NFL WEEK 15 Spitball Picks
Welcome to week 15 and we are really in it now. I hope you weren’t too distracted from a YouTube star knocking a former UFC Champion out cold last night to remember that we have serious business to take care of today. This NFL season has reached complete lunacy. We have Saturday, Sunday, Monday, AND Tuesday games this week. If you hate football, or know someone who does, I would say a quick prayer for them right now. The NFL has gone so off the rails that us football lovers get football almost everyday! Not sure if it’s good, or bad, but it sure is chaos, and we all love a little bit of chaos in our lives. With that being said let’s not let injuries, some Covid-19 outbreaks, and rescheduled games distract us from our picks. We let Tommy lead us off last week and he absolutely smashed it so we’re going to ride the hot hand and start there again.
Tommy’s Picks
Week 14 Recap 5-0 (+15)
Overall: 20-27-1 (-17)
LETS GO. It’s about time the tables have turned. A huge week 14 leaves me walking into week 15 with pockets full. Did I actually go 5-0? Technically no, but truthfully I went 4-1 as Austin Hooper only got 30 receiving yards, but I had the pick at over 33.5 yards and that line bounced up to 36.5 before kickoff and I did not feel comfortable taking it so I went with over in receptions and TD instead with some HEAVY payouts which I did also mention in my pick. Due to that I’m giving myself the W. Bite me! Onward and upward, Week 15 here we go….
5 POINT PLAY
Cowboys -11.5 vs Giants
I hate to pick against my team but this season is a lost cause for the Giants in every way possible. Two top 10 picks is pretty much inevitable at this point and im not mad because this team is pretty much in need of a complete overhaul from the GM down. Their defense gets a pass here as they play good and their offense does zero, and I mean zero to help the cause. With Daniel Jones sidelined for probably the rest of the season, Mike Glennon will be at the helm again for the Giants. The giants are probably the most boring team to watch this season as saqoun has not been himself, Toney has been hurt, and Golladay, well if he even gets a target it’s for naught. The Cowboys on the other hand are coming off a big win on the road against the WFT, and can unofficially seal up the NFC east with a win here. I don’t need to say much else, this one will be ugly. Cowboys by a million.
4 POINT PLAY
Cardinals -12.5 at Lions
“Short week for cardinals”, “Lions play hard for their coach”, throw it all out. The Cardinals are undefeated on the road this season and 7-0 against the spread. Kyler was held to zero total touchdowns last week in a tough one against their division opponent in the Rams. He is going to explode this week and unfortunately for the Lions it will be all over their chests. It’s funny how so many love the lions every week but they are still only 1-11-1. Plus their injury report is loaded with players. I guess you got to feel bad to some extent, mainly for their fans. This will definitely be a two score game I’m just hoping the cardinals get over that 13 point hump.
3 POINT PLAY
Steelers -1.5 vs Titans
I feel like I say this about all my picks but the last time I picked the Steelers they got brutally beat down by the Bengals in a game that I thought they needed to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now we are in Week 15 and the Steelers are still in hopes of reaching the playoffs on what could be the last season for Big Ben. The Titans on the other hand sit comfortably atop their division, and to be honest I’m not sure how. Their offense has been and is still hurt, and their defense is ranked 15th, yet they still win games. I believe the Steelers D will get the best of the Titans here and Big Ben will do enough at home to keep their playoff chances afloat. Pittsburgh is still a tough place to play and as I mentioned…they owe me one.
2 POINT PLAY
2 team teaser (+6)
Buccaneers -5 vs Saints
Bengals +9 at Broncos
The Bucs playing at home score a ton of points! The Saints D is amazing against the Run it’s actually impressive, but through the air they have actually bee in getting somewhat picked apart this season. That does not spell good for the Saints as Tom Brady and that receiving core ain’t something to mess with. The Bucs are also seeking revenge here from the last time these two teams met and Trevor Siemen won for the saints. I don’t see Tom Brady letting a team beat him twice with Trevor Simien and taysom Hill as the QBs….I hate the Bengals and if you have been following me you know that by now. On the other hand I like the Broncos. Teddy two gloves has always been a favorite of mine due to the fact that he will never win nor lose you football games and to me that’s completely respectable as a quarterback in the NFL. I’m hoping the Broncos win here but Bengals covering or winning in a close one seems fitting. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’ll take the points.
1 POINT PLAY
Prop pick James Robinson TD -105
The football universe and fantasy owners in specific have been perplexed as unarguably the Jaguars best weapon on offense has had less than 10 touches the past two weeks. The Jaguars play at home against the Texans this week in which the game script should be to give James the ball. Add in the firing of Urban Meyer this week and the game script will definitely be give James the ball. A Jaguars win here is important for their franchise and especially their rookie first overall pick Trevor Lawrence. Robinson having a big day would take a lot of pressure of Lawrence and the team alike. Take a page from Brian’s book, two terrible offenses playing each other can lead to some points! If points are scored, Robinsons name will be in their somewhere.
Brian’s Picks
5 POINT PLAY - 7 POINT TEASER
[Miami Dolphins -3 vs. New York Jets / Dallas Cowboys -4.5 vs. New York Giants]
Align accordingly for the blowout of the Bowery Bums. I usually wouldn’t angle for such a square pick, but after a hard-luck 2-3 last week righting the ship is the only end game today. With seemingly 40% of the league is in virus protocol, it’s never been more vital to stick to what we know. Nothing is more iron-clad in the NFL in 2021 than the Giants and Jets playing like garbage. Like the grey, oily water marinating our hot dogs, NY’s teams are long-passed the point where they should be discarded into the sewer. Both teams will play reasonably hard, though you probably won’t know it by the final score. The Jets boast arguably the worst defense in the NFL and a rookie QB who has largely been abandoned by his offense. As a weathered fan of the franchise, I simply cannot recall the last time the Jets actually won a divisional game. The Dolphins will destroy the Jets today, I simply see no other scenario. The Cowboys may get pushed a bit on the road by the Giants, but asking Mike Glennon and co. to keep up with Dallas’ offense seems like too tough of an ask.
4 POINT PLAY - Denver Broncos -3 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The public backed the Bengals strongly throughout the week, and while I may agree with the consensus that Cincy is the better team (I think?), I feel similarly about this game as I did last night’s contest. We get a key number on a home team, pro money backing the favorite and a public, road dog that *may* be better than the favorite, but not by a discernible margin. No AFC North team seems to want to take control of their own destiny, and Denver is always a tough place to play for a young QB.
3 POINT PLAY - Jacksonville Jaguars -4.5 vs. Houston Texans
Yes, this is the most obvious play of all time. No, I do not acknowledge the fact that I picked the Jaguars last week. Obviously any bets that were made without the knowledge that Urban Meyer kicked Josh Lambo (he kicked the kicker??) are disavowed by God and the Houses of Parliament. That’s how it works. Anyway, the Jags are now free from the shackles of playing for the ol’ ball coach, and I’m pretty sure everyone and their mother expects them to play like a Super Bowl team for 60 minutes. Some birds aren’t meant to be caged…
2 POINT PLAY - Pittsburgh Steelers -1.5 vs. Tennessee Titans
This pick comes down to the very simple logic of “who needs this game more?” Though the Colts have come on in impressive fashion since hitching their wagon to Jonathan Taylor, Tennessee has been able to weather a storm of injuries to maintain a pretty comfortable playoff position throughout the year. The Steelers currently find themselves at the bottom of the AFC North, yet still very much alive in both the division and wild card race. Public perception of the Steelers is down after a sloppy contest vs the Vikings, but I think the majority of people are missing two key aspects of that game. One, the Steelers continued to show that they’ll play their asses off for this coach and this QB, no matter how beaten-down the latter becomes. Two, I think you can make a very cogent argument stating that Vikings team is better than this Titans team, in this state. This is do-or-die for the Steelers.
1 POINT PLAY - Los Angeles Rams -6.5 vs. Seattle Seahawks (Tuesday)
Full disclosure, this is a risky pick. Two days out we really don’t have a clear picture of who will or won’t be playing thanks to virus concerns, but this feels the most appealing of any game remaining on this slate. The Rams have made a habit out of dominating Seattle in recent years thanks to an innate ability to expose the Seahawks weak pass D. Despite a week’s worth of line fluctuation occurring in only a few days, I’m still comfortable sitting at a key number with a team that I think is more than a TD better than their opponent.
Nick’s Picks
I have continuously hovered in the 3-2 mark which is obviously good but that’s not what you want if you want to win money. I have been playing some games really ‘close to the vest’ but this week I am all business. I am shooting for 5 winners this week, it is 5-0 or bust.
5 POINT PLAY - Cardinals -12.5 @ Detroit Lions
Not sure if anyone is paying this much attention to the Cardinals, but they are the best road team in the NFL. They are 7-0 on the road as they head into Detroit. The team atop one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL will avenge the tough loss they took last week. It is going to be a long day for the Lions Defense chasing Kyler Murray around like it’s Michael Vick in Madden ‘04. Cardinals by a ton today. This one for me is too easy.
4 POINT PLAY - Jaguars -5.5
This one is dangerous, but I’m disgustingly confident in this pick. The Jaguars are a young team that has been held back by the vice grip of mentally unstable Urban Meyer. Now that they are free, the peacock is going to fly. I’m ready to see the good things come out of Trevor Lawrence. Also, the Texans stink, so I’m expecting the Jaguars to explode today.
3 POINT PLAY - Vikings -6 @ Bears
My Three-Point Shot is going to have to wait until the “Late Monday Night Game.” Yes, six is a lot of points and Justin Fields looked really good last week, but this Vikings team is tough. Every game they play seems to end really close no matter who they play. Last week was a huge win for them and I see another big one this week. They will force themselves back into the playoff hunt. I also see the public smashing the Bears with the points so give me the Vikings as road warriors tomorrow night.
2 POINT PLAY - Ravens +9
This one is too many points for me. I know that Lamar is questionable, but I think he plays. The guys is an absolute warrior and never misses games. The Ravens are also VERY good at home with a 5-1 record. This will be a GREAT game so buckle up. But give me the Ravens with ALL THOSE POINTS.
1 POINT PLAY - Cowboys -11.5
Another team with something to prove something strong in a division game. Also, Blowout City, population Giants. This team stinks and looks like it is about to be a fire sale. Cowboys will blow out the Giants in a lopsided affair at Metlife. Also, Micah Parsons has quickly become an absolute monster for the Cowboys Defense. I think that if the Cowboys have any shot at making a deep run, this defense is going to have to start to really step up. I’m looking forward to Micah causing pure havoc on the Giants offense today.