The Chargers and Chiefs kicked off Week 15 with an unforgettable game on Thursday, and now we turn our attention to the weekend. On Sunday, we get the Cowboys facing the Colts in Indianapolis, the Patriots heading to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers and plenty more action.
We’ll take you game by game to reveal how our experts picked the lines earlier in the week while also sharing our thoughts on survivor pool picks for Week 15 and showing you all the great places you can find NFL picks talk throughout the week. Let’s get to it.
What NFL picks can you make with confidence in Week 15? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which NFL teams are winning more than 50 percent of simulations, all from the model that has beaten 98 percent of experts over the past two years, and find out.
Dolphins at Vikings
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access or fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Vikings -8
- Current: Vikings -7.5
“Couple of factors go into this pick, including Ye Olde Dead Cat Bounce. I’ve been preaching about it all season, but teams who fire their coordinators or fire their coach tend to give you a little boost in value in the following week. For the Vikings, it’s a perfect situation. They’re coming off an embarrassing primetime loss on the road to a really good team (Seahawks) in a game that was much closer than the final score indicated because of some questionable shenanigans from the officials. They’re headed home to play a substantially worse team (Dolphins) coming off their Super Bowl, with the wild Miami Miracle inspiring its own viral T-shirt and even a freaking hoodie. The Dolphins defense ranks 24th in DVOA and they have a below-average run defense. Expect plenty of Dalvin Cook as Mike Zimmer exerts his will on the playcalling a bit here. Minnesota is 4-1 against the spread after a loss this year and 3-2-1 as a home team this season — their two losses qualify as a random fluke lookahead (Buffalo) and a game they should have won (New Orleans).” — Will Brinson on why the Vikings are one of his best bets
Brinson is coming off a 5-0 week with his best bets, so now might be the perfect time to tail him. You can get all five of his best bets in his Friday column.
Raiders at Bengals
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access or fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Bengals -3.5
- Current: Bengals -3
Will Brinson: “This is the hardest game of the week I think to look at. Oakland +3 at Cincinnati.”
R.J. White: “Not me. Jeff Driskel shouldn’t be laying three to anyone. Oakland’s not playing that bad. Oakland’s last four: they beat Arizona, not a good team, but still, that’s a win; they were within three in the fourth quarter at Baltimore and versus Kansas City, two really good teams; and then they beat Pittsburgh. … [Jon] Gruden isn’t going away. This team is playing hard for him. With bad teams, the thing you have to consider is who’s gonna give up, who’s updating their resume, who’s looking for new jobs. That’s not the case in Oakland.”
Pete Prisco: “Look, I ‘m not loving the Bengals here. The Raiders are playing better, but look, it’s just two bad teams. I mean, the Raiders are 12-29 in their last 41 games in December on the road, so I don’t know. I wouldn’t take either one of them, don’t love them, but I would lean more toward the Bengals.”
That’s from the Friday edition of the Pick Six Podcast, hosted by Will Brinson five days a week. You can check it out below and get our thoughts on the entire NFL slate. Remember to click the button to subscribe!
Buccaneers at Ravens
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Ravens -7.5
- Current: Ravens -7.5
“The Bucs have looked good lately, but their last three have come at home. On the road, they’ve given up 34-48 points in every game despite only facing two teams with winning records. The Ravens have allowed 17 points per game at home, with their worst showings consisting of giving up 24 to the Saints and 23 to the Steelers. The Ravens should run all over the Bucs’ 30th-ranked DVOA rush defense, and the defense is one of the best in the league, capable of keeping the back door closed.” — R.J. White on his SuperContest picks
I’ve cashed twice in the last three years in the Las Vegas SuperContest, the biggest NFL picks competition in the world. I’ve posted three 4-1 weeks in the last four as I try to go on a run and cash again. Head over to SportsLine to get all five of my contest picks, and use promo code WHITE to get your first month of access for just $1.
Cowboys at Colts
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Colts -3
- Current: Colts -3
Before you bet this game, listen to what Cowboys expert Emory Hunt has to say. Hunt — a former college running back who founded the Football Gameplan analysis site — has an uncanny feel for the Cowboys. He’s nailed five straight spread picks for or against Dallas, 10 of 13 dating back to last season. In Week 13, with Dallas getting 7.5 points at home vs. the high-flying Saints, Hunt told his followers to back the Cowboys without hesitation. He said Dallas’ athletic defense would give New Orleans fits. The result? Cowboys 13, Saints 10 — an outright upset!
Now Hunt has made his pick for this matchup between two potential contenders over at SportsLine, and you can check out which side he’s taking to keep the streak going by clicking here.
Lions at Bills
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Pick ’em
- Current: Bills -2.5
“Buffalo is playing hard, and the Bills’ defense ranks highly in a lot of categories. Detroit is very erratic. The Lions are a dome team going into Buffalo this time of year — that’s never a good thing.” — Hammerin’ Hank Goldberg on his best bets
Renowned NFL handicapper Hammerin’ Hank Goldberg nailed all of his best bets in Week 14, breezing to easy cashes with the Giants (-3.5) and Seahawks (-3) and also getting to the window with the Cowboys (-3.5). Anyone who parlayed those was rewarded with a 6-1 payout. For Week 15, Hammer comes in on an 8-2 run. And he’s getting down hard on three NFL picks, which you can check out over at SportsLine.
Packers at Bears
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Bears -5
- Current: Bears -5.5
Aaron Rodgers is out to make Mike McCarthy look like he was the thing holding back the Green Bay offense, and this is a team he loves to carve up. I know the Bears defense is no joke, but sometimes the recent history does matter. The Bears are coming off a huge statement game and perhaps ripe for a letdown. Green Bay will be disciplined and stick with the run game and I see this being decided by a field goal, either way. The Bears cannot play from behind and will be very restrained in what they ask Mitchell Trubisky to do outside of the 15-play script.” — Jason La Canfora on why the Packers are among his best bets
La Canfora went 3 for 3 pretty easily with his best bets last week, and he has three more teams as he looks to keep it rolling. You can see who else he’s taking in his Friday column.
Titans at Giants
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access or fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Giants -2.5
- Current: Titans -1
“The Titans have not been a good team on the road. The Giants have won four of five. Both teams have playoff hopes still alive. Even if Odell Beckham Jr. is out, I think the Giants are the right side. Look for a big game from Saquon Barkley. Marcus Mariota will struggle in this one and Derrick Henry won’t bail him out.” — Pete Prisco on why the Giants are one of his best bets
Prisco nailed the Thursday night game this week, meaning he’s already 1-0 with his best bets in Week 15. See who else he likes in his Friday colulmn.
Redskins at Jaguars
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access or fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Jaguars -7.5
- Current: Jaguars -7.5
“If you love high-level quarterback play, this game is not for you. Now that we think about it, we have no idea who this game is for. Two truly terrible teams though for different reasons; the Redskins have been decimated by injuries while the Jaguars are reportedly victims of infighting (and not having an NFL quarterback on the roster hasn’t helped either). Masochism aside, there is no reason to watch this game.” — Ryan Wilson, who’s calling for a 9-6 final in this game
Which side is Wilson taking? You can find all his picks and final score predictions in his Wednesday column.
Cardinals at Falcons
- Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Falcons -9
- Current: Falcons -10
We’re getting down to the wire in survivor pools, and most people who are still alive will probably find themselves picking between two ugly teams who are laying at least seven points in the Jaguars and Falcons. Rather than go with a good team last week, I threw out the Lions in Arizona as my survivor suggestion, and they covered easily. I’m going back to the well again and fading the Cardinals by taking the Falcons. While I certainly wouldn’t lay the large number with Atlanta, I have to think they’ll win this game against an atrocious Arizona offense, and I wouldn’t bet the same on an awful Jacksonville offense, even playing at home against Josh Johnson. The Falcons are your safest play of the week, unless you still have the Ravens as an option. I also don’t hate rolling with the Bills against a bad, banged-up Lions team coming off a win, if you don’t have any other easy options.
But that’s just my opinion. If you head over the SportsLine, you can get Mike Tierney’s survivor pool thoughts for Week 15. Tierney is 129-77 picking every game straight up this year, so you’ll want to hear what he has to say.
Seahawks at 49ers
- Time: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Seahawks -5.5
- Current: Seahawks -3.5
“The Seahawks can clinch a playoff berth if they win, which means there’s a 100 percent chance I’m going to pick the Seahawks in this game, and I won’t be surprised if things gets ugly. For one, I’m pretty sure everyone in Seattle’s locker room is still slightly bitter about the fact that Richard Sherman called the Seahawks a ‘middle of the road team.’ If the Seahawks are a middle of the road team, then I’m not sure what that makes the 49ers. Not only did they lose to the Seahawks 43-16 back in Week 13, but they’ve also lost nine straight games to the Seahawks dating back to the beginning of the 2014 season. This definitely has all the makings of a trap game, but with Sherman’s quote and the 49ers upsetting the Broncos on Sunday, I don’t think the Seahawks will be overlooking anyone.” — John Breech, who’s 13-0 straight up picking Seahawks games this year
Who else is Breech picking this week? You can find all his picks in his Tuesday column.
Patriots at Steelers
- Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on CBS All Access or fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Patriots -2.5
- Current: Patriots -2.5
“Normally, this is a spot where I’d loove to take the home underdog. But I can’t! Patriots moneyline is my play here. Coaching mismatch too severe. Tom Brady goes for 300 yards and three touchdowns. By Monday morning, the Ravens will be in first place in the AFC North — and the Steelers will be on the outside looking in of playoffs.” — Nick Kostos on why the Patriots are one of his best bets
Kostos is joined by a cavalcade of NFL betting experts each Sunday at noon ET for SportsLine’s NFL preview, where the team goes through the NFL slate each week and shares what you have to know before placing your bets. Be sure to join them at noon ET on Sunday over at CBS Sports HQ, your 24/7 home for news, analysis, Fantasy and gambling insight, and more.
Eagles at Rams
- Time: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fuboTV (Try for free)
- Open: Rams -8.5
- Current: Rams -13
“The Rams haven’t been great at covering this season, evidenced by their 5-7-1 record against the spread. But I think they’ll beat up on the Eagles for a couple of reasons. One, after getting taken apart and humbled by the Bears, I think we’ll see Sean McVay respond with a masterpiece against an Eagles defense that ranks 23rd by DVOA. Two, there’s the Carson Wentz injury, which could force him to sit out the game. Even if Wentz plays, the Eagles look like a team that’s on the cusp of spiraling away into the abyss. For three quarters against the Cowboys, the Eagles got utterly dismantled, but were lucky to be in the game due to a number of Dallas mistakes. A team like the Rams won’t let the Eagles hang around like that. And Nick Foles won’t be able to keep pace with Jared Goff and Todd Gurley.” — Sean Wagner-McGough on why the Rams are one of his best bets
Wagner-McGough is 41-29-1 after nailing the Over in the Thursday game, and you can see who else he loves this week in his Thursday column.
Saints at Panthers
- Time: Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Open: Saints -6.5
- Current: Saints -6.5
I’ve been on a roll over the last few weeks over at SportsLine, going 38-14-1 against the spread in my last 53 picks. That 73 percent clip is good for a +2244 payout for $100 bettors. Can I keep it going?
I’ve hit on five straight picks in games involving Carolina, including fading the Panthers (-3) in Week 13 when they lost outright at Tampa Bay, 24-17. While they haven’t been at their best in recent weeks, neither have the Saints, who sleepwalked through six quarters over the last two weeks before finally putting away those same Bucs. Which side of the line wins out for me? You can check it out by clicking here.
Thanks for checking us out, and good luck with your picks in Week 15!