Week 15 of the 2020 NFL season is here. Here’s what you need to know for each matchup and what the NFL betting lines are. BetMGM has all the NFL betting action you need, including futures, weekly betting lines, and live online sports betting.
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Los Angeles Chargers @ Las Vegas (-3.5)
The Skinny: The Raiders can’t afford a loss Thursday as they sit at the No. 9 spot in the AFC at 7-6. They are near the bottom of the NFL with 30.1 points allowed per game and face the top offensive rookie in quarterback Justin Herbert. Los Angeles has too many issues to figure out besides QB, though.
The Prediction: Raiders 31-28
Buffalo (-6.5) @ Denver
The Skinny: How about those Bills? Buffalo proved to not only be a playoff contender but a Super Bowl contender with its 26-15 win against Pittsburgh. Denver has a spark going as well with quarterback Drew Lock showing potential, but it’s a lone bright spot in a 5-8 season. Buffalo is 8-5 against the spread this season and 10-3 overall. This game is a popular one for NFL betting picks.
The Prediction: Bills 35-21
Carolina @ Green Bay (-9)
The Skinny: With New Orleans suffering a head-scratching loss to Philadelphia along with Seattle not playing as well as it did in September, Green Bay has emerged as the top team in the NFC. Carolina shouldn’t pose a threat to the Packers. And with Green Bay holding a 5-1 record against the spread at home, expect a comfortable win.
The Prediction: Packers 28-10
Tampa Bay (-5.5) @ Atlanta
The Skinny: Tampa Bay is sitting pretty for the playoffs at 8-5. This should be a win against Atlanta, but the Buccaneers need more than just a win. They need to get over this ho-hum hump they’re on. Their victory against Minnesota last week didn’t inspire much confidence. Dominating a struggling Atlanta team could get this offense clicking.
The Prediction: Buccaneers 31-17
San Francisco (-3) @ Dallas
The Skinny: Who wants, or doesn’t want, this one more? The 49ers and Cowboys, two franchises with expectations every year, are probably ready for this season to be over and to start building toward 2021. Casual viewers won’t watch this one due to the records (5-8 and 4-9). But for the bettors, San Francisco is 4-2 against the spread on the road while Dallas is 3-10 against the spread overall.
The Prediction: 49ers 21-17
Detroit @ Tennessee (-10.5)
The Skinny: The Lions are a bottom four team against the run. The Titans own the No. 2 rushing offense. Football is a game of matchups. And this is a great matchup for Tennessee to improve to 10-4 overall and 7-7 against the spread.
The Prediction: Titans 31-14
Houston @ Indianapolis (-7.5)
The Skinny: The Colts have the No. 6 total defense in the NFL and should feast on a vulnerable Houston offense. Indianapolis is tied with Tennessee at 9-4 in the AFC South, meaning a top-four playoff seed is right there. Now isn’t the time for a letdown performance. Against the spread, the Colts are 8-5 while Houston is 4-9.
The Prediction: Colts 38-17
New England @ Miami (-2.5)
The Skinny: New England was battling back into playoff contention, but last week’s loss to the Rams drops the Patriots to 6-7. That puts New England at No. 10 in the AFC playoff standings. This game is equally important for Miami, who is right at the cutoff as the No. 7 seed at 8-5. This is as tight as it gets. The Dolphins are 6-1 against the spread at home, so we think they can pull out a close win here.
The Prediction: Dolphins 27-24
Chicago @ Minnesota (-3.5)
The Skinny: Chicago and Minnesota are in playoff mode right now. Remember that seven teams from each conference make the playoffs. In the NFC, Arizona is No. 7 with a 7-6 record. Minnesota is No. 8, and Chicago is No. 9, both with 6-7 records. The Bears have not played well down the stretch while the Vikings have been average to above average. We’ll take the average Vikings to improve to an average 7-7 record.
The Prediction: Vikings 24-14
Seattle (-5.5) @ Washington
The Skinny: Washington was once 2-7. Seattle was once 6-1. Whoever would have guessed this spread would be less than a touchdown? Washington has won four straight to be the favorite out of the NFC East. Seattle is currently 9-4 but just isn’t looking as impressive down the stretch. Upset? Upset.
The Prediction: Washington 28-27
Jacksonville @ Baltimore (-14)
The Skinny: Baltimore likely won’t need late-game heroics from Lamar Jackson this week. Jacksonville is 1-12 while the Ravens are fighting to get into the playoffs in a competitive AFC race. Baltimore is No. 8 right now at 8-5 with Miami (also 8-5) owning the tiebreaker for the No. 7 spot. Too much is on the line for Baltimore in this one to not handle business.
The Prediction: Ravens 38-10
New York Jets (-17) @ Los Angeles Rams
The Skinny: Not only are the Jets unable to win a game this season, they are 4-9 against lopsided spreads. The Rams should easily extend their winning streak to three games and improve to 10-4.
The Prediction: Rams 28-7
Philadelphia @ Arizona (-6.5)
The Skinny: The decision to bench franchise quarterback Carson Wentz for rookie Jalen Hurts was met with mixed reactions. But after defeating New Orleans, a top NFC team, the decision appears to be the right one to give the Eagles a spark. Arizona also got a much-needed spark last week, snapping a three-game losing streak with a win against the Giants. The Cardinals need a win to stay in that No. 7 playoff spot.
The Prediction: Cardinals 24-14
Kansas City (-3) @ New Orleans
The Skinny: What a late-season matchup. Kansas City is just about everyone’s favorite to win the Super Bowl. And New Orleans has an argument to be the top team out of the NFC. It’s unknown as of this writing if Drew Brees will return. The Saints were playing fine without him until a surprising loss to Philadelphia last week. With or without Brees, it’s going to be hard to take down this Kansas City team.
The Prediction: Chiefs 27-21
Cleveland (-4) @ New York Giants
The Skinny: Two teams coming off tough losses. Cleveland won four straight games before losing to Baltimore 47-42 in a back-and-forth battle. The Giants also were on a four-game winning streak and climbed back into NFC East contention. But a 26-7 loss to Arizona sent them back to reality. The Browns are a playoff-caliber team good enough to make a run and will get back on track here.
The Prediction: Browns 34-28
Pittsburgh (-12) @ Cincinnati
The Skinny: This is the perfect opponent for the Steelers. After an 11-0 start, they have lost two straight and are facing serious question marks about the offense and its lack of a rushing threat. But here come the Bengals at 2-10 and not much motivation. Pittsburgh gets back in the win column on Monday night.
The Prediction: Steelers 35-14
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Sam Herder is a writer for BetMGM and HERO Sports. A North Dakota State journalism grad, he spent several years in the print media industry before writing for online outlets. Sam has covered sports at all levels — high school, college, and professional — since 2011.
