Week 15 NFL Predictions

Denver at Houston
Line: Broncos by 1
A fun matchup between Shanahan and his ex-assistant Gary Kubiak. While the receivers are sure to make handfuls of athletic plays, this game will likely come down to whoever can run the ball more effectively. I'll give the slight advantage to Houston only because Denver's run defense has been so consistently bad all year. Texans 23, Broncos 17

Cincinnati at San Francisco
Line: Bengals by 8.5
Who made this line? How is a 5-8 football team a near double-digit favorite on the road? On a sidenote, I can see how the NFL Network thought this would be a good matchup at the beginning of the season. This game is not the reason to order that channel. Bengals 21, 49ers 17

Arizona at New Orleans
Line: Saints by 3.5
So much for the Cardinals making the playoffs, but hey, there's always next year. And you know Marques Colston's a great receiver when he's putting up numbers while the rest of the Saints receivers continue to drop passes left and right. Saints 27, Cardinals 17

Atlanta at Tampa Bay
Line: Buccaneers by 13.5
Atlanta will be completely out of sorts after their head coach stabbed them in the back with just three games to go in the season. With the Birds playing for next year, the Bucs should cruise to an easy W and lock up the division, capping an impressive last-to-first transition that's beginning to become common in the NFC South. Buccaneers 24, Falcons 3

Baltimore at Miami
Line: Ravens by 3.5
One more game. Then we get the crazy opposites game, with one team chasing history with an undefeated season and another chasing a different, more futile type of history. Bottom line, if the Dolphins can't beat the Ravens (no reason to think they can), they will not win a game this year. Ravens 6, Dolphins 0

Buffalo at Cleveland
Line: Browns by 5.5
This game is pivotal for playoff positioning. Buffalo just keeps finding ways to win games they shouldn't even be involved in while Cleveland's high-octane offense continues to click on all cylinders. I'll go with Cleveland here, playing behind the emotion of their home crowd. The Bills are still relatively young and a year away. Browns 24, Bills 20

Green Bay at St. Louis
Line: Packers by 9.5
The Pack should have no trouble stopping St. Louis with a rookie QB, as they're clicking on all cylinders with the running game working for the first time all year. Packers 31, Rams 0

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh
Line: Steelers by 3.5
Jacksonville runs the ball, but Pittsburgh takes away the run. Advantage Steelers. And while I like David Garrard, I don't think he can get the job done without a running game against the nasty Steelers' D. While Jacksonville will be game, they won't have enough to pull the road win here. Steelers 20, Jaguars 13

New York Jets at New England
Line: Patriots by 23.5
The Pats are 0-2 against the spread when given 20+ points. That's why I'm hesitant to take this gargantuan line, even if it is against Eric Mangini and the Jets, the same team Belicheck got caught cheating against. Patriots 38, Jets 17

Seattle at Carolina
Line: Seahawks by 7.5
With the division wrapped up, Seattle still brings out the starters in an effort to maintain the highest seeding possible. They shouldn't have any trouble with the woeful Panthers, who would have trouble scoring against a nine-man defense. Seahawks 24, Panthers 10

Tennessee at Kansas City
Line: Titans by 4
A gimme win for Tennessee, as the Chiefs have been flat out terrible since a 4-3 start and now are banged up and listless on offense. Even their defense is having breakdowns, as evidenced by the 34-point shellacking they took at Denver last week. Titans 24, Chiefs 14

Indianapolis at Oakland
Line: Colts by 10.5
This youthful Oakland squad will merely serve as fodder for the suddenly red-hot Colts, who continue to dominate defensively while the offense regroups and heals up in time for the playoffs. The scary thing for New England is they may face this same team in the AFC Title game with Marvin Harrison. Colts 42, Raiders 23

Detroit at San Diego
Line: Chargers by 10
After losing to the Cowboys in such heartbreaking fashion, I think it's safe to say the Lions' ship has sunk. They haven't run the football effectively in five weeks and have literally stopped believing in the running game. Meanwhile, their defense has gotten burned out from spending too much time on the field and is in for a long day with LT lining up in the backfield. Chargers 35, Lions 10

Philadelphia at Dallas
Line: Cowboys by 10.5
In a heated divisional rivalry, the Eagles will be game, but TO will again prove to be too much as he finally gets his redemption once and for all against the team that dumped him. So getcha popcorn ready! Cowboys 31, Eagles 24

Washington at New York Giants
Line: Giants by 4.5
That may have been the first time in his whole career that Todd Collins actually looked like a real, live NFL QB. Too bad it won't last. Not against the Giants' D anyways. This is another silly line. How is it that the Giants are favored by less than 5 points against a Todd Collins-led team? Giants 23, Redskins 3

Chicago at Minnesota
Line: Vikings by 10
The Vikings just keep getting better every week and Tavaris Jackson's confidence continues to grow. Meanwhile, the Taylor-Peterson 2-headed monster is working perfectly and the Vikings' D has been nothing short of outstanding. They're a lock to cover against the woeful Bears, even if the spread is double digits. Vikings 31, Bears 10

Week 13 vs spread 12-4
Week 13 straight up 15-1
Season vs spread 102-101-9
Season straight up 128-64