Week 15 NFL Picks: Vikings Take on a High-Flying Cowboys Offense
There’s what I’ve been looking for all season.
Week 14 was very kind to my picks with a 9-5 record over the weekend. We’re now down to the final four weeks though, so I’ll need to keep that momentum going in order to get to .500 by the end of the year. Before we get into the Week 15 NFL picks, here is a look back at how I did in Week 14:
- Cowboys +3 (L)
- Seahawks -7 (W)
- Bills -5.5 (W)
- Browns -4.5 (L)
- Vikings -2.5 (W)
- Dolphins -2.5 (W)
- Buccaneers -8.5 (L)
- Jaguars +1.5 (W)
- Ravens -6 (L)
- Raiders +7.5 (W)
- Bears +6.5 (L)
- Rams -7.5 (W)
- Texans +3.5 (W)
- Chargers +3 (W)
Season Record: 95-110-1
Week 15 NFL Picks
Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Spread: Buccaneers -4.5
- O/U: 44.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Buccaneers -4.5
The Buccaneers are coming off a pretty embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, but they are starting to get healthy again on the offensive side of the ball. They simply cannot lose back-to-back games against subpar divisional opponents, particularly now that the Carolina Panthers are on their heels. Tampa Bay wins big at home.
Cleveland Browns vs. Chicago Bears
- Spread: Bears -7.5
- O/U: 38.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Browns +7.5
Cleveland’s defense did not look good against the Tennessee Titans last weekend, but I’m not ready to overreact to that. The Bears should absolutely win this game, but they had a setback last weekend against the Packers. The Browns will keep this one close in a low-scoring game.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals
- Spread: Ravens -2.5
- O/U: 52.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Bengals +2.5
I’ll be h0nest, I’m rooting for chaos in the AFC North. The Bengals still have a slim chance at making the playoffs this season, and a win over the Ravens would go a long way. Lamar Jackson has not looked like the MVP version of himself since coming back from injury, and their defense has left a lot to be desired this season. Cincinnati gets an upset win at home.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
- Spread: Chiefs -5.5
- O/U: 41.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Chargers +5.5
I’ve been wishy-washy on the Chiefs all season, but I think I’m just accepting that they are not the usual Chiefs that we’ve come to know this decade. The bounces have not been going their way this season, and they are coming up on the wrong end of games that they typically would have won in years past. The Chargers would further solidify their spot in the playoffs with a win, and they get the job done in Arrowhead.
Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots
- Spread: Bills -1.5
- O/U: 50.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Bills -1.5
Josh Allen did not play like his usual self the last time these two teams met, but he’s been putting on that Superman cape for the Bills lately. This game will end differently because Allen plays like an MVP.
Washington Commanders vs. New York Giants
- Spread: Giants -2.5
- O/U: 47.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Giants -2.5
Jayden Daniels is back on the shelf because of an injury this week, and the Commanders got absolutely torched on defense by the Vikings last week. The Giants will be able to take advantage of both of those situations this week, getting a win at home.
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles
- Spread: Eagles -11.5
- O/U: 38.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Raiders +11.5
The Eagles have had some serious issues on offense lately, and it all seemed to come crashing down on Monday night as Jalen Hurts threw four interceptions. The Raiders could be a great get-right game for them, and I think Philadelphia will get a win here. However, I haven’t seen enough from them to believe they can get a double-digit victory.
New York Jets vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
- Spread: Jaguars -13.5
- O/U: 41.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Jaguars -13.5
The Jaguars are coming into form at the perfect time, and this is a great chance to keep the good times rolling against a bad Jets team. Jacksonville wins big.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Houston Texans
- Spread: Texans -9.5
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Texans -9.5
The Texans have a great defense, and they will put the Cardinals through the ringer this weekend. The Cardinals lost by 28 points to the Rams this weekend, and it’s the third time in their past five games that they’ve lost by 19+ points with all five of those games being losses. I’d expect another double-digit loss here.
Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos
- Spread: Packers -2.5
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Packers -2.5
Both of these teams have looked great this season, but while the Broncos have 11 wins this year, they’ve had some trouble putting teams away. That has been fine against some of the lesser teams in the league, but that could prove to be an issue against a Packers team that has come into its form over the past few weeks. Green Bay pulls off the road win.
Detroit Lions vs. Los Angeles Rams
- Spread: Rams -5.5
- O/U: 55.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Rams -5.5
The Rams can clinch a playoff spot this weekend, and they look like the cream of the crop in the NFC right now with Matthew Stafford playing like the MVP frontrunner. LA has won seven of its past eight games with the only loss being a fluky bad performance from Stafford. I don’t think that happens here against his former team, and the defense will find a way to halt a Lions offense that has been a bit up and down.
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints
- Spread: Panthers -2.5
- O/U: 40.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Panthers -2.5
The Saints might be starting to turn a corner with Tyler Shough at quarterback, but the Panthers are coming off a bye. Alvin Kamara still might sidelined this weekend too, which will make things difficult. Carolina gets the win.
Tennessee Titans vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Spread: 49ers -12.5
- O/U: 44.5 points
Frey’s Pick: 49ers -12.5
This is the second consecutive road game for the Titans, and the 49ers are coming off a bye. That’s the perfect combo for a San Francisco squad that is hungry going into a playoff chase.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Seattle Seahawks
- Spread: Seahawks -13.5
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Seahawks -13.5
Can a 44-year-old Philip Rivers pull off a miracle against an elite Seattle defense? On the road? I don’t think so. Indianapolis has gone from having their sights set on a Super Bowl run to a nightmare scenario. Seattle gets a big win at home.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys
- Spread: Cowboys -5.5
- O/U: 47.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Vikings +5.5
Vikings fans breathed a sigh of relief as J.J. McCarthy looked much better on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. Kevin O’Connell has definitely simplified some of the passing scheme for the first-year starter, and it seems to be working. The Cowboys might pull out a win late, but the Vikings can keep this close if their defense plays as well as it did last week.
Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- Spread: Steelers -3
- O/U: 42.5 points
Frey’s Pick: Dolphins +3
I’d believe any scenario for this game. Maybe we get a vintage Aaron Rodgers performance against an iffy Miami defense, or perhaps Pittsburgh’s defense falls flat on its face and the Dolphins put up huge numbers on offense. I’m going to ride with the team that’s been hot over the past month and take the Dolphins in an upset.
Editor’s Note: Information from ESPN and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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