NFL Picks Week 15: Top Underdog Odds, Money-Line Advice and Predictions

The stakes have never been higher for teams in the playoff hunt entering Week 15. Some will move into the forefront with wins, while others will suffer critical defeats.

From the coveted wild-card spots in both conferences to a number of awfully interesting divisions, playoff spots galore have yet to be filled. Teams have jockeyed for position throughout the first 14 weeks, but a simple look at the schedule indicates the biggest showdowns are still on the radar.

The week has come and gone, and it's finally time for the weekend to bring some much-needed clarity to the playoff picture. Although we won't get much of that until after the season ends, Week 15 should at least help a bit.

The playoff implications have made their mark on the odds and betting lines for every matchup, so take a look below at how each one should shake out.

Matchup	Spread	Money-Lines	Prediction
New York Jets at Tennessee	NYJ -2.5	NYG -150, TEN +130	NYJ 24-17
Pittsburgh at Atlanta	PIT -1	PIT -128, ATL +108	PIT 34-30
Washington at New York Giants	NYG -7.5	WSH +245, NYG -290	NYG 24-21
Miami at New England	NE -9	MIA +300, NE -360	NE 38-20
Oakland at Kansas City	KC -11.5	OAK +450, KC -600	KC 31-20
Houston at Indianapolis	IND -7.5	HOU +240, IND -280	IND 24-21
Jacksonville at Baltimore	BAL -15.5	JAX +650, BAL -1000	BAL 41-17
Green Bay at Buffalo	GB -4.5	GB -230, BUF +190	GB 34-20
Tampa Bay at Carolina	CAR -3	TB +155, CAR -175	CAR 31-23
Cincinnati at Cleveland	Even	CIN +103, CLE -123	CIN 27-24
Denver at San Diego	DEN -4	DEN -200, SD +170	DEN 31-30
Minnesota at Detroit	DET -8.5	MIN +290, DET -350	DET 28-27
San Francisco at Seattle	SEA -10.5	SF +400, SEA -500	SEA 21-10
Dallas at Philadelphia	PHI -3	DAL +150, PHI -170	PHI 31-24
New Orleans at Chicago	NO -3	NO -160, CHI +140	NO 31-24

Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated December 10

Top Week 15 Matchups

Green Bay Packers (-4.5) at Buffalo Bills

Tom Lynn/Associated Press

The red-hot Green Bay Packers enter Buffalo for a Week 15 matchup with the Bills looking to move one step closer to home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Aaron Rodgers and his crew are on a five-game winning streak after topping the Falcons 43-37 on Monday Night Football, as an offensive onslaught was enough to hold off Matt Ryan's late surge. He'll go up against a much more formidable Bills defense, which ranks in the top eight of the league against the run and the pass.

But the Packers rarely have to put up point totals like the 43, 53 and 55 they've tallied this season. Although they did last week, Packers defensive end Julius Peppers made it clear that they're shaking off the poor performance.

“We’ll be fine, we’ll be fine,” Peppers told Mike Spofford of Packers.com. “We had a bad half of football, and that’s what it is. It’s nothing more than that. The good thing is it doesn’t carry over to this game. We’re going to start fast this game and we’re going to finish this game.”

The Bills secondary miraculously prevented a touchdown pass from Peyton Manning a week ago, but that was in part due to the Broncos' rushing prowess. 

Even if they make things harder than usual on Rodgers, Eddie Lacy should pick up the slack, per the Packers' Twitter:

Intent on turning things around defensively, the Packers will send the house at Kyle Orton and make for a tough day for the Bills on offense. Rodgers and Lacy will take it from there.

Prediction: Packers 34, Bills 20

New Orleans Saints (-3) at Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have a world of problems, with the Saints perhaps the biggest of them as Drew Brees brings his playoff hopefuls into Soldier Field.

The road used to be a feared location for New Orleans, which traditionally dominates at home, but that hasn't been the case lately. The Saints have lost four straight at home; meanwhile, they're 2-0 in their latest road fixtures.

Despite all of their struggles, the Saints are 5-8 and tied atop the NFC South with three weeks to play.

As for the Bears, they've been a mess no matter where they play. Their latest loss dropped them to 5-8 on the year, with each of their last five defeats coming by 13 points or more. 

Chicago's 30th-ranked passing defense will be in for even more struggles against Brees' arsenal, but the Bears players hope to buck the trend, per the team's Twitter:

Brees and the Saints offense will make it a point to press on the gas pedal early, going up on a couple of big plays against a beleaguered Bears secondary. Playing on the road will motivate New Orleans, and the boobirds will be in full effect again in Soldier Field.

Prediction: Saints 31, Bears 24

Note: Team stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.