Just one month of the NFL regular season remains. Teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention while plenty of divisional races have yet to be decided. The Los Angeles Rams control their own destiny in locking up the NFC West division crown and the #1 seed in the NFC. But the next few days will test Sean McVay’s squad as they will host the Lions this Sunday and then turn around on a short week to face the Seahawks on the road in a huge NFC West showdown. Sunday comes first. Will Stafford get his revenge at home against the team that drafted him? Here are my Week 15 picks.
Week 14 picks: 8-6, Cumulative picks: 130-76-1 (.629)
Week 15 Matchups & Predictions
(Thursday) Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 PM EST
Rams fans will be crossing their fingers that the Buccaneers can hand the Falcons another loss as it will continue to give LA better chances at earning a top-10, maybe even top-5 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Both teams have been struggling as of late, but the Bucs must get a win to keep pace with Carolina.
Pick: Buccaneers win 27-23
Cleveland Browns @ Chicago Bears, 1:00 PM EST
The Bears are a playoff team but I’m not sure if Ben Johnson will be able to cover up all of Caleb Williams’s flaws. They get the Browns after losing the #1 seed to the Rams and losing the division lead to the Packers.
Pick: Bears win 30-21
Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM EST
At this point, I’m taking the quarterback that is playing more like his normal self. That would be Joe Burrow. Lamar Jackson looks broken and his minimized threat as a runner is hindering the Ravens offense.
Pick: Bengals win 27-21
Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs, 3:00 PM EST
What a gritty performance by Justin Herbert. Seriously. Not only playing the same week he had surgery but also playing behind his offensive line that DOES NOT feature his starting left and right tackles.
Chiefs. Your reign is over. And I think Week 15 is the final nail in the coffin.
Pick: Chargers win 28-27
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots, 1:00 PM EST
Even though New England has limited Josh Allen in prior meetings, I think this game transpires differently. The Patriots have been able to beat bad teams with not great quarterbacks. Josh Allen gives New England some humble pie; making the AFC East division race a little tighter for the last three weeks.
Pick: Bills win 27-24
Washington Commanders @ New York Giants, 1:00 PM EST
Jayden Daniels will be out again. So I think the Giants win this one behind Jaxson Dart, making either the Titans or Raiders the worst team in the league and frontrunner for the No. 1 overall pick come April.
Pick: Giants win 23-17
Las Vegas Raiders @ Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 PM EST
I’ve always said that Jalen Hurts is overrated. The comparison to Michael Jordan is laughable. MJ was great by himself. Jalen is not great by himself.
Think about this. If the Eagles defense wasn’t a top 5 unit, Jalen Hurts awful play would be further magnified because the offense wouldn’t have as many possessions and ultimately opportunities to score points.
Fortunately for them the Raiders are awful on both sides of the ball, so this should give them a week of “calm” in Philadelphia before their game against the Commanders.
Pick: Eagles win 27-9
New York Jets @ Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 PM EST
The Jaguars have been on a little bit of a heater since their blowout loss to the Rams in London. The Jags have won 5 of their last 6 with wins over the Chargers and Colts (two AFC playoff-caliber teams).
Pick: Jaguars win 30-17
Arizona Cardinals @ Houston Texans, 1:00 PM EST
The Texans defense is ferocious. And the Cardinals are about to get smacked again.
Pick: Texans win 27-7
Green Bay Packers @ Denver Broncos, 4:25 PM EST
The Broncos have not lost since Week 3. But they have been barely escaping games with a win. 7 of their 11 wins are by 4 points or less. Obviously, credit is due for winning those close games. But look at the opponents: Jets, Giants, Raiders, and Commanders. All of them have already been eliminated from the playoff race and have double–digit losses this year.
I think the Packers still have flaws. Jordan Love tries to make too many heroic throws instead of playing in the system. But I believe the Packers will win this one (in close fashion).
Pick: Packers win 27-24 (OT)
Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints, 4:25 PM EST
The Panthers are coming off a late season bye so they have had two weeks to prepare for the Saints. Don’t sleep on the Panthers, they are well coached by Dave Canales and are finding their footing late in the season. I predict they will win the NFC South and that comes by beating the Saints in Week 15.
Pick: Panthers 30-23
Tennessee Titans @ San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 PM EST
The 49ers soft schedule continues. While it may benefit the 49ers now and ultimately get them into the playoffs as the 6th or 7th seed in the NFC. I think they will be overwhelmed in the playoffs by more complete teams that they are not able to push around.
The plus side for the 49ers having so many injuries at the beginning of the season is that their backups have now played a lot of games; allowing for them to be adjusted to the speed of the game.
Pick: 49ers win 27-13
Indianapolis Colts @ Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 PM EST
Check your bingo card. Did anyone have Phillip Rivers quarterbacking the Colts in this Week 15 game? I have to say that I am very intrigued with watching this game to know what Rivers will be able to do! Seattle’s defense is tough against the run so Rivers will have to be able to sling it! Fun fact: Phillip Rivers is 3-1 in his career against Seattle…
Pick: Seahawks win 26-17
Detroit Lions @ Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 PM EST
I’m not sure where to go with this one. This game means a lot to both teams. Detroit needs a win to stay in the wild card hunt. If Los Angeles wins, they clinch a playoff berth. LA wants revenge from 2023 and 2024. Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff have to be frenemies. Stafford will want to settle the score with the home team in these matchups winning the last three times. Over a longer period, the home team has won this matchup 10 of the last 13 times. The only problem is that Detroit’s offense is the kryptonite to Rams defense. Shula’s defense is susceptible to a running back like Gibbs and intermediate routes over the middle.
I’m going with the Lions this time… but with the stipulation that the Rams face the Lions again in the playoffs and knock them out (NFC Championship).
Pick: Lions win 38-35
(Sunday Night Football) Minnesota Vikings @ Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 PM EST
This game should have been flexed to be an afternoon game while DET/LAR or GB/DEN should have been flexed to Sunday Night Football. But of course Jerry Jones will not be messed with.
The Cowboys got a fortunate draw at the end of Week 14 with the Eagles losing in overtime to the Chargers. The door is still open (9% chance) for Dallas to win the NFC East. I believe they will win this game to keep the pressure on Philadelphia.
Pick: Cowboys win 28-24
(Monday Night Football) Miami Dolphins @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 PM EST
Don’t look now but the Miami Dolphins are red hot! Granted, they have beaten some skunks along the way but they got the wins they needed to. Miami needs this win to keep alive in the wild card race. Pittsburgh’s best path forward is winning the AFC North. I like Tomlin’s defense over Tua.
Pick: Steelers win 27-24 (OT)
Comment below with your Week 15 picks. Will Los Angeles move to 11-3 on the year?
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