NFL Week 15 Predictions: Initial Vegas Odds, Lines, Spreads and Projections

The Minnesota Vikings have serious business ahead of them if they want to keep their spot in the NFC playoffs secure.

The Vikings have been consistent throughout the majority of the regular season, but they have dropped three of their last four games and have slipped to the No. 6 spot in the NFC.

While they still have a two-game lead over the Tampa Bay Bucs, who have the No. 7 spot in the conference, a loss at home to the Chicago Bears in Week 15 would not be a positive development for the team's postseason possibilities.

Head coach Mike Zimmer is a positive, forward-thinking type of leader. He is not going to let his team dwell on its recent losses.

There's actually very little for Zimmer and his players to feel badly about, at least when it came to Minnesota's Week 14 loss at Arizona. The Cardinals are the likely No. 2 seed in the NFC behind undefeated Carolina, and the Vikings pushed them to the limit before dropping a 23-20 decision.

Now they return home to face the slumping Bears, who have lost two games in a row at home to the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins. Neither of those teams had won a road game before they stumbled into Soldier Field.

The Vikings will attempt to unleash running back Adrian Peterson and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on the Chicago defense, and Peterson is, of course, the best running back in the NFL.

The Vikings also want to harass Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler with their aggressive and smart defense. Chad Greenway and Anthony Harris each had eight tackles against the Cardinals, and both should be prepared for huge games against the Bears.

The Vikings' recent slump has the oddsmakers thinking. Minnesota is just a 4.5-point favorite according to Odds Shark, and that just does not seem like a big enough impost for the home team. Minnesota should win this game by at least seven points. Expect the Vikings to put this game away in the second half.

Game	Line	Selection
Tampa Bay at St. Louis	Even	Tampa Bay
New York Jets at Dallas	N.Y. Jets -3	New York Jets
Carolina at New York Giants	Carolina -4	Carolina
Buffalo at Washington	Even	Buffalo
Atlanta at Jacksonville	Jacksonville -3	Jacksonville
Chicago at Minnesota	Minnesota -4.5	Minnesota
Tennessee at New England	New England -12.5	Tennessee
Kansas City at Baltimore	Kansas City -7	Baltimore
Houston at Indianapolis	No line	Indianapolis
Cleveland at Seattle	Seattle -14	Seattle
Green Bay at Oakland	Green Bay -2.5	Oakland
Miami at San Diego	Even	San Diego
Denver at Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh -6.5	Pittsburgh
Cincinnati at San Francisco	Cincinnati -4	San Francisco
Arizona at Philadelphia	Arizona -3.5	Arizona
Detroit at New Orleans	No line	New Orleans

Jets take their act to Jerry's Palace

After beating the Giants in overtime in Week 13, the Jets looked like they were set up for a trap game at home against the Tennessee Titans.

In years past, when the Jets had what looked like a winnable game against an overmatched opponent, the Jets often struggled to put those games in the "W" column

That was before they hired Todd Bowles to be their head coach. Bowles didn't let his team take anything for granted in its preparations, and the Jets rolled to a 30-8 home triumph over the Titans.

The Jets are holding onto the No. 6 spot in the AFC wild-card race, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are breathing down their necks.

If the Jets are going to make the playoffs, they have to stay consistent during the home stretch. That means winning the games they are supposed to win, and there's no reason they shouldn't come up with a convincing win over the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys are once again playing without Tony Romo, and their offense does not function well with Matt Cassel at quarterback. The Cowboys were held to just one touchdown in their Week 14 28-7 loss at Green Bay.

The Cowboys run the ball fairly well with Darren McFadden (111 yards vs. Green Bay), but the Jets are the No. 1 team in the league against the run.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is not a star at quarterback, but he will take what the defense gives him. The Jets are three-point road favorites, and they should have no trouble covering in their Saturday night meeting with the Cowboys.

Gary Landers/Associated Press

High-powered Pittsburgh offense on a major roll

The Pittsburgh Steelers may be on the outside of the playoff structure looking in, but Mike Tomlin's team is not worried.

The Steelers have an 8-5 record, and they have picked up back-to-back one-sided victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals.

Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and DeAngelo Williams get a chance to host the Denver Broncos, who don't have the offensive weapons to compete.

The Broncos are coming off a 15-12 home loss to the Oakland Raiders, and now they have to go to Pittsburgh to try to stop perhaps the most dangerous offense in the league. The Steelers rank sixth in passing offense, but they have played several games with Roethlisberger on the sidelines.

When he is in the lineup, the Steelers are simply explosive.

While the Broncos have the No. 1 defense in the league, the Denver offense is struggling and putting undue pressure on the defense. The Broncos may be able to contain the Steelers for a few series, but they can't stop them completely. 

That's why Pittsburgh should be able to cover as 6.5-point favorites.