NFL Week 15 Preview

Dallas Cowboys @ New Orleans Saints
Spread: Saints, -7.5
o/u: 53.5
The Cowboy Collapse is two games deep, and this year it isn't Tony Romo's fault! At least not yet. Romo has actually played well so far in December. Unfortunately, this week he goes into a hostile Superdome against a Saints team that plays very well against the pass. Even if he still plays well this week, the defense and short-yardage game have been awful this month. I don't see that changing as long as Wade Phillips is in charge.
Pick: Saints 35 - Cowboys 17

Atlanta Falcons @ NY Jets
Spread: Jets, -6
o/u: 40
The Jets look back on track, and need to keep winning to stay alive for the AFC Wild Card. They're in the best possible position this week, as Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are expected to still be out for the Falcons. The Falcons are also heading north from their dome into what is expected to be a freezing cold day of snow. Things really don't look good for the birds.
Pick: Jets 24 - Falcons 10

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills
Spread: Patriots, -7
o/u: 40.5
The Pats may be the favorite in this game, but that doesn't mean a lot when you're 0-5 in away games in North America. They also just barely pulled out a win against the Bills in Week 1. This is a Bills team that has been playing hard for their interim-head coach, and you can bet they want to avenge that Week 1 loss. The big question: Who starts dogging it first, Randy Moss or Terrell Owens?
Pick: Bills 20 - Patriots 10

Arizona Cardinals @ Detroit Lions
Spread: Cardinal, -12
o/u: 47
The Cards let me down on Monday night. Seven turnovers is the opposite of how a good team plays in big games. There's no way they play that bad against the terrible Lions pass defense, right? Right?
Pick: Cardinals 35 - Lions 16

Houston Texans @ St Louis Rams
Spread: Texans, -13.5
o/u: 43.5
The last/only time these teams played, Ryan Fitzpatrick(!) led the Rams to a 33-27 victory after being down 21 points. Last week, the Rams lost 47-7, and the Texans won 34-7. Can you guess which of those weeks this game will look most like? At this point the Texans should just trademark the phrase "8-8."
Pick: Texans 31 - 14

Miami Dolphins @ Tennessee Titans
Spread: Titans, -3
o/u: 42.5
For Tennessee to even have a shot at sniffing the playoffs, they need to win this game. I'd love to say the Vince Young Express will be back on track this week, but it doesn't look like it will be. VY practiced this week, but he's still slowed by a bad leg. If he doesn't play, all Kerry Collins will do is slow down the offense. The Dolphins have won two straight against the Patriots and Jaguars. This should be a good win for them.
Pick: Dolphins 24 - Titans 20

Cleveland Browns @ Kansas City Chiefs
Spread: Chiefs, -2
o/u: 37
What can be said about this game? No, really, its two bad teams, what can you say? Of course, a lot of people made fun of the Browns-Lions game in the week leading up to that game, and look how that turned out. Yeah, the Browns lost.
Pick: Chiefs 20 - Browns 14

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Spread: Eagles, -8.5
o/u: 42.5
The 49ers defense has been so inconsistent that after last week's seven turnover pounding of the Cardinals, they might not even make the trip to Philly this week. Somehow, they're still alive in the playoff hunt, though. If they lose and the Cards win, the '9ers are out of the division title hunt. I just don't see their defense holding up. The Eagles should be able to throw all over the field on them, scoring from any part of the field. Of course, I felt the same way about the Cardinals last week, too.
Pick: Eagles 38 - 49ers 20

Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens
Spread: Ravens, -11
o/u: 37
The Ravens may not be as good as they were last year, but the Bears look as bad as they ever have. Their defense is terrible, and Jay Cutler is, well, Jay Cutler. The Ravens currently hold the last AFC Wild Card spot now that Jacksonville lost on Thursday night, and they need to win to keep it. If the Jets and Dolphins both lose at 1, the Ravens will still need to win to stay ahead of the Jaguars. Being a Jets fan, I'd love to see the Ravens lose, but they won't. Not to the Bears, anyway.
Pick: Ravens 24 - Bears 7

Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos
Spread: Broncos, -14
o/u: 37
The big decision of the week belongs to the Raiders this week. With Bruce Gradkowski out, possibly for the season, who do they start? Here are their options: Draft bust Charlie Fry, possible Draft bust JaMarcus Russell, or UFL Champion JP Losman. The answer: It doesn't matter, Denver wins.
Pick: Broncos 21 - Raiders 10

Cincinnati Bengals @ San Diego Chargers
Spread: Chargers, -6
o/u: 43.5
This might be the single biggest game of the weekend, as the winner clinches a playoff spot. Neither team will be able to relax, since the loser needs help to get in, and the teams they need to lose(Baltimore and Denver) will be playing at the same time. The Chargers look like a slightly better team right now, and they usually play strong down the stretch. However, I'm sure the Bengals want to win this one for Chris Henry. A lot of emotion is going to go into this game, and it might be the best game of the weekend. The last time the Bengals wanted a win in someones memory, they got it. They'll get it here, too.
Pick: Bengals 31 - Chargers 24

Green Bay Packers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Spread: Steelers, -2
o/u: 40.5
If the Steelers lose this game, it will be their worst losing streak since the '40s. Well gather the kids around the tv, because they're about to see history. The Packers defense looked great to start the season, terrible in the middle, and now looks great again. Cleveland's defense held the Steelers to 6 points last week. Cleveland's! The Packer's D will be all over Roethlisberger this week, and if Aaron Rodgers can stay upright, the Pack should take this one.
Pick: Packers 24 - Steelers 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Seattle Seahawks
Spread: Seahawks, -6.5
o/u: 39
Tampa has been the league's whipping boy this season, giving wins to teams that needed one to help morale. Except Green Bay. Losing 34-7 to Houston last week, and with a 5-8 overall record, Seattle needs a win. Good for them then that most of the team will be healthy for this game.
Pick: Seahawks 31 - Buccaneers 10

Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers
Spread: Vikings, -9
o/u: 42.5
At this point I have to wonder if listing Jake Delhomme on the injury report and playing Matt Moore is just a nice way of saying Delhomme is done in Carolina. Moore is decent, and better than Delhomme right now, but the situation he's in is not a good one. The team doesn't have much of a defense to help him out, and he can't win games on his own once the score gets away from them. With Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson on the other side, the score will get away from them.
Pick: Vikings 35 - Panthers 17