NFL Picks Week 15: Predictions for Biggest Games on Schedule

Week 15 of the NFL season got off to a slow start on Thursday. The Arizona Cardinals pulled out a 12-6 win over the St. Louis Rams in what was one of the least thrilling prime-time games of the year.

Now that that's over, hopefully Sunday's slate of action will bring about some better games. Here's a look at the remaining schedule with predictions for each game.

Just beneath the table is a closer look at three huge division games on tap.

Sunday, Dec. 14	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction
Monday, Dec. 15	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction
Pittsburgh at Atlanta	1 p.m.	CBS	Atlanta
Washington at NY Giants	1 p.m.	FOX	Washington
Miami at New England	1 p.m.	CBS	New England
Oakland at Kansas City	1 p.m.	CBS	Oakland
Houston at Indianapolis	1 p.m.	CBS	Indianapolis
Jacksonville at Baltimore	1 p.m.	CBS	Baltimore
Green Bay at Buffalo	1 p.m.	FOX	Green Bay
Tampa Bay at Carolina	1 p.m.	FOX	Carolina
Cincinnati at Cleveland	1 p.m.	FOX	Cleveland
NY Jets at Tennessee	4:05 p.m.	CBS	Tennessee
Denver at San Diego	4:05 p.m.	CBS	Denver
Minnesota at Detroit	4:25 p.m.	FOX	Detroit
San Francisco at Seattle	4:25 p.m.	FOX	Seattle
Dallas at Philadelphia	8:30 p.m.	NBC	Dallas
New Orleans at Chicago	8:30 p.m.	ESPN	Chicago

Houston at Indianapolis

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The Indianapolis Colts can clinch their second straight AFC South title—and ninth overall—with a win over the Houston Texans. Clinching seems inevitable as the Colts have long proved to be the class of the division.

With Andrew Luck and Co. hosting their closest challengers on Sunday, it's as good a time as any to wrap up the division.

The Texans have kept their hopes alive by winning three of their last four games. But those victories have come over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns. When Houston hosted the Colts back in Week 6, Indy prevailed 33-28 behind a 370-yard, three-touchdown performance from Luck.

At Lucas Oil Stadium where the Colts are 5-2 this season, the results won't be much different. Indy will clinch the division title in what will be its last home game until the postseason begins.

Dallas at Philadelphia

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Though the overall records are tied, the Dallas Cowboys need this game more than the Philadelphia Eagles. It's obvious, neither team wants to fall a full game behind the other this late in the season in the race for the NFC East, but considering the Cowboys lost the first head-to-head meeting, they can ill afford to be swept. ESPN Stats & Info notes that this matchup makes history:

Giving up the tiebreaker would all but kill Dallas' chances of winning the division. 

There's no guarantee Dallas can beat out the Detroit Lions and/or the Seattle Seahawks for one of the two wild-card spots.

Turnovers were a major factor in the first meeting. Tony Romo threw two interceptions and the Cowboys turned the ball over three times in total. In the rematch, look for the Cowboys to depend more on DeMarco Murray early in the game.

His early success will set up play-action opportunities, and it'll keep the Eagles offense off the field. Dallas wins the second meeting and moves into sole possession of first place.

Miami at New England

In Week 1, the Miami Dolphins upset the New England Patriots 33-20. Since then, the Pats have won 10 of 12 and solidified themselves as one of the best teams in the NFL.

With a potential first-round bye at stake, all of the remaining games are must-wins for the Patriots.

The Dolphins are in an even more urgent situation. At 7-6, the Dolphins need to win out to feel good about qualifying for the postseason. Even then Miami will need help to get in. 

That first game was played in Sun Life Stadium, the second meeting is at Gillette Stadium where the Patriots have been nearly unbeatable.

The Pats are 6-0 there in 2014, and they haven't just won; they've destroyed teams by an average of 18.3 points. Revenge will be sweet and edifying for the Pats as they move one step closer to locking down a first-round bye.