NFL Picks - Week 15

You stay classy, Petrino. Man, what a douchebag.

Weather looks to be a huge factor this weekend as a nasty storm moves toward the Northeast. Lucky for us we made these picks well before looking at a weather forecast, which will force us to defend what could be ridiculous choices.

On Thursday, we did take Houston -1.5 over Denver, so we're up 1 so far this week. Sorry the picks didn't make it in before that game kicked off.


For the rest:

SATURDAY
Cincinnati (-8.5) over SAN FRANCISCO
One look at this line tells you all you need to know about the wretched state of things in Frisco. Bengals should not be giving anyone 8.5 points, but we're going to lay it anyway.
Bengals 30 49ers 13

SUNDAY
Arizona (+3.5) over NEW ORLEANS
Essentially a playoff game for both teams, we'll take the uneven Cardinals over the slightly less unstable Saints, in a field goal game.
Saints 24 Cardinals 21

PITTSBURGH (-4.5) over Jacksonville
A bit of a head scratcher, this line. Steelers coming home after late blowout in New England, and should be able to move the ball on Jax D missing Marcus Stroud in the middle.
Steelers 20 Jaguars 14

Green Bay (-10.5) over ST. LOUIS
Packers are rolling, and won't be denied despite Favre's less than stellar record in domes. If Bulger doesn't play for St. Loo, this one is over by halftime.
Packers 31 Rams 13

TAMPA BAY (-10.5) over Atlanta
Will the Falcons play better and rally around the hatred for departed coach Bobby Pertrino? Maybe, but the team is still short on talent, and the Bucs are coming off an ugly loss last week, so we'll take Tampa.
Buccaneers 27 Falcons 16

MIAMI (+4.5) over Baltimore
This could be the one. If the Fins don't get it now, you can book the 0-16. Ravens are a nasty mess prone to peaks and valleys - after bigtrime letdown last week they just might put together a solid effort.
Ravens 20 Dolphins 17

NEW ENGLAND (-24.5) over NY Jets
See lead paragraph. Pats have not been able to cover when laying 20+ thus far, and the weather could prevent that from happening here. Since I have to defend the pick, I'll go with a low scoring blowout.
Patriots 28 Jets 3

CLEVELAND (-5.5) over Buffalo
Browns can taste the playoffs now, and a win here pretty much cinches it. Despite their penchant for playing tight games, we like the Brownies to pull away at home and continue the unlikely playoff run.
Browns 28 Bills 20

KANSAS CITY (+3.5) over Tennessee
Two teams which have been frustrating bets most of the year. In cases like this, we'll take the home underdog, even when they have an offense which struggles to score more than 13 points each week. We can no longer pick the Titans, given our inability to correctly predict what they will do from week to week.
Titans 20 Chiefs 17

Seattle (-7.5) over CAROLINA
Seahawks have quietly got themselves to 9-4 and are in prime position to grab a 3-4 seed in the NFC. how the heck did that happen? Panthers simply playing out the string, and aren't being very competitive while doing so.
Seahawks 31 Panthers 7

Indianapolis (-10.5) over OAKLAND
Colts must be loving the lack of attention they're seeing as the whole world focuses on the unbeaten Pats. Dungy's boys quietly and efficiently get win #12 and solidify hold on #2 seed here.
Colts 34 Raiders 14

SAN DIEGO (-11.5) over Detroit
Still not fully sold on Norv's guys, but Lions stink on the road and are coming off blowing big lead at home versus Cowboys last week. Not a good combo.
Chargers 30 Lions 10

DALLAS (-10.5) over Philadelphia
Cowboys are rolling, especially at home, and should be able to bottle up McNabb and the Eagles.
Cowboys 37 Eagles 24

Washington (+4.5) over NY GIANTS
Skins need this one to stay in the hunt, and always manage to keep things close against Giants.
Giants 20 Redskins 17

MONDAY
MINNESOTA (-9.5) over Chicago
Kyle Orton starts at QB for the Bears. 'Nuff said.
Vikings 30 Bears 10

BEST BETS: Seahawks, Chargers, Vikings

Last week: 7-9
Season Total: 111-97

Best Bets
Last week: 3-0
Season Total: 21-15