NFL Week 15 Picks: Underdogs That Are Sure to Pull Off the Upset

Week 15 of the 2013 NFL season is now upon us. The pool of potential playoff teams has been tremendously narrowed; however, teams are continuing to compete for various reasons. Whether it's a playoff berth, position within the division or simply to play spoiler, there are not any games that can be considered "sure things."

This is where upsets come in.

Whether a team with a supposed advantage decides to overlook a weaker opponent or simply comes out flat, this type of game comes around every week.

Let's take a look at the top three games that feature a battle in which the lesser team will come out victorious. These projections will be followed by predictions for the rest of the remaining games.

Washington Redskins (+7) at Atlanta Falcons

Possibly the biggest storyline of the week has been the benching of Robert Griffin III in favor of backup quarterback Kirk Cousins. This came as a surprising move to some, and head coach Mike Shanahan explained his decision during an interview with The Washington Post.

"It's easy to say after somebody gets hurt, 'We should have took him out.' And I didn't want to put our organization in that type of situation," Shanahan said.

It is easy to speculate that this will just bring about more problems for the Redskins; however, a change like this could be all it will take to spark this offense and get them headed in the right direction over their remaining three games.

Cousins has been a viable quarterback when given the opportunity. In 2012, over three games, Cousins completed 33 of 48 passing attempts for 466 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions for a passer rating of 101.6.

This week, Cousins will be up against a porous Atlanta secondary that is ranked 20th in the league and is giving up an average of 245.8 yards per game.

This contest could very well become a shootout due to the lack of defense for each team. The difference is that Matt Ryan and Co. have been struggling this season due to injuries. The change that puts Cousins at the helm of the Redskins, however, will be the difference-maker in this one.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+2) vs. Buffalo Bills

The Jaguars have now won their last three games and four out of their last five. This team has been playing some good football of late. One huge reason could be the improved play of quarterback Chad Henne. Over his last four games, Henne has thrown five touchdowns against three interceptions. Even though his numbers are not off the charts, he is doing better in terms of game management.

Henne's performances has led to the resurgence of running back Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew has been able to rush for at least 77 yards over his last three games, making the Jaguars offense suddenly balanced.

The Bills, however, have found themselves in a completely different scenario. The team has dropped five of their last six games due to a very inconsistent offense.

Rookie quarterback EJ Manuel has been declining of late, with his poorest performance of the season coming in Week 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Manuel completed just 18 of 33 passing attempts for 184 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions for a passer rating of 31.2.

To make matters worse for Manuel and Co. is the fact that the Bills running game has been just as inconsistent. C.J. Spiller followed up a tremendous 15-carry, 149-yard performance in Week 13 with a dismal 11-carry, 22-yard performance in Week 14.

Neither the Jaguars or the Bills have a defense to write home about, so this all hinges on offensive production. The Jaguars simply have more going for them at this point in the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5) vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Despite losing their last two games, the Steelers offense has been able to click late in the season. When these teams first met in Week 2, Pittsburgh had not been able to get things going and put up just 10 points on a solid Bengals defense.

However, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been able to produce passer ratings of at least 94.6 in each of his last four games. He is on a hot streak right now and is hitting a decimated Bengals secondary at the right time.

The Bengals put together a solid performance in Week 14. Quarterback Andy Dalton was able to shed his slump and put together one of his best games on the season. This week, in a hostile Pittsburgh environment, it may not be quite as easy to duplicate his performance.

After all, Dalton and the Bengals have been quite a different team on the road this season. Currently, Cincinnati is 6-0 at home and 3-4 away in 2013. In three of his four road losses this this season, Dalton posted passer ratings of 58.2, 55.4 and 52.3.

Pittsburgh still has the NFL's seventh-ranked pass defense, giving up just 222.4 yards per game. In a windy Pittsburgh setting, the Steelers have a great chance to take advantage of Dalton's road struggles and come away with an upset.

The remaining picks for Week 15 are as follows:

Away	Home	Pick
Washington Redskins	Atlanta Falcons	Redskins +7
San Francisco 49ers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	49ers -5
Arizona Cardinals	Tennessee Titans	Cardinals -3
New Orleans Saints	St. Louis Rams	Saints -6
Seattle Seahawks	New York Giants	Seahawks -7
Chicago Bears	Cleveland Browns	Bears -1
Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts	Colts -5.5
Buffalo Bills	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jaguars +2
New England Patriots	Miami Dolphins	Dolphins (PK)
Philadelphia Eagles	Minnesota Vikings	Eagles -5
New York Jets	Carolina Panthers	Jets +11
Kansas City Chiefs	Oakland Raiders	Chiefs -4.5
Green Bay Packers	Dallas Cowboys	Cowboys -7
Cincinnati Bengals	Pittsburgh Steelers	Steelers +2.5
Baltimore Ravens	Detroit Lions	Lions -6

All game lines courtesy of VegasInsider.com.