Picking 9 winners and 7 losers last weekend added up to another week of mediocrity for Rayonsports.com in picking NFL games. The season record now stands at 114 correct picks and 65 incorrect. Here are my choices for week 15:
Cincinnati at Philadelphia – although the Eagles are out of playoff contention and rumors are flying that coach Andy Reid is finished, they will play Cincy tough. The Bengals need the game badly, however, and I’ll pick them to win.
Seattle vs. Buffalo (at Toronto) – the Bills’ defense has been stopping the run well lately, and will be highly motivated to shut down former teammate Marshawn Lynch. Still, the Seahawks are peaking at just the right time, and rookie QB Russell Wilson will do just enough to give Seattle a close victory.
New York Giants at Atlanta – December is the time of year when the Giants come alive, and I expect them to pull out a hard-fought win over the Falcons on the road.
Denver at Baltimore – these clubs could meet in the playoffs, and at this point the Broncos are playing more consistent football. I’ll give them the nod and pick them to win over the Ravens here.
Green Bay at Chicago – pretty much the Bears’ last stand as far as playoff contention is concerned, and I don’t feel that they have enough left to overcome a solid Packer team. Green Bay wins.
Washington at Cleveland – the Redskins have been on an amazing run to stay in the NFC playoff hunt, but will hit a bump in the road here as the surging Browns pull the upset.
Indianapolis at Houston – the Texans were exposed on Monday night by New England and could be reeling going into this important AFC South matchup, but I see them regrouping and beating the Colts at home as Wade Phillips’ defense slows down young Andrew Luck.
Jacksonville at Miami – this is the Jaguars’ third straight game against an AFC East foe, and will result in their third straight loss as Miami wins big.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans – these two NFC South teams have faltered lately, and neither has much chance of qualifying for the playoffs. To me, the Saints are just a better football team and will win this game at home.
Minnesota at St. Louis – at the start of the season, whoever figured this would be a game with playoff implications for both of these teams? I’ll go with the Rams to win at home.
Detroit at Arizona – both of these teams have been big disappointments this season, but the Lions are still competitive, while the Cardinals are a total train wreck. Detroit wins on the road.
Carolina at San Diego – if the Chargers can knock off Pittsburgh on the road, they can surely beat the Panthers at home. Then again, they ARE the Chargers. This will be a high-scoring game, and I’ll pick San Diego to win.
Pittsburgh at Dallas – the Cowboys have impressed me enough with their staying power in the playoff race that I’ll go with them to defeat the Steelers at home in a game both teams need badly.
Kansas City at Oakland – it’s really a shame how far these two former AFL rivals have fallen. The game means nothing, and picking a winner is tough, but I’ll go with the Raiders to win at home even though I have a feeling they’ve packed it in for the year.
San Francisco at New England – this is truly a possible Super Bowl preview, and a classic battle between the Niners’ defense and Patriots’ potent offense. The fact is that New England has vastly improved on defense also, enough so that they’ll knock off Jim Harbaugh’s squad at home.
New York Jets at Tennessee – it’s the Monday night spotlight so these 2 underachieving clubs will be trying to put out their best effort. The Jets just haven’t been able to mount much of an attack this year, so I’ll pick the Titans to win.