NFL Week 15 Preview: Any Given Saturday?

By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast

With just four regular season weeks left on the NFL calendar and the college football season dwindling away into an endless supply of bowl games, it’s that time on the calendar when the NFL comes for your Saturdays too. Playoff seeding scenarios and the “in the hunt” graphic are all the rage, which means we’re headed into a BIG weekend of football with a slew of intriguing games. We’ve been going at these lines for 14 weeks so it’s time to use our season full of knowledge and put together the winning equation. Better yet, do it for your contest entry this week!

If I could give this week’s lineup of matchups a word, it would be: Saturday. The NFL knows exactly what they’re doing with a lineup of not one, not two but three juicy matchups featuring six teams that are all in contention for a playoff spot. Let’s get to the wonderful week 15 slate that spreads across four days to provide maximum couch time for us all.

Games of the Week

Vikings @ Bengals (-3.5) - 1 pm ET (Saturday) - Two 7-6 teams that I cannot read appropriately. Jake Browning has filled in nicely for Joe Burrow and proven me wrong at every turn thus far, while the Vikings just won the lowest scoring game of the entire season. I have a goofy urge to resist each team’s lead-in game and lean with the unlikely underdog.

Steelers @ Colts (-2.5) - 4:30 pm ET (Saturday) - Hey look, it’s two more 7-6 teams with backup quarterbacks leading their offenses! The logjam in the AFC playoff picture should slowly weed itself out starting with this game. Loser leaves town, winner stays in contention. My early week lean is with the Colts and the Gardner.

Broncos @ Lions (-5) - 8:15 pm ET (Saturday) - Did the Lions peak too early this season? The question has to be asked as we hit the home stretch, but Saturday could flip the narrative in a primetime setting. They’ll need to contain Russell Wilson in a way that they couldn’t contain Justin Fields. The line tells us Vegas is looking for the bounceback from Detroit.

Cowboys @ Bills (-2.5) - 4:25 pm ET - After a very sleepy 1:00 slate of games, the marquee late slate game features two teams in different spots that both won last week. The Bills got a bit lucky in KC thanks to Ladarius Toney’s high school mistake, while the Cowboys are the talk of the league after a commanding win over the Eagles. The line is begging you to ride the Cowboys hot streak, while also giving respect to the difficulty of winning in Buffalo in December.

Ravens @ Jaguars (+3.5) - 8:20 pm ET - Trevor Lawrence is shaky as of late and now that he’s not 100% on his injured ankle, the Jags are at a crossroads in their season. Now they host a Ravens team that is 5-1 on the road and atop the most competitive division in the league. Now wonder the Jags are a home dog here.

Fishy Lines to Watch

Chiefs @ Patriots (+10) - 1 pm ET - I know degenerates because I am one, and this will come down. My Patriots are reeling but they found an hour of offense last Thursday and the public will surely overreact. Couple that with a tumultuous Chiefs locker room with an angered Patrick Mahomes, and you’ll see a surprising swell of energy around New England to cover and be competitive here.

49ers @ Cardinals (+13.5) - 4:05 pm ET - Now for the crooked spreads on the board, we start in the desert. The Cardinals admittedly do stink, but they pulled off an upset of the Cowboys earlier this season in a very similar position as a double digit underdog. I’m not sure they top a red hot 49ers team, but it’s worth noting that they’ve played well in these spots. If this eclipses two touchdowns, count me in on AZ.

The Primetime Pick

Eagles @ Seahawks (+3.5) - 8:15 pm ET (Monday) - It’s approaching “win out or go home” time for the Seahawks, but the Eagles should have some desperation on their side as well. It’s a tough schedule stretch for Philly so they’re taking their lumps, but it could be for the better come postseason. This feels like a bounce back spot, or will I continue to overestimate the Birds?

Week Fifteen Plays To Watch

(27-18 last seven weeks)

Vikings +3.5 - This may be my last time betting against Jake Browning.

Broncos +5 - The Lions should squeak the win but Russ keeps it close the whole way.

Ravens -3.5 - Trevor’s ankle pain catches up to him vs. Baltimore’s front seven.

Cardinals +13.5 - The stinker bet of the week that usually pays off.

Seahawks +3.5 - Team with more desperation at home should be inspired to get one.

Lock of the Week

(promo for lock of the week link)

Bills -2.5 - Buffalo this time of year gets tougher the closer we get to January. Good spot for the Bills to slow down Dak.