of playing these close slugfests and wielding Lamar Jackson (or Tyler Huntley, or Anthony Brown, whoever it may be) into like 15 points. They desperately need a Get Right game. A team playing for better draft position should happily oblige. Ravens 28, Browns 14

BILLS (-7.5) over DOLPHINS

The Tua Tagovailoa bandwagon is leaking a good bit of oil. A trip to frigid, hostile land is not what the doctor ordered. This will serve as a measuring stick opportunity and the upstart Fins are going to come up severely lacking. Bills 30, Dolphins 13

BEARS (+9) over EAGLES

Getting some weird vibes here. Major weird vibes. Like even sprinkle some on the moneyline vibes. Eagles 23, Bears 21

LIONS (PK) over JETS

The only team that can stop the Detroit Lions is the Detroit Lions. Mike White's health is a question mark. Quinnen Williams' health is a question mark. Jared Goff is looking like the top quarterback for the top offense in football. We don't really understand what's going on but are the only website that predicted any of this so we'll enjoy the victory lap. Detroit at 130-1 to win the Super Bowl honestly feels worth it. Lions 27, Jets 23

SAINTS (-4) over FALCONS

It is truly anybody's guess as to what we'll see from the Saints' offense on a week-to-week basis. And that blown lead against the Bucs will haunt the defense for the rest of the season. But we do know that on the other side the Falcons are throwing a rookie fourth-rounder behind a subpar offensive line against a rather aggressive defense that loves to force mistakes and the game is at the Superdome. This will be boring, uncompetitive, and only mildly interesting for fantasy football playoff purposes. Saints 24, Falcons 13

PANTHERS (-2.5) over STEELERS

We have no clue who will be under center for the Steelers. The Panthers pulled off an upset against the Seahawks by torturing Geno Smith, leader in the clubhouse for Comeback Player of the Year, for a full 60 minutes. Despite the danger of expecting Sam Darnold to win two games in a row, home team rules. Panthers 13, Steelers 6

JAGUARS (+5) over COWBOYS

Extremely suspicious line to the point it feels like a trap. The Jags just demolished the Titans in nearly every facet while on the road and Trevor Lawrence has played immaculate football for nearly a month and a half. The Cowboys needed a handful of miracles and horrendous decisions from the opposite sideline to beat the Texans. Yet here we are, facing a five-point Cowboys line with the game in Jacksonville. Very odd. But overthinking has done us in recently so we'll take the home 'dawgs again. In fact, get some moneyline action in while you're at it. Jaguars 31, Cowboys 30

TEXANS (+14) over CHIEFS

We will not make the same mistake two weeks in a row-- never trust a double-digit line. The Texans are not good but are occasionally feisty and the Chiefs just let the Broncos' offense have a season-best day. There is simply too much variance to trust that KC stays ahead by two touchdowns all day. Chiefs 30, Texans 17

CARDINALS (PK) over BRONCOS

A gross game made grosser by injuries to both sides' starting signal-callers. The Cardinals, though, have looked functional under Colt McCoy. The same cannot be said about whatever happens when Brett Rypien is out there. Cardinals 23, Broncos 14

TITANS (+3) over CHARGERS

A juicy away underdog bet. The Chargers' run defense still isn't that good and Brandon Staley is a few tiers below Mike Vrabel. The Titans struggle to keep up with high-powered offenses but Los Angeles has shown a propensity to score quite a few points less than they should because playcalling and coaching gets in the way. This could keep Tennessee in the game until the end, where anything can happen. Most importantly, this is exactly the sort of game that Vrabel's Titans are never supposed to win-- yet they pull it out every time. Titans 23, Chargers 21

BENGALS (-3.5) over BUCS

The Bucs will have an easier time moving the ball against Cincinnati but it horrifies the mind to imagine what Joe Burrow is going to do to this defense after letting Brock Purdy walk all over them. Even if both Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd may miss the game. Only respect to Tom Brady is keeping the line this low-- the actual quality of the two teams suggests the Bengals should be a touchdown favorite, minimum. Bengals 31, Bucs 20

GIANTS (+4.5) over WASHINGTON

The Giants' whole program has begun to fall apart as key guys get hurt and opposing defenses figure out the earlier they stop the run the easier the offense is to handle. But four and a half points for a Washington team that tied these Giants last week? That is simply too many. Washington 20, Giants 17

PACKERS (-4.5) over RAMS

Well, this game turned out to be a bummer. Baker Mayfield made things far more interesting than they deserved last Thursday, but the Rams are still too banged-up to get much going against even middling teams. The Packers are coming off a bye and know they cannot lose if they want to have any prayer of postseason play. They may drop one yet, but not this game, at home against a team headed for a top-five pick in the draft. Aaron Rodgers will get this over early. Packers 27, Rams 20