Week 14 of the NFL season was full of unpredictability. The Rams beat the Bills, the Jaguars upset the Titans, and Panthers kept things close with the Eagles. Week 15 has some unreal matchups with juggernauts facing off. Here are my picks for an electric week of NFL football.
Both of these teams are coming off much-needed wins in week 14. The 49ers decimated the Bears with Isaac Guerendo and Jauan Jennings each tallying two touchdowns. The Rams pulled off the shock of the week with a shootout win over the Bills.
Matt Stafford looked like his old self, while Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp combined for over 250 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This is a division matchup between two wildly inconsistent teams and two evenly matched-quarterbacks. The 49ers are the favorites in this one, but they’ve struggled against true contenders in recent weeks. LA wins this split matchup.
Winner: Rams
Lock of the week alert right here. MVP contender Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are heading to MetLife to face a burning Giants team. Baltimore is coming off a well-timed bye week following a close loss to the Eagles.
The Giants are on an eight-game losing streak and haven’t seen a passing touchdown since week nine. The Giants’ defense may find a way to make this interesting, but the offense can’t keep up with Lamar. This might as well be a second bye week for Baltimore.
Winner: Ravens
The Panthers are a better team than they should be, especially given their terrible start to the year. Carolina fell to the Eagles in week 14, but they kept things unbearably close. Their last three losses were all decided by six points or less, all against playoff contenders.
The Cowboys lost to the Bengals on Monday night, but they didn’t have the means to keep up with Joe Burrow. This is a much easier matchup for them, even if their season is effectively over. Dallas isn’t great right now, but they’re the better team in this one.
Winner: Cowboys
The Browns were brought back to earth against the Steelers in week 14. Jameis Winston threw two touchdowns and two interceptions, and he was sacked three times. The Chiefs, on the other hand, continue to be the most frustrating team in football.
Kansas City pulled off a 19-17 win over the Chargers thanks to yet another walk-off field goal. The Chiefs win games through controversy, luck, or their opponents’ mistakes. Luckily for them, they’re playing a mistake-prone team. KC wins this one, but it might be another nail-biter.
Winner: Chiefs
The Houston Texans are coming off a desperately needed bye week. CJ Stroud is fighting for his life behind the offensive line and the playcalling is miserable. The Dolphins are a much different team here. Tua looks comfortable again, Tyreek Hill is finding the endzone, and the entire offense is humming.
The Dolphins have had trouble with consistency this season. For every 32-point OT thriller, they also have a 17-point loss. The Texans still have a tremendous defense, and the bye week will do wonders for Stroud. Houston wins a close game at home.
Winner: Texans
The Jets are a bad NFL team, but they occasionally play above expectations. In week 14, Aaron Rodgers threw for over 300 yards for the first time in two years and the Jets’ offense wasn’t miserable. Their problem is sealing games, with their last three losses each coming within six points.
Luckily for the Jets, the Jaguars are an even worse team. The Jags pulled off a 10-6 victory over the Titans in an extremely hard-to-watch game. The Jets don’t always play well, and it won’t be pretty, but there’s no way Mac Jones and the Jags can keep up with New York.
Winner: Jets
The Saints barely beat a disappointing Giants team in week 14. Derek Carr was injured late in the game and a last-second field goal block saved NOLA from a potential loss. The Commanders are coming back from their bye week after blowing out the Titans the week prior.
Jayden Daniels is still a contender for NFL offensive rookie of the year, and Washington is still a playoff-caliber team. This could be a close game, but the Commanders are too hot to lose this one.
Winner: Commanders
The Titans looked worse than ever in a week 14 loss to Mac Jones and the Jaguars. Tennessee’s offense failed to find the endzone and only managed six points thanks to Nick Folk. Now they’re facing off with one of the strongest offenses in the NFL.
The Bengals are a losing football team, but they’ve scored over 30 points in three of their last five games. They’re coming off a strong win over the Cowboys in week 14, and looking to build momentum for a playoff push. It’s not too late for Cincy, and their schedule gives them a fair shot.
Winner: Bengals
The most anticipated game of the season takes place in a potential Super Bowl preview. The Lions are on an 11-game winning streak and just can’t seem to lose, while the Bills have NFL MVP front-runner Josh Allen seemingly setting records on a weekly basis. Admittedly, the momentum favors Detroit after the Bills lost to the Rams in week 14.
The Lions are an amazing football team, they’re dominant in all phases of the game and Dan Campbell should easily be coach of the year in 2024. The difference maker in this game is Josh Allen. Allen has been nearly perfect all season long and no matter who he faces, he finds a way to ball out. This is an impossible game to predict, but it’s hard not to roll with the best player in the NFL.
Winner: Bills
This is another highly anticipated matchup in a Pennsylvania battle. The Eagles are a dominant team. Philly’s offense is top-tier behind Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley. The Steelers are the other side of the coin with arguably the best defense in the NFL.
It would be easy to call the Eagles the winner here, if not for a close call against the 3-10 Panthers. Week 14 proved that the Eagles aren’t bulletproof. The Steelers aren’t either, but they have the defensive tools to shut Philly down. The underdogs walk away from this with a surprise win.
Winner: Steelers
The Patriots are yet another team coming off a bye week after a disappointing loss to the Colts. The Cardinals just lost to the Seahawks at home, and their playoff hopes are dimming fast. The Pats are still facing major issues despite Drake Maye’s obvious talent. New England is already looking forward to 2025, and they’re just playing spoiler at this point.
The Cards looked rough in their loss to Seattle last week. Kyler Murray is unbelievably inconsistent against strong opponents, but he still plays well against bad teams. The Patriots will make this interesting as usual, but Arizona has a great chance to bounce back into playoff contention here.
Winner: Cardinals
The Colts are a team very similar to the Patriots in some ways. They have a young quarterback showing promise without a complete team around him. Anthony Richardson struggled early in the season, but he seems to be on the right track now, even if it’s a slow climb.
The Broncos are the complete opposite of Indy. Bo Nix is a certified stud, the defense is among the best in the NFL, and the offense is only growing around the rookie. The Colts are fun to watch, but Denver’s defense will have a field day with AR5 this week.
Winner: Broncos
The Buccaneers are now the leaders of the NFC South, and with the Falcons deep in a slump, Tampa Bay is running away with it. The Chargers just officially dropped the AFC West to the Chiefs last week in a 19-17 loss.
If Justin Herbert finds his fire again, this could be a terrific game between two quiet playoff contenders. The Chargers just haven’t been able to get over the hump. They haven’t scored more than 25 points since week 11, while the Bucs’ offense hasn’t dropped below 20 points since week three. Tampa Bay has more firepower in this one.
Winner: Buccaneers
The Packers are a terrific NFL team that is flying under the radar right now. They nearly took down the Lions in week 14 if not for a walk-off Jake Bates field goal. The Seahawks are another talented team, but they’re playing in a much weaker division. They left Arizona with the W, but they only managed six points in the second half.
This game looks even on paper, but the Packers are the stronger team. Jordan Love is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC, and they can compete with anybody in the league. The Seahawks are a fun team, but they don’t have enough to win this one.
Winner: Packers
The Chicago Bears fired Matt Eberflus and went into week 14 hoping to turn their fortunes around against a battered 49ers team. They were instead picked apart by the Niners in a 38-13 loss. Chicago is in a perpetual rebuild, and this is no different now that they’re changing up their entire system again.
The Vikings entered this season expecting to rebuild. Now they’re 11-2 and Sam Darnold just threw for five touchdowns in a 42-21 victory over the Falcons. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison have become a terrifying duo with Darnold at the helm. The Vikings are true playoff contenders, and this game should be fairly one-sided.
Winner: Vikings
The Falcons have been miserable over the past four weeks. Kirk Cousins continues to turn the ball over and their playoff hopes are fading fast. Their remaining schedule is fairly easy though, and the Raiders are a perfect opponent for them.
The Raiders are on a nine-game losing streak. Aidan O’Connell was injured in week 14, and is questionable to play on Monday night. Nothing about this team looks competitive at this point in the season. If there’s ever a chance for Kirk Cousins to pop off, this is it.
Winner: Falcons
Week 15 has the potential to be the most exciting slate of the season. These games have certainly been the hardest to predict so far, and it’ll be interesting to see how the playoff picture comes together.
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