NFL Picks Week 15: Highlighting Best Vegas Odds and Expert Predictions

One game sticks out among the rest on the Week 15 NFL slate, as the 10-3 New England Patriots will travel to face the 11-2 Pittsburgh Steelers in a matchup that will go a long way toward deciding the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

It's the most important game on the ledger given the playoff implications, but on paper, this is also the most likely to turn into a shootout. Per OddsShark, the over/under total for the matchup is set at 54 points. For context, no other game has an over/under above 48, meaning the Pats-Steelers contest has a touchdown edge on the rest of the field.

If that game does shoot out, then it should be one of the best games of the year. Until then, here's a look at all the Week 15 NFL games, with spreads and over/under totals from OddsShark as well as some score predictions.

Expert picks via NFL Pickwatch are also below, with the figures representing the percentage of experts who picked the favored team in that matchup.

Then we'll look at two of the better Vegas odds to consider at the end.

Denver Broncos (-2.5, 40.5 O/U) at Indianapolis Colts

Pick: Colts 20, Broncos 17

Expert Pick: Broncos (67 percent)

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (-5, 44 O/U) 

Pick: Lions 24, Bears 13

Expert Pick: Lions (92 percent)

Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (-1, 46 O/U)

Pick: Chargers 21, Chiefs 20

Expert Pick: Chargers (62 percent)

Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins (-4.5, 43 O/U)

Pick: Cardinals 24, Redskins 17

Expert Pick: Redskins (83 percent)

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (-11.5, 39 O/U)

Pick: Jaguars 31, Texans 7

Expert Pick: Jaguars (100 percent)

Baltimore Ravens (-7, 40.5 O/U) at Cleveland Browns

Pick: Ravens 20, Browns 10

Expert Pick: Ravens (92 percent)

Cincinnati Bengals at Minnesota Vikings (-11, 42 O/U)

Pick: Vikings 24, Bengals 13

Expert Pick: Vikings (100 percent)

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-2.5, 47 O/U)

Pick: Seahawks 30, Rams 23

Expert Pick: Seahawks (68 percent)

Dallas Cowboys (-3, 46 O/U) at Oakland Raiders

Pick: Raiders 24, Cowboys 17

Expert Pick: Cowboys (84 percent)

Atlanta Falcons (-6, 48 O/U) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Pick: Falcons 27, Buccaneers 17

Expert Pick: Falcons (97 percent)

Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers (-2, 44 O/U)

Pick: 49ers 20, Titans 13

Expert Pick: 49ers (62 percent)

New England Patriots (-3, 54 O/U) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Pick: Steelers 24, Patriots 23

Expert Pick: Patriots (59 percent)

Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers (-2.5, 47 O/U)

Pick: Panthers 31, Packers 27

Expert Pick: Panthers (74 percent)

New York Jets at New Orleans Saints (-16, 47.5 O/U)

Pick: Saints 31, Jets 7

Expert Pick: Saints (100 percent)

Philadelphia Eagles (-7.5, 40 O/U) at New York Giants

Pick: Eagles 24, Giants 10

Expert Pick: Eagles (72 percent)

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (no line)

Pick: Bills 24, Dolphins 17 (assuming Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor starts)

Expert Pick: Bills (79 percent)

The Buffalo Bills have not named a starting quarterback for their game with the Miami Dolphins. A line will not be in place until that information is confirmed.

After missing last Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts with a knee injury, usual Bills starting signal-caller Tyrod Taylor returned to practice in full on Wednesday. Barring any setbacks, it is presumed that he will play.

Best Vegas Odds

Oakland Raiders (+3) over Dallas Cowboys

Although the Dallas Cowboys sans suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott have looked strong in their last two games, they played the 5-8 Washington Redskins and 2-11 New York Giants.

Breaking that down further, Washington was missing the engine to its offense this season, running back Chris Thompson. The fifth-year pro had accrued 804 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in nine-plus games before suffering a broken fibula against the New Orleans Saints, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.

Dallas did beat the Giants 30-10, but it was much closer than the score indicated. The game was tied at 10 midway through the fourth quarter before tight end Jason Witten scored a touchdown. Two Rod Smith scores late in the ballgame helped Dallas seal the three-score victory.

On the opposite sideline, yes, the Oakland Raiders were losing 26-0 to the Kansas City Chiefs late in a crucial AFC West matchup last Sunday before eventually falling 26-15. The Silver and Black simply looked lifeless for the better part of that game.

However, the Raiders had gone 4-2 in their last six games prior to the ugly Chiefs loss. The team also has great talent on both sides of the ball, including an excellent offensive line and elite edge-rusher Khalil Mack.

They haven't been able to put it together consistently this season after a 12-4 mark last year, but the Raiders are good at home, going 4-2 there this season.

Notably, one of those losses came against the Baltimore Ravens without Carr, who was rehabbing a back injury. Their other defeat was at the hands of the suddenly hot Los Angeles Chargers, who won 17-16 on a game-ending field goal.

Ultimately, it's hard to pass up the opportunity to take a home team plus some points, so consider the Silver and Black this week.

New York Jets at New Orleans Saints: Under 47.5 Points

New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown is out for the season with a broken left hand, and backup Bryce Petty will step in his place for Sunday's game with the New Orleans Saints.

In seven games of action during his career, Petty has a 54.2 percent completion rate in addition to three touchdowns and seven interceptions. All but nine of Petty's pro passes came in 2016, when Football Outsiders ranked him last among quarterbacks who have thrown between 10 and 199 passes on the year.

It's certainly possible that Petty develops into a solid signal-caller down the line, but the 26-year-old needs more time and reps to do so.

As of now, it's hard seeing the Jets being able to move the ball well against the New Orleans Saints, who have a few defensive stars, including defensive end Cameron Jordan and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. They are a tough defense against the pass (Football Outsiders ranks them fourth) and should create problems for the Jets all game.

The best case for this matchup going over the 47.5-point total is if the New Orleans Saints offense puts its foot on the gas for four quarters. Their running game is the best in the league, as they average 4.9 yards per carry.

Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara form a devastating one-two punch out of the backfield that has proved to be near-impossible for teams to stop. Also, quarterback Drew Brees has done well in his 17th NFL season, completing 71.7 percent of his passes (a career-high mark).

That being said, if the Saints are up big through three quarters, it's hard seeing them do anything but take out their starters in order to give them a little extra rest (and prevent possible injury) for the closing stretch run to the playoffs. The guess here is that happens, so look for this game to hit the under.