NFL Week 15 Picks: Final Predictions and Over/Under Odds Before Thursday Night

After months of people carelessly and inaccurately shouting about "must-win" games, the term actually carries some weight in Week 15.

Most teams won't be engaging in "must-win" battles but rather important contests in which wins sure would make a big difference. But some squads need triumphs to fend off elimination, which honors the definition of the phrase callously used to amplify the stakes.

Along with playoff implications, the weekend presents an intriguing pack of betting scenarios. One of the three games discussed below couldn't differ more from the other two, with defense dominating an NFC West showdown but vanishing for crews fighting for an NFC South crown.

Let's dive into the weekend's spreads and over/under lines, provided by Odds Shark.

Away	Home	O/U Line	Pick
Arizona Cardinals	St. Louis Rams	39.5	Over
Pittsburgh Steelers	Atlanta Falcons	54.5	Over
Jacksonville Jaguars	Baltimore Ravens	45	Under
Green Bay Packers	Buffalo Bills	50.5	Under
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Carolina Panthers	41.5	Over
Cincinnati Bengals	Cleveland Browns	44	Under
Houston Texans	Indianapolis Colts	49	Over
Oakland Raiders	Kansas City Chiefs	41.5	Under
Miami Dolphins	New England Patriots	48	Over
Washington Redskins	New York Giants	47	Under
Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers	50.5	Over
New York Jets	Tennessee Titans	42	Under
Minnesota Vikings	Detroit Lions	43	Under
San Francisco 49ers	Seattle Seahawks	38	Under
Dallas Cowboys	Philadelphia Eagles	55	Under
New Orleans Saints	Chicago Bears	53.5	Over

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons (Over 54.5)

No matter who wins, each teams is going to post a bounty of points in a duel with "shootout" written all over it.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 2) and the Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) both sport top-10 offenses and shaky defenses. No team relinquishes more yards than Atlanta, which just got outgunned by the Green Bay Packers in a 43-37 scoring bonanza.

Behind Le'Veon Bell, the Steelers are producing a ridiculous amount of points. The NFL's hottest running back has gained 711 total yards and five touchdowns over the past three games. His latest annihilation against the Cincinnati Bengals earned him AFC Player of the Week honors.

The Steelers have scored 34 points per game from Week 7 onward, and they now play the league's worst defense inside a dome. They should have little trouble hitting at least 34, maybe even 44.

Only one threat keeps this from being a no-brainer: Julio Jones is a question mark to play. Per the team's Twitter page, he did not practice, due to a hip injury:

After corralling a career-high 259 receiving yards Monday night, his 448 yards over the last two games make him the NFL's leading receiver. Even if he plays, Antonio Brown will chase him down against Atlanta's league-worst passing defense.

Matt Ryan quietly has his offense rolling, scoring 29.2 points per game since the Week 9 bye. Inside the Georgia Dome, he tallies 327.8 passing yards a contest this season. Losing Jones would certainly hurt, but Ryan should have another strong outing Sunday, at least for bettors and fantasy owners.

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (Under 38)

This feels familiar. 

Two weeks ago, the same matchup produced an under prediction that rang true with several points to spare. The Seattle Seahawks defense decimated the San Francisco 49ers during a 19-3 smashing that represented the beginning of the end for San Francisco.

Now, Seattle can finish the job at home. 

Despite the 49ers' downward spiral, Pete Carroll respects the rivalry too much to write them off, per the Seahawks' official Twitter:

Let's do it for him. San Francisco has mustered 20 or more points just once in the last seven games, plummeting to the league's No. 24 offense in the process.

ESPN Stats & Info chronicles Colin Kaepernick's struggles to throw downfield:

Meanwhile, scoring has dissipated on both ends during Seattle games. Despite scoring a modest 62 points over their last three contests, the Seahawks have achieved three double-digit wins by allowing just 20 points.

That includes the showdown in which San Francisco generated 164 yards, amounting to 3.2 yards per play. Now, the rematch shifts to CenturyLink Field, which gives Kaepernick and Co. a slim hope of reaching double-digit points.

Still the No. 3 defense, San Francisco should hold Seattle down enough to once again duck the over/under line but not enough to save its season.

New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears (Over 53.5)

OK, back to the offense. During tumultuous times for both organizations, each offense will rebound against a subpar defensive unit.

Only Atlanta has allowed more yards than the New Orleans Saints, who led the Carolina Panthers to their first victory in over two months last Sunday. During a sour 1-4 stretch, the squad has yielded 32.2 points per contest.

An equal opportunity supporter of blown plays, they rank No. 29 against both the pass and the run. NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported the team will sit safety Kenny Vaccaro:

Arif Hansen of VikingsTerritory.com helps explain why Sean Payton and Rob Ryan yanked the 23-year-old:

All good news for the Chicago Bears offense. Even without Brandon Marshall, the Bears have a multitude of weapons in Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett. But they can never got too comfortable behind a defense tied with Cincinnati for fourth-worst.

Matthew Stafford and Tony Romo recovered from duds at Chicago's expense, and now it's Drew Brees' turn. While he accumulated a season-low 235 passing yards against Carolina, he averages 206.4 yards per game for the NFL's No. 3 offense. He didn't help last Sunday, but don't pin the team's struggles on him.

There's too much offensive talent and not nearly enough defensive competence to stop this game from replicating last Monday night's clash.