It’s time to make my 2011 NFL week 15 predictions and picks. Week 15 kicks off on Thursday night with a decent matchup on the schedule. Jacksonville, fresh off the Maurice Jones-Drew show, will head to Atlanta to face the Falcons. Just a note-this game will only be seen on the NFL Network. So if you don’t have it at home you might have to find a local spot to watch the game. What are my predictions for this game?
I went against the Falcons last week and Cam Newton almost proved me right. I don’t think that will be the case this week. Jacksonville will struggle against the Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta gets 2 touchdowns from Matt Ryan in a 27-16 win at home on Thursday.
The week 15 NFL schedule also has a rare Saturday contest(although it is not so rare this late in the season). It’s another NFL Network game as Dallas heads to Tampa Bay. The Bucs are reeling so that means the Cowboys will have a great shot at picking up a road win in hopes to continue their playoff hunt.
I look for Dallas to win this one going away 23-17. Tony Romo finds Jason Witten for a big touchdown in the second half as the Cowboys pick up the huge road win.
My NFL week 15 picks continue into the full Sunday slate of games. Carolina is at red hot Houston. The Texans are terrific defensively but the Cam Newton show always seems to provide plenty of points. What happens here in this matchup? I think the Panthers have a good shot to get the upset if they can match point for point. However, as good as the Panthers offense is-I can’t imagine they’ll be able to slow down the Houston running attack. Texans win 34-23.
Washington tries to rebound from a tough loss to New England by hitting the road to face the Giants. I don’t think the Redskins are going to be in the ballpark in this one. The Giants get 3 touchdown passes from Eli Manning in a 31-13 victory.
Miami could have an easy time at struggling Buffalo but it probably won’t be that way. The Dolphins are trying to rebound from their own tough loss and will struggle but pull away late for a 19-16 victory.
Seattle travels to Chicago to face the Bears. This one could be an ugly defensive battle because neither team will be able to score. My 2011 NFL week 15 predictions and picks say that the Bears will defense their way to a 23-14 win.
New Orleans tries to follow up a road win in Nashville with a road win at Minnesota. The Vikings are an interesting bunch and who knows who will really show up. I think the Saints get a huge day from Drew Brees with 3 touchdown passes as New Orleans wins 34-17.
Cincy is on the road in St. Louis for a week 15 battle. The Bengals lost in heartbreaking fashion to Houston last week so they’ll try to pick up a huge road win to regain any lost momentum. Cedric Benson gets in the endzone twice as the Bengals steal a win 23-21.
Tennessee heads to Indianapolis in search of a huge win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Indy would just like to get a win on the board–or would they? The Titans have little problems winning 27-16. Chris Johnson picks up 123 yards and 2 touchdowns at Lucas Oil Stadium in the win.
Green Bay travels to Kansas City to face the Chiefs. What once was a battle of two traditional powers will be anything but this year. The Packers spank the Chiefs 38-14. Aaron Rodgers tosses 4 more touchdown passes in the win.
Detroit plays in Oakland in another Sunday week 15 NFL matchup. The Raiders will be a bit angry after getting blown out in Green Bay. My picks for this one say the Raiders run wild and often in a 33-24 victory.
New England faces Denver at Invesco Field in another matchup for the week 15 schedule. The Patriots will face a tougher defense than they’ve seen in a while but it won’t matter. Pats win 27-16.
The Jets travel to Philadelphia for what could be a huge contest for New York in terms of the playoff hunt. The Eagles have Michael Vick back so that might make things a bit more interesting. I still think the Jets will have enough to pull out a 23-20 overtime win against Vick and the Eagles.
Cleveland heads to Arizona to face the Cardinals. My 2011 NFL week 15 predictions and picks have the Cardinals rolling to a 26-10 win at home. Beanie Wells gets busy with 145 yards and 2 touchdowns.
The Sunday night game features Baltimore at San Diego. The Ravens are going to be in for a tough game against the up and down Chargers. San Diego seems to play better when they desperately need it. I look for the Chargers to pull out a 23-20 win.
The Monday night game features Pittsburgh at San Francisco. This could be one of the best Monday night matchups in recent memory. If you like defense-this might be the game for you. The 49’ers barely squeeze out a 16-13 win over the Steelers.
That’s it for my 2011 NFL week 15 predictions and picks. We’ll be back in week 16 for another round of projections as the playoffs draw closer. Until then, have a wonderful week everyone!!