Week 15 NFL Picks: Predictions, Advice for Latest Vegas Spreads, Odds and Props

The Green Bay Packers dug themselves a deep hole this season.

After dropping a 42-24 decision to the Washington Redskins in Week 11, the Packers were 4-6 and apparently on the road to nowhere. Their defense was miserable, and Aaron Rodgers was having a hard time running the Green Bay offense efficiently, in part because running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks were hurt.

But even though the Packers were 4-6, they found a way to turn things around. They have won three games in a row and have pulled above the .500 mark.

The defense has picked it up a bit in victories over Philadelphia, Houston and Seattle, and Rodgers has found his stride.

He is completing 65.1 percent of his passes and has a 32-7 TD-interception ratio. He has a 10-0 TD-interception margin over the last four games.

The Packers are in an excellent position to make it four wins in a row as they get set to play the Chicago Bears this week. The Bears are 3-9, and they are lining up with fourth-string quarterback Matt Barkley at quarterback.

The Packers are 5.5-point road favorites over the Bears, according to OddsShark. That website also reports that 70 percent of the bets made on the game have been on the Packers.

Matchup	Point Spread	Over/Under	Prediction
Los Angeles at Seattle	Seattle -16	39	Seattle; Over
Miami at N.Y. Jets	Miami -2.5	37.5	Miami; Under
Jacksonville at Houston	Houston -6	39	Houston; Over
Tennessee at Kansas City	Kansas City -5	42	Tennessee; Under
Green Bay at Chicago	Green Bay -5.5	40	Green Bay; Over
Indianapolis at Minnesota	Minnesota -4	45	Minnesota; Under
Detroit at N.Y. Giants	N.Y. Giants -4	41	Detroit; Under
Cleveland at Buffalo	Buffalo -10	41	Cleveland; Over
Philadelphia at Baltimore	Baltimore -6	41	Philadelphia; Under
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati	Pittsburgh -3	44	Pittsburgh; Over
New Orleans at Arizona	Arizona -2.5	50.5	Arizona; Over
San Francisco at Atlanta	Atlanta -14	51	Atlanta; Over
Oakland at San Diego	Oakland -3	49.5	Oakland; Under
New England at Denver	New England -3	43.5	New England; Under
Tampa Bay at Dallas	Dallas -7	46.5	Tampa Bay; Over
Carolina at Washington	Washington -6.5	51	Washington; Over

The Packers are 10-2 straight up in their last 12 games against the Bears, and 13 of the last 18 Green Bay-Chicago games have gone under the total, according to OddsShark.

This is not a game where the handicapper should fall into the trap of overthinking. The Packers have gotten hot, Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball well and they tend to assert themselves against the Bears.

We are not worried about Rodgers' calf problem that kept him out of practice Wednesday and is scheduled to do the same Thursday, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport.

The Packers will win this game and cover the spread as they continue their late-season charge.

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati

If the Packers are hot, the Pittsburgh Steelers are hotter.

The Steelers have followed up a four-game losing streak with a four-game winning streak and have moved into first place in the AFC North by a game over the Baltimore Ravens. Those two teams will meet in Week 16 at Pittsburgh in a game that has an excellent chance to decide the division title.

The Steelers are one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league. While they rank seventh in yardage gained, they are explosive with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, Le'Veon Bell at running back and Antonio Brown at wide receiver.

In the Steelers' Week 14 victory at Buffalo, it was Bell's turn to set the tone, and he did not disappoint with 236 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

This week, the Steelers go to Cincinnati to take on the disappointing Bengals, and we expect the winning streak to continue.

The Steelers are three-point favorites over their hated rivals, and they are not about to let up here. Their earlier losing ways means that the Steelers can't afford any let-up, so they should be able to jump on the Bengals, ranked 20th in yards allowed.

The Steelers are 15-5-1 in their last 21 games against the Bengals according to OddsShark, and that trend continues here. 

The Steelers win the game and cover the number.

New England at Denver

The New England Patriots rule the roost in the AFC and can play well no matter what the schedule-maker sets up for them ... with one exception.

That happens to be road games against the Denver Broncos. The combination of head coach Bill Belichick and Tom Brady may be devastating to the rest of the league, but the Patriots are just 1-6 straight up in their last seven games in Denver, according to OddsShark's research.

Last year, the Patriots lost a late-season game in Denver, and that game was crucial when it came to giving the Broncos home-field advantage in the AFC Playoffs. The Pats would eventually lose the AFC title game in the Mile High city.

Those losses are fresh in the minds of the Patriots, who are rated as three-point favorites over the home team.

Even though the Pats have lost tight end Rob Gronkowski, running back LeGarrette Blount has been enjoying a sensational year and wideout Julian Edelman knows how to get open and make tough catches when Brady looks in his direction.

The Broncos don't have the firepower needed with Trevor Siemian at quarterback. He has played above expectations, but if he has to trade shots with Brady, it's not going to work.

The Pats overcome playing in their house of horrors and beat the Broncos and cover the small spread.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Prop Bet

As mentioned earlier, the Chicago Bears have had injury problems at the quarterback slot. They lost starter Jay Cutler weeks ago, and backup Brian Hoyer was also injured.

The Bears lost rookie quarterback Connor Shaw to a broken leg in the preseason, and that's what gave Barkley an opportunity to make the roster.

Handicappers have taken note of the Bears' QB issues and have offered a prop bet on who will start at quarterback for the Bears in 2017. 

OddsShark reports that Barkley is plus-150 to line up under center for the Bears in the 2017 season opener, while Cutler is plus-200 and Hoyer is plus-500.

The Bears appear to have come to the end of their run with Cutler, so we will eliminate him from the running. Barkley has played a bit better than expected, but we are inclined to give the field a try at plus-150. The Bears may end up with Shaw at quarterback or look to make a move in free agency, through a trade or in the draft. 

The 2017 quarterback for the Bears is not on the current roster, so the pick here is the field.