NFL Predictions Week 15: Highlighting Nail-Biting Contests Sure to Entertain

It seems every week of the 2013 NFL season is littered with close games that keep fans on the edges of their seats throughout.

Take a gander at Week 14, where four of the 16 games on the slate were decided by a field goal or less. Regardless of how things appear at face value, both expected and unexpected games go down to the final wire—hence why the defending-champion Baltimore Ravens only slipped past the 3-9-1 Minnesota Vikings last week, 29-26.

Week 15 will be no different. Rather, it will continue the trend as playoff hopefuls shock contenders and unexpected, apparently lopsided matchups turn out closer than originally thought.

In other words, expect another classic week of NFL action with playoffs on the horizon.

Away	Home	Prediction
Washington Redskins	Atlanta Falcons	Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns	Chicago Bears
Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts	Indianapolis Colts
New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	Miami Dolphins
Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings	Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks	New York Giants	Seattle Seahawks
San Francisco 49ers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	San Francisco 49ers
Buffalo Bills	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs	Oakland Raiders	Kansas City Chiefs
New York Jets	Carolina Panthers	Carolina Panthers
Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys	Dallas Cowboys
Arizona Cardinals	Tennessee Titans	Tennessee Titans
New Orleans Saints	St. Louis Rams	New Orleans Saints
Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	Cincinnati Bengals
Baltimore Ravens	Detroit Lions	Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins Shock New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are in the driver's seat in the AFC East at 10-3, but the Miami Dolphins have plenty to play for outside of simple dislike for their divisional foe.

Miami sits at 7-6 and right in the thick of things for a wild-card spot. But as is always the case this season, the main storyline will once again rest on Miami's offensive line, which has allowed quarterback Ryan Tannehill to be sacked a league-leading 47 times.

As ESPN's James Walker points out, New England is one team to continually find success in putting Tannehill on his back:

Walker is in part referring to a Week 8 dance between these two sides, which resulted in a 27-17 New England victory. Tannehill (3,315 yards, 20 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 2013) was sacked six times.

But Miami has done a better job in this department in recent weeks. The Dolphins have won two straight, and Tannehill has been sacked four times in that span.

Perhaps NFL.com's Elliot Harrison puts this prediction best:

"

It's so easy to pick the Patriots over the Dolphins, but we're saying, "Not this time." When these AFC East foes last met, the Fins blew a 17-3 halftime lead. But that was in New England, with Rob Gronkowski playing and Miami still missing its mettle. Well, the mettle is there now. These guys are playing as a team, which might sound like a cliché, but we don't care. The Dolphins have won three of their last four under tricky circumstances.

"

Now add in the facts that the Dolphins are at home, the Patriots needed a comeback late last week to beat 4-9 Cleveland by a single point, and Miami ranks in the top 10 with an average of 21.2 points allowed per game, and this one has the makings of a desperation win for the Dolphins.

Prediction: Dolphins 17, Patriots 14

Dallas Cowboys Slip Past Green Bay Packers

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo may be 11-16 in December, but he has a strong chance of adding a mark to the win column Sunday when the Green Bay Packers come to town.

In a battle of inept defenses, it will be Romo who shines brightest at home. The Cowboys are 5-1 this year at AT&T Stadium and will find it rather easy to move the ball on a Packers defense that ranks horribly against the rush (No. 25) and pass (No. 21).

That is not to say the Cowboys rank any better (No. 32 vs. pass, No. 28 vs. rush), but the emergence of running back DeMarco Murray in recent weeks (209 total yards, three scores in last two games) at least gives Dallas a versatile attack that can control the pace of the game.

Green Bay will not be able to exploit the Dallas defense anyway. As ESPN's Adam Schefter points out, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will miss the game due to injury:

The Packers are 2-4 on the road, with their only wins coming over 7-6 Baltimore and 3-9-1 Minnesota (a team they then tied about a month later).

While an entertaining affair for offensive enthusiasts, the writing is on the wall for this one. Dallas gets a much-needed win to stay in the hunt for the NFC East crown.

Prediction: Cowboys 33, Packers 30

Tennessee Titans Surprise Arizona Cardinals

Go ahead and classify this one as the polar opposite to the offensive shootout potentially set to go down in Arlington.

Arizona features a top-10 scoring defense that allows an average of 19.8 points per game. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the man under center for Tennessee, and he clearly understands the task at hand Sunday per the team's official site:

"

They’re a talented defense. They’re up there with the best we’ve played this year. Statistically, they’re up there, and sometimes the stats lie, but when you turn on the film with these guys, it’s a good group. I think it starts up front with them. They’ve got a real active, big, physical front seven, and they’ve also got a lot of experience there so they’re a really good group and talented on the back end as well. We’ll have our hands full, but hopefully we’re up to the challenge.

"

This seems to swing things in Arizona's favor, especially considering the Cardinals have won five of six in pursuit of a wild card.

But Tennessee touts an elite defense, too. The Titans rank No. 11 against the pass with 226.8 yards allowed on average. While a No. 20 rank against the rush does not seem favorable, it is against the Cardinals, a team that does most of its damage through the air via coach Bruce Arian's vertical offense.

Tennessee has lost four in a row at home, but has not surrendered a touchdown pass during that skid. Meanwhile, Arizona has been woeful away from the desert, with its two wins coming against 4-9 Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.

It is spoiler season. The Titans are technically still alive in the playoff race, but a chance to ruin the Cardinals' postseason hopes is the motivation here. Fitzpatrick and the Titans slip by.

Prediction: Titans 24, Cardinals 21