NFL Week 15 Picks: Detroit Lions To Best Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night

San Diego (6-7) at Denver (11-2)

The Broncos keep churning, as they put up 51 points last week.

The Chargers got a victory against the Giants, but the Broncos are better than the Giants and they're even harder to beat at home.

Denver wins.

Washington (3-10) at Atlanta (3-10)

Kirk Cousins may be the shot in the arm the Redskins need, but this is a team that lost by 35 points at home last week.

The Falcons couldn't edge out Green Bay last week but at home they have a good shot against the Redskins.

Atlanta wins.

Arizona (8-5) at Tennessee (5-8)

After losing to the Eagles, the Cardinals picked themselves up with a 30 point victory over the Rams. Is it possible the NFC West gets three playoff teams? The Cardinals are in the hunt.

The Titans had a tough task against the Broncos last week. The team hasn't showed much promise since Jake Locker was injured for the season, though. There's even rumors of cutting Chris Johnson after this season.

Arizona wins.

San Francisco (9-4) at Tampa Bay (4-9)

The 49ers squeaked out a big victory over the Seahawks last week. Frank Gore had a monster day rushing the ball and although the team only had 155 yards passing, Anquan Boldin still managed to reel in 93 yards receiving.

The Buccaneers won again last week, but the 49ers are a playoff team and if they want to prove they are a legitimate championship contender, this is a game they have to win.

San Francisco wins.

New Orleans (10-3) at St. Louis (5-8)

Since winning two consecutive games to close out November, the Rams have lost two in a row. They are also only 3-3 at home this season.

The Saints just had a strong showing against the Panthers, beating them by 18 and ending their eight game winning streak.

The Saints are the stronger team and will show it.

New Orleans wins.

Seattle (11-2) at New York Giants (5-8)

The Seahawks lost for the first time in two months, but they should be able to get back on track against the Giants.

The Giants were eliminated from playoff contention last week after losing to the Chargers.

While the Seahawks are second in the league in takewaways, the Giants lead the league in turnovers and Eli Manning is first in the NFC in interceptions thrown.

Seattle wins.

Chicago (7-6) at Cleveland (4-9)

The Bears put up an impressive 45 points last week against the Cowboys. The Dallas defense isn't that good, but Chicago did what it needed to to take advantage of it. Alshon Jeffrey has been very impressive lately.

The Browns fought hard against the Patriots, but in the end it was another loss.

Expect the Bears to continue to ride the momentum from last week.

Chicago wins.

Houston (2-11) at Indianapolis (8-5)

Last week, after the Texans' loss to the Jaguars I tweeted, "Why do I keep picking the #Texans to win games? #NFL".

If something is broken, it's time to change. The Texans front office fired the head coach and I'm picking against them, which is easy to do when they play the division leading Colts on the road.

Indianapolis wins.

Buffalo (4-9) at Jacksonville (4-9)

The Jaguars have won four of their past five games, an amazing feat considering how futile they looked at the beginning of the season.

They now have the same record as the Bills, who have lost five of their past six games, including three losses in a row on the road.

When I finally pick the Jaguars, conventional wisdom says that will be the week they lose, but the Bills are just playing that poorly lately.

Jacksonville wins.

New England (10-3) at Miami (7-6)

Bill Belichick recently said about the Dolphins that despite the bullying media firestorm earlier this season, the Dolphins are still taking care of business.

While the Dolphins have won games and are very much in the playoff race, they haven't been very convincing doing so. The team isn't consistent and still makes enough mistakes that good teams should be able to capitalize on. They also don't fare as well against teams with winning records.

New England wins.

Philadelphia (8-5) at Minnesota (3-9-1)

The Vikings gave a spirited effort against the Ravens last week, but fell short. There's also the question of how effective Adrian Peterson will be after suffering an ankle injury, if he even plays at all.

The Eagles are rolling and the Vikings don't seem to be good enough this year to stop them.

Philadelphia wins.

Kansas City (10-3) at Oakland (4-9)

The Raiders may be better at home than on the road, but they still lost to the Jets last week. They even allowed the Jets, a team that is 31st in the league in points scored, to put up 37 points last week.

The Chiefs scored 45 points of their own on the road last week and should have another successful outing this week.

Kansas City wins.

New York Jets (6-7) at Carolina (9-4)

The Panthers had their winning streak stopped last week and they went down with a whimper.

Conversely the Jets ended their losing streak, scored their largest point total to date and won by double digits.

Still, I expect things to go back to normal for these teams this week. The Panthers get homefield advantage and the Jets seem to give the ball away like candy on the road.

Carolina wins.

Green Bay (6-6-1) at Dallas (7-6)

It looks like Aaron Rodgers isn't likely to play for the Packers this weekend, which is good news for the porous Cowboys secondary.

The Cowboys were embarrassed in prime time last week. What works in their favor this week is that they are home. The Cowboys are 5-1 at home, with the only loss coming in the high scoring thriller against Denver, who was undefeated at the time.

The Packers are 2-4 on the road this year and are 1-4-1 since the beginning of November.

Dallas wins.

Cincinnati (9-4) at Pittsburgh (5-8)

The Bengals are only 3-4 on the road and 2-2 against the division. That could be worrisome, but the Steelers are also 2-2 against the division and only 3-3 at home. It's not a losing record, but it's not dominant either.

The Bengals are the division leaders, beat the Steelers earlier in the season, and are coming off a huge win against the Colts.

The Steelers on the other hand have lost two in a row, including last week when they blew a late lead at home against the Dolphins.

Cincinnati wins.

Baltimore (7-6) at Detroit (7-6)

The Ravens are fighting for a wild card spot but they are 1-5 on the road this season. That should bode well for the struggling Lions.

Detroit is 1-3 in its past four games, but the Lions are 4-2 at home this year. Stafford has thrown one more touchdown at home than on the road (in one fewer game) and has 345.2 yards passing per game at home compared to 236.4 passing yards per game on the road.

If he can keep his turnovers down, the Lions could be in a good position to win this game.

Detroit wins.

Last Week: 11-5

Overall: 131-77

NFL Week 15 Picks

Cincinnati over PHILADELPHIA

ATLANTA over New York Giants

Minnesota over ST. LOUIS

MIAMI over Jacksonville

Green Bay over CHICAGO

Washington over CLEVELAND

BALTIMORE over Denver

HOUSTON over Indianapolis

NEW ORLEANS over Tampa Bay

Detroit over ARIZONA

SAN DIEGO over Carolina

Seattle over BUFFALO

Pittsburgh over DALLAS

OAKLAND over Kansas City

NEW ENGLAND over San Francisco

New York Jets over TENNESSEE

Last Week: 10-6

Season: 134-73

NFL Week 15 Picks: New England Patriots Will Stop Tim Tebow's Roll

I picked the Falcons and Cowboys to win on Twitter

HOUSTON over Carolina

NEW YORK GIANTS over Washington

Miami over BUFFALO

Seattle over CHICAGO

New Orleans over MINNESOTA

Cincinnati over ST. LOUIS

Tennessee over INDIANAPOLIS

Green Bay over KANSAS CITY

OAKLAND over Detroit

New England over DENVER

New York Jets over PHILADELPHIA

ARIZONA over Cleveland

SAN DIEGO over Baltimore

SAN FRANCISCO over Pittsburgh

This week: 2-0

Last Week: 12-4

Season: 134-78

Photo Credits.
Tom Brady: AP Photo/Matt Slocum

NFL Week 15 Picks

AP Photo/Rob Carr

Our two undefeated teams have a couple good challenges in front of them as both team take on playoff contenders: Colts-Jaguars and Saints-Cowboys.

One big question, at least for the Colts: When should they start sitting starters?

Some other questions this week: How will the Bengals respond to the Chris Henry death? Will the Steelers stop their five game skid? How will Randy Moss respond to the criticism Carolina sent his way after last Sunday’s game?

Feel free to comment answer to these questions and who you think will win this weekend.

Indianapolis (13-0) at Jacksonville (7-6)

Many have questioned if the starters are going to play, or how long will they play?
It’s only week 15. If Indy starts resting guys now they are going to go four weeks before they throw out their top squad. That would leave guys rusty, not fresh. Not something they should do.

So as long as Peyton Manning is throwing the ball he has plenty of options: his favorite target Dallas Clark, his new toys Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie, and always dangerous hookup Reggie Wayne. They also have two good running back that can get the job done between Joseph Addai and Donald Brown.

If Indy does indeed sit people, well, mainly Manning, all bets are off. But I just can’t see them doing so this early.

Indianapolis wins.

Dallas (8-5) at New Orleans (13-0)

Two more December losses (0-2 in ’09) and an away matchup (3-3 on the road in ’09) against one of the two undefeated teams cannot leave the Cowboys feeling very good about things.

New Orleans is still being chased by Minnesota for home field advantage in the playoffs, so they still have something to play for.

Dallas has lost five in a row against New Orleans and they are in the bottom half of the league in pass defense by yards allowed. They’ve also only averaged about 15 points per game in their last eight games. I see it hard for them to keep up with New Orleans’ offense.

New Orleans wins.

New England (8-5) at Buffalo (5-8)

Buffalo’s pass defense, unlike the rest of the team, is actually relatively strong.
But come on? Whenever someone questions the Patriots, 99 times out of 100 they come back and beat the snot out of the next team just to prove a point. Remember the beat-down the Pats put on the Jets the week after Bill Belichek made that questionable fourth-down call against the Colts?

So after the Carolina Panthers criticized Randy Moss all week (I still question why) how many times do you think Brady throws his way? You think they try to break the receptions record Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall set last week? Seriously, Randy Moss is going to do a lot of damage.

New England wins.

Arizona (8-5) at Detroit (2-11)

Arizona suffered a minor setback losing to San Francisco last week, but they are more concerned with the health of receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has indicated he is ok, and he is expected to play, but you have to expect he will be limited if he does play. Detroit isn’t very good, and there’s no reason for the Cardinals to lean more on Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston in order to make sure Fitzgerald is ok for the stretch run, and very possibly, the playoffs.

Arizona wins.

Miami (7-6) at Tennessee (6-7)

Tennessee has lost only one game with Vince Young as the starting quarterback but he may not play this week, which could be a big blow. The Titans have just not been dangerous enough with Kerry Collins at quarterback. Chris Johnson has had a spectacular season, but he cannot do it himself.

Here’s how I can see the battle tilt in Miami’s favor.

The first is that they have not allowed a runner to gain 100 yards rushing since week 11 against Carolina and DeAngelo Williams, and have allowed only two players to reach 100 yards all season (the other being Thomas Jones in week 8). Both those games also ended in Miami victories. So this means that they can either A) contain Johnson’s productivity, or B) let Johnson get his yards and juts stop everyone else.
The second option isn’t far-fetched. Three times this season Johnson has rushed for 100 yards yet the Titans have still lost. Two of those games were against average AFC teams Jacksonville and Houston, the other being Indianapolis, who while undefeated is still vulnerable against the run.

With an in-conference record of 3-7, most of the Titans’ damage has come at the expense of the NFC.

Miami wins.

Cleveland (2-11) at Kansas City (3-10)

Positive for both teams: they both beat defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

One positive for Kansas City’s team: Jamaal Charles. Last week he erupted for 143 yards and a touchdown, as well as 38 yards receiving. This week he goes up against another poor rush defense.

Kansas City wins.

Houston (6-7) at St. Louis (1-12)

It’s really hard to see St. Louis beating anybody, and that was a common belief before all the personnel issues they’ve come up with this week. QB Kyle Boller was sent home from practice while rookie Keith Null (West Texas A & M) got all the first team reps. Guard Richie Incognito was released, guard Jacob Bell was placed on IR, and center Jason Brown was home fighting a cold.

Makes you wonder how much longer Steven Jackson is going to put up with all this.

Houston wins.

Atlanta (6-7) at NY Jets (7-6)

Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are both questionable, which does not bode well for Atlanta.

The Jets are only 3-3 at home, but Atlanta is an abysmal 1-5 on the road.

The Jets have a very good defense and Darrelle Reevis is one of the best corners in the league. If Ryan can’t go I don’t see Chris Redmond being able to break through the Jets defense, especially if Turner isn’t available to take some pressure off him.

New York Jets win.

San Francisco (6-7) at Philadelphia (9-5)

San Francisco is very good defensively, but their offense is average at best.
The Eagles have a hot offense with playmakers at every position. They are flat out just putting points on the board. In their last three games the Eagles have averaged 32 points per game.

The 49’ers are an abysmal 1-5 on the road and are 1-3 against NFC teams not in the NFC West.

Philadelphia wins.

Chicago (5-8) at Baltimore (7-6)

Baltimore has ten straight wins against teams with losing records.

Chicago is another team doing poorly on the road, with a 1-5 record as the visitors.

Baltimore is famous for their defense, and although they are not as strong as in years past, they will pressure turnover machine Jay Cutler to no end.

Baltimore wins.

Cincinnati (9-4) at San Diego (10-3)

First, my condolences to the family, friends, and teammates of Bengals receiver Chris Henry. Any time something like this happens it’s sad.

It’s always tough to gauge how a team will react to the situation at hand at a time like this. The Bengals practice Thursday was supposedly a very somber one.
With a win, Cincinnati could clinch the division. However, after last week’s disappointing loss, what has happened now, and facing a red hot Chargers team, I see them slipping a bit here Sunday. I just don’t see them putting it back together yet.

San Diego wins.

Oakland (4-9) at Denver (8-5)

Bruce Gradkowski tore the MCL in both of his knees, paving the way for Charlie Frye—not former first overall pick JaMarcus Russell—to start this game. Frye hasn’t thrown a pass since October 12, 2008, when he was still with Seattle. Just for extra measure, Oakland also signed former Bills’ first round pick J.P. Lossman to be the third-string quarterback.

Only the Raiders.

Even with top cornerback Nmamdi Asomugha, Oakland is still in the bottom half of the league in passing defense by yards allowed and tied for 27th in interceptions.
Last week Brandon Marshall went off for 21 catches, 200 yards, and two touchdowns. It may not be as big a week, but Marshall should be successful again.

Denver wins.

Green Bay (9-4) at Pittsburgh (6-7)

Teams going in opposite directions. Green Bay has won five games in a row, with wins over Dallas and Baltimore, while Pittsburgh has lost five in a row, with losses to Kansas City, Oakland, and Cleveland.

Pittsburgh has not been able to score with the frequency that Green Bay has, which has me skeptical about how they can keep up. Hine Ward is questionable, which hinders what Pittsburgh does on offense, not only in the passing game, but because Ward is a very good blocker as well.

On defense, Troy Polamalu is out again and the Steelers other players in the secondary have struggled to make plays, which can only mean bad things against Aaron Rodgers, one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL this season.

Green Bay wins.

Tampa Bay (1-12) at Seattle (5-8)

Tampa Bay just isn’t that good, at any position any either side of the ball. On the road against veteran quarterback Matt Hasselback it’s just tough for me to see an upset.

Seattle wins.

Minnesota (11-2) at Carolina (5-8)

Minnesota put away a good Bengals team last week with a very good effort, scoring 30 points against one of the stingiest defenses in the league.

Sidney Rice has had a breakout season and Percy Harvin is a candidate for Rookie of the Year. The success of these two makes Adrian Peterson’s job easier and make Brett Favre look very good. They are huge reasons why Minnesota has such a great record this year.

Carolina actually has a solid pass defense but is terrible against the run. With Harvin struggling with migraines, look for Peterson to take over and have his first game with 100 rushing yards since week 10.

Minnesota wins.

NY Giants (7-6) at Washington (4-9)

The Giants are trying to desperately hold onto their slim playoff chances, which is odd as they started the season 5-0. They also are 5-0 against teams with losing records this year.

What the Giants need to do is establish the run. A lot has been put on the shoulders of Eli Manning this season and, for the most part, he has not delivered. Receiver Steve Smith started off the year hot, but hasn’t been heard from much lately. The Giants need to get Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw going, and they should be able to against Washington’s bottom half ranked rush defense.

In their seven wins, they have averaged around 141 rushing yards per game. In their six losses they averaged only about 106 yards per game. The more they can use the rush to set up the pass and take pressure off Manning, the more successful they will be.

New York Giants win.

Last week: 11-5

Season: 119-57