Week 15 Picks Against the Spread

So it's week 15 in the NFL season. We now have Saturday afternoon and evening games. I can't believe we are already here; time is flying by way too fast and needs to chill out a bit. Seriously. It is now full on winter, it's cold outside, Hannukah has come and gone, I am pale as a ghost and am miserable. Anyway, back to NFL happenings.

After a 1-4 week 13, week 14 was not a whole lot better and it saw some brutal defeats. The Eagles, even while getting dominated the entire game by the Cowboys (Dallas had over 500 yards of total offense) somehow managed to force overtime (they were able to get 3 turnovers from Dallas). The line was Philly +3.5. Dallas basically used all of the overtime on their drive. It's 3rd and 6. One damn stop and Dallas kicks the field goal, basically securing the Eagles will cover by the extra .5. What happens next? Well Amari Cooper catches a pass that was deflected and should have been batted down completely, and takes it to the end zone. Game over, so long Eagles plus 3.5. Had the win in the bag and then it was gone; just like that.

Not only was that a tough loss, the Kansas City Chiefs were a let down at home. Baltimore played really well but you would think KC should have been able to protect a double digit second half lead against a rookie QB at home but such is life in the NFL. Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't. But that doesn't stop us from trying and with that, I sense a good week this week.

Before getting into this week's picks, as a fan of the New York Giants, it's my obligation to mention that Saquon Barkley is just so fantastic. Anyone who really believes that Sam Darnold, who had a good moment last week too but come on, was the right pick over him at 2 is just wrong. Watching Barkley every week is just delightful and I will rehash this every single time I do this column.

With that said, here are my best week 15 picks against the spread:

1. New England -2 against Pittsburgh: Let's set aside the fact that the Steelers have been playing bad football for a month now. Let's set aside that New England is coming off one of the craziest losses last week against the Dolphins. We won't even take those two things into account. Here's what really matters. The Patriots OWN the Steelers. Tom Brady is 8-2 against the Steelers in the regular season and 3-0 against them in the playoffs. That's good enough for me.
2. Redskins +7 against the Jaguars: I know things are very bad in Washington right now, but why the hell are the Jaguars, who have stunk up the joint this year, favored by a touch down against anyone? A touchdown favorite? Really?!!! Give me the points here and I hope I see absolutely zero footage from this game.
3. Seattle -5 over the 49ers: Seattle is arguably the hottest team in the league right now. The niners are coming off a big upset win against Denver last week but I just don't see them duplicating it again this week. Seattle is 4-0 in their last four road games and have been winning by an average of over 11 points a game during this winning streak. I think they win somewhat easily this week, basically clinching a playoff spot in the process.
4. Giants -2.5 against the Titans: Saquon Barkley is the best offensive player in football that is not a quarterback. The Titans are not a good road team. Odell should be back this week for the Giants who are playing good football to close out the year. I backed them last week, and I am doing it again this week.
5. Miami +7 against the Vikings: Miami has been really bad on the road this year (1-5 so far) but they are 4-1 against the spread in their last 5. Minnesota is 1-7 in their last 8 games against the spread when they play teams with winning records. Now I don't think Miami wins this game but they don't lose by a touch down.

Good luck to all the bettors out there this week.

Last Week: 2-3

Season Record: 38-31-2