NFL Predictions Week 15: 25 Bold Predictions for Sunday's Games

Week 14 of the 2011 National Football League season brought with it plenty of excitement, and while many things went more or less as scripted, there were more than a few surprises, including yet another wild finish involving quarterback Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.

Unfortunately the majority of my predictions last week were slightly off (and by slightly off I mean completely wrong), but if at first you don't succeed, just keep flailing away wildly. So I stand before you now beaten but unbowed, with yet another set of bold predictions for this week's slate of NFL action.

1. The Buffalo Bills Will Continue Their Free Fall

After beginning the season 5-2, the Buffalo Bills and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick have gone into the proverbial crapper, dropping six consecutive games, and that slide is going to continue this week when the Bills play host to the Miami Dolphins.

2. Reggie Bush Will Have His Best Rushing Game of the Season

Miami Dolphins running back Reggie Bush has already set a career high in rushing yards in his first season in Miami, and the sixth-year pro will top his season high of 103 rushing yards against the Buffalo Bills' 25th-ranked run defense Sunday.

3. The Seattle Seahawks Will Keep Their Slim Playoff Hopes Alive

The 6-7 Seattle Seahawks have clawed their way back to the fringe of the playoff hunt in the NFC, and with a Chicago Bears team on tap that has been ravaged by injuries on offense, the Seahawks will make it back to the .500 mark with a win at Soldier Field.

4. The Chicago Bears Will Get Skittled

A big part of the Seattle Seahawks recent surge has been attributable to the stellar play of running back Marshawn Lynch, and while the Chicago Bears have been fairly solid against the run this year, Lynch will still find his way into the end zone at least once while topping 100 rushing yards.

5. The Houston Texans Win Streak Will Continue

The Houston Texans have overcome a number of injuries to reel off seven straight wins and wrap up their first AFC South title in franchise history, and even with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips now set to miss at least a week due to an illness, the Texans will be able to make it eight straight wins with a victory over the Carolina Panthers this week.

6. Arian Foster Will Pound the Panthers for over 150 Yards

The Carolina Panthers have been decimated by injuries on defense and have struggled in stopping the run this season, ranking 23rd in the NFL in rushing defense, which will open the door for Houston Texans running back Arian Foster to have a huge game in a Texans victory.

7. The Colts Will Continue Their Run at "Perfection"

Everything that could go wrong has and then some for the 0-13 Indianapolis Colts, and while I was bold enough to pick the Colts to down the Baltimore Ravens a week ago, I'm not stupid enough to pick the NFL's worst team to win two weeks in a row.

Or am I?

Nope, can't do it. So 0-14 it is.

8. The Tennessee Titans Will Win in Spite Of, and Not Because Of, Chris Johnson

The Tennessee Titans will keep the Indianapolis Colts winless Sunday, no thanks to the player who has been quite possibly the biggest disappointment in the NFL this season, as running back Chris Johnson will fail to top 50 rushing yards even in a very favorable matchup.

9. The Kansas City Chiefs Will Allow 40 Points in the First Half

The 2011 campaign has been a miserable one for the 5-8 Kansas City Chiefs, and it's not going to get one bit better for new interim head coach Romeo Crennel when the Chiefs face an undefeated Green Bay Packers team this week that has been eviscerating opposing defenses.

10. Donald Driver Will Top 100 Receiving Yards

The knee injury suffered by Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings is expected to sideline him for a few weeks, which opens the door for an increased role for 13th-year wideout Donald Driver, a role that the cagey veteran will take full advantage of against the Kansas City Chiefs.

11. Drew Brees Will Throw for 450 Yards Against the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings secondary has been plagued by injuries and ranks a moribund 26th in the NFL in pass defense, and that is most certainly not a good thing when you're getting set to face quarterback Drew Brees and the high-octane New Orleans Saints offense.

12. Jared Allen Will Notch Two More Sacks in a Loss

Lost in the misery of a 2-11 season for the Minnesota Vikings has been defensive end Jared Allen's assault on the single season record for sacks, and the mulleted star will get two steps closer to achieving that goal this week against the New Orleans Saints.

13. The New York Giants Will Stumble Against the Washington Redskins

The New York Giants took a big step towards the playoffs with last week's thrilling victory over the Dallas Cowboys, but the maddeningly inconsistent G-Men will backslide this week in a divisional matchup with the Washington Redskins.

14. Roy Helu Will Top 125 Yards from Scrimmage with a Touchdown

The difference maker in the Washington Redskins upset of the New York Giants this week will be rookie running back Roy Helu, who will prey on the injury-depleted New York defense on the way to one of his best games of the season.

15. The St. Louis Rams Will Shock the Cincinnati Bengals

Any hopes of making the playoffs this season that the 7-6 Cincinnati Bengals may have been clinging to will likely be dashed after a surprisingly game St. Louis Rams squad upsets the Bengals on a late field goal in the Gateway City Sunday.

16. Brandon Lloyd Will Score Two Touchdowns

The big story from the Rams upset of the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday will be the big day turned in by St. Louis wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, who will top the century mark in receiving yards while reeling in a pair of touchdown passes from Sam Bradford.

17. Carson Palmer Will Throw Three More Interceptions

Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer will continue to make the Raiders look foolish for paying such a high price to acquire him, as Palmer will throw his 14th, 15th and 16th interceptions of the season in a blowout loss to the Detroit Lions.

18. Calvin Johnson Will Explode for over 200 Yards

After being held in check the past few games, the Detroit Lions will finally game plan to get wide receiver Calvin Johnson open against the Oakland Raiders, and the fifth-year veteran will respond by posting a monster afternoon in a Detroit victory.

19. The Cleveland Browns Will Be Shut out in Arizona

When you combine one of the National Football League's most anemic offenses with an injury suffered by their starting quarterback, it sets the table for a turkey of a day offensively, and with Colt McCoy likely out this week the Cleveland Browns will gobble, gobble, gobble their way to a goose-egg against the Cardinals.

20. The Arizona Cardinals Will Fail to Score a Touchdown but Win Anyway

Blame for the Cleveland Browns defeat at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals Sunday won't be able to be placed on the defense, as the Cleveland D will hold the Redbirds out of the end zone and force a handful of field goals in a losing effort.

21. The New England Patriots Will Get Tebowed Sunday

The legend of Tim Tebow will take its biggest step yet this Sunday in Denver, as the second-year pro will win his eighth of nine starts this season in a shocking come-from-behind victory over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

22. The Patriots Leaky Pass Defense Will Cost Them Dearly This Week

The New England Patriots pass defense has been a sieve this season, ranking dead last in the National Football League, and that porous defense will cost the Pats the game when they make Tim Tebow look like, well, Tom Brady.

23. The Eagles Will Deal the Jets Playoff Hopes a Blow This Week

It's been a nightmarish season for the Philadelphia Eagles, but the Eagles will exact a small measure of payback for a disappointing year by dealing the New York Jets playoff hopes a blow with a win over Gang Green this week.

24. Shonn Greene Will Come Crashing Back to Earth

One of the main factors in the Jets loss to the Eagles Sunday will be their puzzling inability to run the ball against Philadelphia's 18th-ranked rush defense, as running back Shonn Greene fails to top 50 yards for the first time since Week 11.

25. The San Diego Chargers Will Cloud Up the AFC Playoff Picture

The San Diego Chargers are trying to put together a hot streak that will get them back into the playoff race, and the Bolts will continue rolling and muddy the playoff waters in the AFC even more with a surprising win over the Baltimore Ravens in a Sunday night thriller that goes down to the wire.