Weekly NFL Predictions

A 12-4 fourteenth week ran my seasonal record to 140-67-1. Pretty damn solid. Hoping it continues.

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams
Opinion is I think the fifteenth week of the NFL season begins with a mini upset. The Rams are playing pretty damn well these days after starting off very slowly and the Cardinals haven't been as good of late. Although yes, they did just beat Kansas City, that one came at home. On the road with Drew Stanton under center? I see a defensive struggle and one where the Rams prevail.
My Call: Rams 17, Cardinals 14

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons
What a win for the Steelers; going on the road and taking it to the Bengals in the 4th quarter. Now they'll get to take on a Falcons team whose record may stand at a paltry 5-8, but a team that's very much in the thick of the NFC South race. They are tied with the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers lurk just half a game back at 4-8-1. Pittsburgh is one of those teams that seems to play up or down to the level of the competition, so I'm expecting a close game here. Plus Atlanta is desperate and although they may have just lost to Green Bay, could have gained some momentum for this one. After falling behind 31-7 at halftime in Green Bay, the Falcons made the Pack sweat a bit late in a 43-37 defeat. I'm going to say that serves them well here and they find a way.
My Call: Falcons 31, Steelers 28

Washington Redskins at New York Giants
Can looks sometimes be deceiving? Yes, but by the looks of things, it appears as though Washington is ready for this season to be over. Although it's been a pretty awful year for the Giants and it did come against a God awful Tennessee team, they at least showed signs of life in a 38-6 blowout win. If the Redskins are going to show up at least once more this season, my guess is it'll happen in one of their final two games, which are at home against the Eagles and Cowboys. They won't care less about a game with a 4-9 Giants squad. Giants roll here, but Philly and especially Dallas better be careful. The latter was already bitten once by the Redskins this year.
My Call: Giants 37, Redskins 13

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
Revenge for New England here. The Dolphins outscored the Pats 23-0 in an impressive first week victory down in Miami. Things are a little different here though as this one is in Foxboro and the Pats are playing much better now than they were then. Sorry, Miami.
My Call: Patriots 34, Dolphins 20

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
Super Bowl Part II for the Raiders took place in their home victory over the 49ers. Here they get to play the Chiefs, the team they beat at home a couple weeks back for their first victory on the season. Not only can Oakland sweep the season series with a win, but they could pretty much eliminate any hope the Chiefs would have as far as the playoffs are concerned. Given who the opponent is, I'm expecting the best efforts on the part of the Raiders, but with the venue being Arrowhead Stadium this time around, I just don't think KC will allow themselves to get beaten twice by a bad team.
My Call: Chiefs 23, Raiders 13

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
The Texans have one of those teams you wish had even a top 15 NFL QB under center... because that's the only thing holding them back from them being right there with the Colts as the teams to beat in the AFC North. Unfortunately, they're stuck with Ryan Fitzpatrick for the remainder of this season; and it puts them at a distinct disadvantage against an Indy team with a QB like Andrew Luck under center. Defense will certainly show up, but the offense won't have quite enough to make it happen.
My Call: Colts 23, Texans 20

Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens
Fine bounce back performance by Baltimore in Miami after the heartbreaker at home against San Diego the week before. They would appear to be getting a bit of a breather here with a 2-11 Jaguars team coming to town, but this is where a team in search of a playoff berth needs to be careful. Gimme games don't always turn out to be as such as we've found out with Oakland and Jacksonville winning three games of late. I don't see the third win coming for the Jags here though. Sure, they'll try, but the Ravens have been here in big games before and won't screw it up.
My Call: Ravens 27, Jaguars 10

Green Bay Packers at Buffalo Bills
Yes, the Packers did beat the Falcons... but I am trying to figure out what happened to them in the second half? My opinion is it was a combination of them thinking the game was in the bag with a 31-7 lead and a desperate Atlanta team that has a capable offense coming together; making the final score closer than it really should have been. That could pose for somewhat of a dangerous combo here in Buffalo. Green Bay has the better team for sure, but Buffalo needs this game way more. However, like I said last week, I don't think the Bills are ready to win games like these and I also believe Mike McCarthy will use the second half of the Falcon game to his advantage, reminding his team that they can't ever let up. Buffalo gives it a great effort but comes up short.
My Call: Packers 27, Bills 20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
With Cam Newton getting into a car accident, the Panthers will be forced to turn to ex-Cleveland Brown and Arizona Cardinal Derek Anderson under center for this game with the Bucs. That's the bad news. Good news is I think they can win this game without Cam if Anderson limits the mistakes and just lets the Carolina defense to its job. I think he'll do that and it'll be enough to get them by in a game they absolutely have to have.
My Call: Panthers 20, Buccaneers 14

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Been waiting for the Johnny Manziel era to begin in Cleveland? I sorta have; and that's what will be happening as he'll take over under center for incumbent Brian Hoyer, whose poor play over the last few weeks has relegated him to the bench. This is a much needed game for the Bengals, especially coming off the fourth quarter disaster against Pittsburgh at home. They should also have revenge on the mend, as the Browns completely embarrassed them in Cincinnati earlier this season. Either way, I'm sure I'll regret the pick. Gonna take the wussy way out and take the Bengals in a sloppy affair.
My Call: Bengals 16, Browns 14

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans
Dart throw time here. Both of these teams are bad and have little to no motivation going on to win. The Jets are undoubtedly looking ahead to their Week 16 game at home with New England, but the Titans look so bad these days that it may not matter. At least with the Jets, they put forth solid efforts against okay competition in Miami and Minnesota. Tennessee just got thumped by a now 4-9 New York Giants team. I'm gonna take the Jets but am not at all confident.
My Call: Jets 14, Titans 13

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
Tough game for me to pick here. On one hand, Denver has the better team and could be back on the right track after that amazing comeback win over Miami. They've since won two straight in fairly comfortable fashion. On the other, the Chargers are the considerably more desperate of the two teams and are at home. Okay, with a gun to my head, I'll take the Broncos. However, you'll be able to tell in my score prediction that I'm not too confident here, either.
My Call: Broncos 24, Chargers 23

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
More wanted home cooking for Detroit coming up. If this were a road game, I'd consider this game somewhat dangerous, but they should be able to handle the Vikes at home.
My Call: Lions 24, Vikings 17

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
Losing to the Raiders? I'm not that shocked by it given the offensive struggles of the Niners, but it's still a bad loss regardless. Meanwhile, the Seahawks seem to have turned things around at exactly the right time; they just went into the City of Brotherly Love and shut down a usually high flying Eagles offense. I'd expect that to continue this week, but with that in mind, I'm expecting San Francisco's best game/effort here as well. Their playoff hopes are very much on the line and these two teams have no love lost between them. I'm still taking Seattle, but the Niners will make em earn it.
My Call: Seahawks 20, 49ers 13

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Thanksgiving turned into a feast for the Eagles when these two teams played in Arlington. Dallas will be looking for a measure of revenge on the road against a team that will be smarting from a home loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Although my guess is the Cowboys will show up better for this game than they did at home, I don't think Philly will lose two straight home games. Especially not to a team that has major defensive issues. In a high scoring affair, Eagles pull away in the 2nd half.
My Call: Eagles 38, Cowboys 27

New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears
Petition for every game to be played on the road? That may be what the Saints want to do after losing their fourth straight home game; this last one a humiliating 41-10 defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers. Aside from this being a road game, more good news for New Orleans is they'll be facing a Chicago team that will not have Brandon Marshall for the rest of the season; which is a huge blow to a team that already struggles mightily with QB play. Jay Cutler may be one of the highest paid players in the NFL, but he sure doesn't play like it. And he won't begin here.
My Call: Saints 31, Bears 21