NFL Lines Week 15: Nailing Down Guaranteed Winners

The stakes are rising every weekend in the NFL as the playoffs approach, which can make it tricky picking winners. As we see everywhere in nature, there are some teams that fold under pressure, while others thrive, and it's not always obvious how things will play out. 

Thankfully, there are a few easy picks for you to take advantage of in Week 15.

While most of the league's teams are embroiled in hard-fought battles in which an inch could be the difference between winning and losing, a few teams have the luxury of an easy matchup this weekend. 

Here's a look at every game on the schedule, along with picks against the spread. Afterward, keep reading to find out which teams are guaranteed to beat the spread in Week 15.

Away	Home	Spread	Pick ATS
San Diego Chargers	Denver Broncos	DEN -10	Broncos
Buffalo Bills	Jacksonville Jaguars	JAX +2	Jaguars
Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns	CLE -1	Bears
Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts	IND -5.5	Colts
New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	MIA +2	Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings	MIN +4.5	Eagles
Seattle Seahawks	New York Giants	NYG +7	Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB +5	49ers
Washington Redskins	Atlanta Falcons	ATL -7	Falcons
New York Jets	Carolina Panthers	CAR -11	Panthers
Kansas City Chiefs	Oakland Raiders	OAK +4.5	Chiefs
Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys	DAL -7.5	Cowboys
New Orleans Saints	St. Louis Rams	STL +5.5	Saints
Arizona Cardinals	Tennessee Titans	TEN +2.5	Cardinals
Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT +3	Bengals
Baltimore Ravens	Detroit Lions	DET -6	Ravens

Philadelphia at Minnesota (+4.5)

The Minnesota Vikings would have a slim chance of beating the spread if Adrian Peterson were playing in Week 15. However, the superstar running back won't likely suit up after he suffered a foot sprain in Week 14, as noted by ESPN's Ben Goessling:

Making matters worse, Peterson's backup is banged up, too, and he's not guaranteed to play, either.

Without a strong running game, quarterback Matt Cassel won't have much success against Philly's much-improved defense, which has forced six turnovers the past two games.

While Peterson watches the game from the bench, his Eagles counterpart LeSean McCoy will likely have another hugely productive day against Minnesota's porous defense. Fantasy owners will be happy to know the Vikings are the league's No. 26-ranked defense against fantasy running backs. 

Minnesota is even worse against the pass, coming into Week 15 with the league's No. 30-ranked pass defense. Nick Foles, who's been on fire since taking over as the team's unquestioned starter, will shred the Vikings, and the Eagles will easily win and cover the spread. 

Seattle at New York Giants (+7)

Sure, Seattle isn't the same on the road, but this is the New York Giants we're talking about here, and the Seahawks will play with a huge chip on their shoulders after getting knocked off by the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in Week 14.

This is a blowout waiting to happen.

New York's offense is an unfixable mess right now. Eli Manning's 20 interceptions are most in the league, and the Giants feature the fourth-worst rushing attack. 

Seattle's defense will swallow up any semblance of a running game, and Manning is in for a long, bitter afternoon at MetLife Stadium. 

All Russell Wilson will have to do to win the game is hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch and make sure he doesn't turn the ball over carelessly—something he's never had an issue with (17 interceptions in 29 starts).

Kansas City at Oakland (+4.5)

The last time these two AFC West rivals met came back in Week 6, and the Kansas City Chiefs wiped the floor with the Oakland Raiders at home, 24-7. 

Since that time, Matt McGloin has taken over in place of Terrelle Pryor as Oakland's quarterback, and there's no doubt he's been solid. However, he has yet to face a swarming defense like Kansas City's this year (Houston doesn't count, as the Texans are a dysfunctional mess). 

Oakland comes into Week 15 having just been pummeled by the New York Jets—a team that had lost three straight before the Raiders came into town. It was Oakland's third loss in a row, and the team's fourth in five games.

On the other end of the spectrum, Kansas City shrugged off its own three-game losing streak by walloping Washington at FedEx Field, 45-10. On both sides of the ball, the Chiefs dominated the game, and Jamaal Charles, in particular, is riding a hot hand right now. 

The Raiders don't have a chance of covering this 4.5-point spread. Kansas City will easily romp in Oakland, improving to 11-3 on the season.

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