Week 15 NFL Odds and Best Bets
Our experts like the Bengals to cover in Week 15 against the struggling Buccaneers.
There’s 16 games across the NFL schedule in Week 15 but only 10 are scheduled for the “main slate” of 1 p.m. ET, 4:05 p.m. ET and 4:25 pm ET. Those 10 matchups are also what’s featured in SI Sportsbook’s Perfect 10 contest. With a free entry, eligible participants pick 10 games against the spread for a chance to win $10,000.
Of those 10 games, four feature home underdogs with the Texans, Bears, Jaguars and yes, even Tom Brady and the Buccaneers all spotted points in the comfortable confines of their own stadium.
For the most part the spreads are all relatively small. Eight of the 10 games all have point spreads of 5.5 or less and seven are 3.5 or less. The two games with the biggest spreads just so happen to involve two of the NFL’s best teams with the Chiefs and Eagles. Kansas City is a 13.5-point favorite (biggest spread in Week 15) over the Texans and Philadelphia is laying 8.5 to the Bears in Chicago.
Our team of betting analysts and NFL insiders all selected their best bet from the Perfect 10 slate to help you get a jumpstart when making your picks.
Jimmy Traina: Bengals -3.5
There isn’t much to say about this other than the Buccaneers’ totally non-existent offense won’t be able to keep up with the Bengals, who come into this game on a roll, having won five straight games. Joe Burrow is playing his best football of the season, while Tampa Bay can’t run the ball at all, it can’t protect Tom Brady and Brady can’t move.
Conor Orr: Jaguars +5.5
The Cowboys showed they are excellent, but somewhat fatigued down the stretch, while the Jaguars are as hot as they’ve been since that years-ago trip to the AFC Championship game. I think Jacksonville is obviously inferior but its movable, athletic pieces have a chance of contending with Dallas’ brutal running back tandem. And, Trevor Lawrence is playing next-level football at the moment.
Michael Fabiano: Jets +1.5
The Lions are on quite a hot streak, going 6-0 against the spread in their last six games. That would indicate a 1.5-point line against the Jets looks like a strong play, but I’m not convinced. The Lions are a different team on the road, averaging just 18.4 points per game. Compare that to their league-high home average of 32.1 points. That is a huge difference. I like the Jets to win this game outright, so I’ll take the 1.5 points and go with the Men in Green as a home dog in a huge game for both teams.
Jen Piacenti: Texans +13.5
Am I crazy? Maybe. But the Texans put up quite a fight last week as 17.5-point underdogs to the Cowboys, easily covering the spread with their two-quarterback tandem and strong pass defense. Do I think the Chiefs win? Of course! If the Chiefs get out to a good lead and pull their starters, the Texans could easily grab a back-door cover as the Kansas City defense is allowing the fourth-most passing yards to quarterbacks. The Chiefs have only covered the spread four times this year.
Kyle Wood: Bengals -3.5
I keep waiting on the Buccaneers to show signs of life—anything that resembles a Super Bowl contender or even a .500 team would do. Their demoralizing defeat last week in San Francisco was the last straw. Even though Tampa Bay holds up well enough at home, Cincinnati should romp at Raymond James Stadium. Joe Burrow and the Bengals have won five straight and their injuries at receiver aren’t enough to scare me off them. If Cincinnati breaks 20 points, that should be more than enough to not only win, but cover too.
Matt De Lima: Broncos -1.5
While the Broncos and Russell Wilson have been a hot mess, that struggle doesn’t hold a candle to the new dilemma that the Cardinals find themselves in after losing Kyler Murray for the rest of the season. Denver is 0-5 as a favorite this year, but its covered the spread in each of its last two games. However, this all goes out the window ifWilson does not play (concussion protocol). This game is a pick’em and should be avoided if Brett Rypien plays in Wilson’s absence.
Craig Ellenport: Steelers +2.5
Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks deserves all the credit in the world for taking over a team that was left for dead and keeping it motivated and hungry. Carolina actually has a shot at winning the pathetic NFC South. The Steelers, on the other hand, aren’t going anywhere and need to win their last four games for Mike Tomlin to avoid his first losing season. Even though the Steelers are 5-8 on the season, they are 3-0 thus far against the NFC South. The Panthers, meanwhile, are 0-3 against the AFC North. This game will complete both of those sweeps.
Matt Ehalt: Eagles -8.5
The Bears’ defense is about as imposing as if you rounded up 10 of your friends and decided to audition for an NFL team. They can’t stop anything. The Eagles’ offense is quite good and just dropped 48 points on the Giants. The Bears couldn’t even cover at home against the feeble Packers. This one has the potential be ugly and shouldn’t be all that close with the Eagles running wild.
Bill Enright: Patriots +1.5
Heading into Week 15, the Patriots have the 7-seed in the AFC playoffs and once Bill Belichick catches a whiff of that playoff scent, he’s like a relentless, hungry animal chasing its prey. New England is 4-2-1 against the spread on the road and the Raiders are 3-6 ATS as a favorite. Bank the points but the Patriots won’t need ’em, they’ll win outright.
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