As the college football regular season winds down, the football focus shifts to the NFL week 15 odds as we get set for the homestretch.
Week 15 has a number of big games with playoff implications and we’ll start our weekly picks with the showdown in the NFC North. Can the Chicago Bears continue their mini hot streak or will the Green Bay Packers beat them for a second time this season?
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers
Date: Sunday, December 15th
The Bears and Packers will clash in an NFC North matchup that might look like a mismatch.
The Packers are among the top teams in the NFC with a record of 10-3 while the Bears have been mostly mediocre this season. However, we might see a much tighter matchup than expected – at least tighter than the NFL week 15 odds.
The Bears have quietly won three in a row and quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has regained his confidence. He’s completed well over 70% of his passes the last two weeks.
I’m not suggesting that he’s all of a sudden a Pro Bowler but he’s been competent. This week, he’ll be going up against a Packers defense that is just OK. They’re good at getting to the quarterback but they’re terrible at stopping the run.
They’re 25th overall and only four teams allow more in the yards-per-carry category. They’ve allowed at least 121 rushing yards in seven straight, which includes some fairly bad rushing teams like the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers, who average amongst the fewest rushing yards per game.
If the Bears are able to run here, they’ll keep this close.
Also, keep in mind Aaron Rodgers has been held under 200 yards passing in three of his last five games.
Add it all up and I’m expecting a Packers win here but by less than five points in this week 15 NFL game.
Pick: Bears +5
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Jacksonville Jaguars at Oakland Raiders
Odds: Raiders -5.5 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Date: Sunday, December 15th
The Oakland Raiders have lost three in a row and all of the losses have been ugly. They’ve allowed at least 34 points in each game, losing by a combined score of 116-33. At the same time, this is not a team that’s quit.
The loss to the Jets was bad but losing to the Kansas City Chiefs or the red-hot Tennessee Titans is nothing to be ashamed of. And the Raiders are trying. They’re fighting for their head coach, which is much more than can be said for their opponent this week.
The Jaguars have all but packed it in as they haven’t looked competitive in over a month. Whether it’s Nick Foles or Gardner Minshew II under center, this team is getting flattened each and every week.
They’ve lost five in a row by a combined score of 174-57. In the last two weeks they’ve been blown out at home to sub .500 teams. Even the Chargers backups moved the ball up and down the field on the last Sunday.
Given that they’re pulse-less, I have a tough time seeing them put up a fight in this game. Meanwhile, Oakland is 5-2 at home and should care about this game. Login into your favorite NJ online sports betting site and give the points with the Raiders.
Pick: Raiders -5.5
Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys
NFL Week 15 Odds: Cowboys -1 at DraftKings Sportsbook
Date: Sunday, December 15th
The Cowboys are a complete mess as they’ve lost three in a row and seven of 10. At this point, I’m not laying points with them in any situation, especially this week 15 NFL matchup. They actually opened -3 but are already down to -1 or a PICK in some places.
The bottom line is this team also looks like they’re playing out the string. Sure, the offense is still competent at times but they go long stretches where you wonder why it’s not working.
They could move the ball against the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving and were embarrassed by the Chicago Bears last Thursday.
The Rams look like they’ve come back to life with back-to-back blowout wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. Jared Goff and the offense have seemingly regained their form. The Cowboys offense made Trubisky look like an All-Pro last week, so Goff should be in line for a good day.
These are just two teams trending in opposite directions and I can’t lay points with Dallas against anyone right now.
Pick: Rams +1
Other Things To Watch This Week
Army vs No. 23 Navy – As per usual, the last regular-season game of the college football season will be the Army-Navy game. Navy is the better team on paper as they’re 9-2 and ranked in the Top 25. Army started the year with wins in three of their first four games but went 2-6 the rest of the way. Navy finds itself as a 10-point favorite in this contest.
No. 10 Oregon at No. 5 Michigan – It’s a big Saturday for college basketball as we’ll see three Top 25 matchups. That includes No. 13 Memphis at No. 16 Tennessee, No. 6 Gonzaga at No. 15 Arizona and Oregon at Michigan. Michigan is coming off a loss to No. 1 Louisville, so this is an important game for them to prove they deserve the high ranking they’ve been given.
New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors – The Knicks are currently riding a nine-game losing streak and it will probably be ten by the time Wednesday rolls around. The Knicks are in Portland on Tuesday. The Knicks could have a good chance of finding that elusive win in Golden State, though, as the Warriors have just five wins on the year.
See you same time next week when we start off the week with our Best Bets Of The Week!
