NFL Predictions Week 15: Top Odds Picks, Projections for Every Game on Schedule

It's Week 15 of the NFL season, which means postseason races are starting to heat up and plenty of meaningful late-season matchups will have an enormous effect on playoff seeding. 

Most of the games on the slate this week have close point spreads, underlining the parity of the matchups at this late stage. Still, a handful of games could be blowouts, so your job is to determine which of those matchups is worth betting on...and which to run away from. 

Let's take a look at the odds for every game on the schedule in Week 15 and make projections for the straight-up winner of each game. Then we'll break down which team is a safe bet this week and which is a big gamble. 

Day	Away	Home	Point Spread	Projection
Thursday	LA	SEA	SEA -13	Seahawks
Saturday	MIA	NYJ	MIA -3	Jets
Sunday	GB	CHI	GB -4	Packers
Sunday	CLE	BUF	BUF -10	Bills
Sunday	PHI	BAL	BAL -5.5	Ravens
Sunday	TEN	KC	KC -6	Chiefs
Sunday	PIT	CIN	PIT -3	Steelers
Sunday	DET	NYG	NYG -4.5	Giants
Sunday	IND	MIN	MIN -4	Vikings
Sunday	JAC	HOU	HOU -5	Texans
Sunday	NO	ARI	ARI -2.5	Cardinals
Sunday	SF	ATL	ATL -11.5	Falcons
Sunday	OAK	SD	OAK -2.5	Raiders
Sunday	NE	DEN	NE -3	Patriots
Sunday	TB	DAL	DAL -7.5	Cowboys
Monday	CAR	WAS	WAS -4	Panthers

Adrian Kraus/Associated Press

Safe Bet: Buffalo Bills (-10)

If the winless Cleveland Browns were hoping to notch a victory before the end of the 2016 season, it's probably not going to come in Week 15 on the road against the Buffalo Bills. 

The 6-7 Bills haven't been dominant in 2016 by any stretch of the imagination, but they've impressed enough on defense to be confident about their ability to limit the Browns' anemic offense.

Buffalo has held its opponents to an average of 23.2 points per game on average, which ranks toward the middle of the league.

However, Cleveland has barely been able to muster 15 points per game, coming in as the second-worst scoring offense in the NFL behind the Los Angeles Rams. 

With their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, their second in a row to an AFC foe, the Bills' playoff chances have gone on life support.

But a favorable matchup against the low-scoring Browns could be just what Buffalo needs to turn around its recent losing streak and get back in the fight. 

Those who are gun shy about taking a team that has had significant personnel changes can rest assured that the Bills plan to stick with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Monday:

In terms of taking the points with Buffalo, the Bills are actually 10th in the league in scoring offense, averaging 25 points per game. That's about 10 points more than struggling Cleveland's 15.9, meaning the Bills are an excellent favorite to take heading into Week 15. 

Big Gamble: New York Giants (-4.5)

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The New York Giants are one of the hardest teams in the NFC to figure out this season. 

On one hand, they are the only team in the league that has managed to defeat the hot Dallas Cowboys...twice. They've gone 6-1 at home and put together a six-game win streak that was ended in Week 13 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

On the other hand, New York is hardly an offensive juggernaut. The Giants are only scoring an average of 19.6 points per game, which ranks 25th in the league.

Their 9-4 record is largely thanks to their defense, which is limiting opponents to 18.8 points per game (seventh in the league) and is allowing fewer than 100 rushing yards a contest. 

Six of the Giants' nine wins have come against teams with losing records: the New Orleans Saints (5-8), Los Angeles Rams (4-9), Philadelphia Eagles (5-8), Cincinnati Bengals (5-7), Chicago Bears (3-10) and Cleveland Browns (0-13).

Now, in Week 15 the Giants prepare to take on the Detroit Lions, a team that has had a hot streak of its own punctuated by some puzzling losses. New York plays at home, which bodes better for the Giants' chances, but 9-4 Detroit has put away better teams than the Giants this year. 

This matchup hinges on the throwing hand of Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. 

Per Rapoport, Stafford will wear a glove for the rest of the season due to his injuries but will not miss any time:

It's a slight setback for a player whose name is being uttered in the MVP discussion, but Stafford has been the definition of clutch this season, with eight game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime. 

The Giants will have a hard time beating the Lions straight up, let alone by more than a field goal. 

NFL odds according to OddsShark and current as of Dec. 12.