NFL Picks Week 15: Updated Lines and Final-Score Predictions for All Games

Every time you think you know what's going to happen in the NFL, a few games find a way to surprise you each week.

Even the squads fighting for playoff spots sometimes slip up against opponents that are far out of contention. This parity is what makes the sport so fun to watch, but it also makes it tough to make accurate predictions.

While some games are pretty obvious, even against the spread, others require a lot more thought. Fortunately, you have some help with predictions for outcomes in every game in Week 15.

Away Team	Predicted Score	Home Team	Pick ATS*
Arizona Cardinals	20-17	St. Louis Rams	ARI +4
Washington Redskins	24-34	New York Giants	NYG -6.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	13-21	Carolina Panthers	CAR -5.5
Miami Dolphins	16-28	New England Patriots	NE -8
Green Bay Packers	31-21	Buffalo Bills	GB -5
Oakland Raiders	10-17	Kansas City Chiefs	OAK +10.5
Jacksonville Jaguars	14-24	Baltimore Ravens	JAX +14
Houston Texans	17-27	Indianapolis Colts	IND -7
Pittsburgh Steelers	20-21	Atlanta Falcons	ATL +1.5
Cincinnati Bengals	24-21	Cleveland Browns	CIN PK
Denver Broncos	27-28	San Diego Chargers	SD +4
New York Jets	13-10	Tennessee Titans	NYJ -1.5
Minnesota Vikings	14-27	Detroit Lions	DET -7.5
San Francisco 49ers	7-24	Seattle Seahawks	SEA -10
Dallas Cowboys	24-31	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI -3
New Orleans Saints	17-20	Chicago Bears	CHI +3

Closest Calls

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

There might not be a real winner in this game. The team that ends up with the most points will be hurt in the race for the No. 1 pick in the draft, while the fans watching will be upset about wasting three hours of their lives.

Neil Best of Newsday joked about the game being a contest to see who can get Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota:

However, the difference in the game itself will be the fact that the Jets have at least been competitive lately, losing by three to the Miami Dolphins and then in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings. Their new emphasis on the run game has helped, and it's only a matter of time until it leads to a win.

On the other hand, the Titans have lost their last three games by a combined score of 124-52, the most recent loss being a blowout at home against the now 4-9 New York Giants.

Jake Locker will return to the starting lineup, but he won't give the offense any more help in what should be a low-scoring loss.

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns

USA TODAY Sports

This game was expected to be intriguing because of the rivalry and the playoff implications, but the Browns made things a lot more interesting with a switch at quarterback, via Jay Glazer of Fox Sports:

Albert Breer of NFL.com provides the reasoning:

While Johnny Manziel is capable of some exciting plays, it would be way too optimistic to believe he will have a ton of success in his first career start, especially against a first-place opponent.

The Bengals—who used to be known for their dominant home-field play—have won three road games in a row, allowing just 12 points per game in that stretch.

Manziel might generate excitement, but there is no question he will make some rookie mistakes and probably have a few turnovers. That's all the Bengals need to escape with an important road victory.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

One thing you always have to be scared of with the Steelers is their tendency to play down to their opponents.  

So far this season, Pittsburgh is 5-2 against teams with winning records but just 3-3 against those under .500. Even those wins were not as impressive, with close calls against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Titans.

Meanwhile, Atlanta has to be happy with the fight it showed in the second half against the Green Bay Packers. After the game, head coach Mike Smith talked to the media about the difference after halftime:

"

I thought it was two halves of a football game. The first half we didn't play nearly as consistently as we needed to I thought we did a good job in the second half of the ball game to come back from the deficit that we had. ...We played much better in the second half than we did in the first half.

"

Despite its 5-8 record, Atlanta remains in first place in the NFC South and will keep fighting hard for a playoff spot. This is not good news for the Steelers, and it could lead to an upset in favor of the Falcons.

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