NFL Week 15 Predictions: Projecting the Week's Top Defenses

Although the NFL is a pass-happy league that wants points on the board virtually every possession, defenses are still important.

That said, to give credit to the dark-side for their efforts, there are those who win because of defense. So, here are some teams winning on defense in Week 15 and trying for build momentum for the postseason or at the very least, the offseason.

Cincinnati Bengals (at Rams)

The Bengals are still alive for the postseason, however, it looks grim.

Nonetheless, thanks to a solid defense this season Cincinnati has been in playoff contention throughout.

And fortunately for them, this week they get the 2-11 St. Louis Rams who rank No. 28 in passing and No. 26 in rushing. Collectively, the Rams have averaged only 284 total yards per game, which is just 30 yards behind Cincinnati's defense who allows 314 total yards per game.

Here, expect much of what Seattle did and we'll see Cincy double-cover Brandon Lloyd as well as single coverage elsewhere.

Then up front, the Bengals will stack the box to shutdown RB Steven Jackson, as well as blitz QB Sam Bradford. Bradford is big and has had decent protection this season, so Cincy will have to knock 'em around a bit to gain a major advantage.

St. Louis will be lucky to score 14 points, because the Bengals offense will get at least 21 on the Rams' weak defense. 

Bengals over Rams

Arizona Cardinals (vs. Browns)

Many thanks to the improving defense, Arizona has won five of six and are technically still alive for the postseason.

CB Patrick Peterson has made significant strides of improvement, and the front seven is getting more QB pressure. And with the Cleveland Browns visiting this week, don't expect anything other than shear dominance.

Arizona will have Peterson blanket fellow rookie Greg Little, as he's the Browns most threatening receiving target. In the trenches, Cleveland lacks pass protection and although Colt McCoy is good at buying time with his feet, there won't be anyone open down field.

For one, TE Evan Moore will get jammed at the line and safety Adrian Wilson will be patrolling the area. The Browns have arguably the NFL's worst rush offense, so expect the Cardinals to make them one-dimensional quickly after kickoff.

Cleveland simply lacks potential and talent on offense, and Arizona will exploit that to a great extent.

Cardinals over Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers (at 49ers)

The Steelers defense has been able to shutdown virtually every offense it's faced in 2011. Exclude the embarrassing Week 1 loss to Baltimore, and Pittsburgh has been outstanding.

They held the mighty Patriots and Tom Brady to 17 points, so the non-explosive 49ers shouldn't be a problem. San Fran lacks any kind of well-established passing game, and only averages 182 pass yards per game (rank No. 29).

As for The Steel Curtain, coach Dick LeBeau's defense ranks No. 1 against the pass (allows just 179 per game) and No. 6 against the run (allows just 97 per game). So, it will come down to the Niners' ground game versus the Steelers front-seven.

Well, give that advantage to Pittsburgh because they'll stack the box all game and play man-coverage.  They will force Frisco to beat them through the air, which is something Arizona did and the 49ers failed.

Alex Smith is a solid game-managing QB. However, he's not a good enough passer to slice a Pittsburgh defense that can minimize the damage, while the Steelers offense controls the game tempo.

Steelers over 49ers

Houston Texans (vs. Panthers)

Had it not been for a suffocating defense this season and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the Houston Texans would be nowhere near 10-3 with all their injuries.

However, Houston has been playing sound defensive football, and expect that to continue this week at home against Carolina. The Panthers may have a solid Top 10 offense in both passing and rushing, but they haven't faced a defense like the Texans.

Cam Newton is a great dual-threat QB with tons of potential, however, Houston will play man-under with a safety monitoring over the top of his best target, WR Steve Smith. Therefore, they will force Newton to look for TE Greg Olsen, who will be jammed at the line by a DE or OLB and then blanketed by an LB/DB combo.

Not to mention, Houston has a great pass rush that will get to Newton and force him to run the ball more. Eventually he'll wear down and make some rookie mistake like he did against Atlanta.

The Texans best odds are for Newton to sort of improvise, because he's proven to be very good in the pocket and when rolling out. So, expect pressure and physical coverage to frustrate Carolina all day.

Texans over Panthers

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