There is an exciting slate of 14 games on Sunday. Here are final score predictions for all of the Week 15 Sunday contests, with reasoning.
Keep track of my “Sunday Score” all season long. This weighted formula gives me five points for every correct outcome. For every team whose score I predict exactly correct, I get an additional three points. Here’s how I’ve fared so far:
Sunday Score: 571
Winner/Loser picked correctly: 98/179
Week 15
Seattle Seahawks 24, Carolina Panthers 16
The Panthers have been a hot mess lately but the Seahawks also played miserably last week. The Panthers will play good football in their first game at home under new leadership, but the Seahawks will get a useful win as they pursue the playoffs.
New England Patriots 31, Cincinnati Bengals 14
Anyone who picks Bengals here is just looking for attention (or really wants to see Brady crumble).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 33, Detroit Lions 10
The Lions’ momentum with David Blough on Thanksgiving Day has, well, died. The Lions are still bad at football while the Buccaneers are … interesting. Jameis Winston will remove the turnover ingredient from his usual recipe of touchdowns and turnovers en route to a huge win.
Chicago Bears 17, Green Bay Packers 20
I was tempted to pick the Bears here but I just couldn’t do it. Green Bay has a plethora of show-stopping weapons and should accumulate an important win at home as the playoff race heats up.
Denver Broncos 31, Kansas City Chiefs 34
Here’s another near-upset that was a tough decision. Kansas City’s home-field advantage and their big win over New England gives them the edge, but Drew Lock appears to be legit and he could rip apart the Chiefs’ defense.
Miami Dolphins 23, New York Giants 17
I feel like the Dolphins will win by more than six, but I did not feel comfortable giving them any more points or the Giants any less. We’ll see a handful of touchdowns but it won’t be much of an entertaining affair.
Houston Texans 21, Tennessee Titans 37
Ryan Tannehill will continue to prove his dominance with an enormous win over the Texans as the race for the top seed in the AFC South heats up. Imagine what could have been if Mike Vrabel went with Tannehill in Week 1.
Philadelphia Eagles 21, Washington Redskins 16
I hate predicting scores for teams in the NFC East. What’s even worse is predicting games between to teams from that woeful division. The Eagles have been hit with numerous injuries, but the Redskins are, well, the Redskins.
Cleveland Browns 24, Arizona Cardinals 19
The Cardinals have hit near-rock bottom and will lose their eighth in a row this week as they look to pick up an enticing draft pick. Meanwhile, the Browns will win and keep their name in the playoff conversation for a little while longer.
Jacksonville Jaguars 13, Oakland Raiders 17
The end of an error. Oakland’s multi-functional baseball and football stadium becomes solely Athletics-based as the Raiders play their final game in Oakland before the move to Las Vegas. In a happy ending, the Raiders will emerge victorious over the Jaguars.
Los Angeles Rams 34, Dallas Cowboys 24
The Rams just stunned the Seahawks, and they’ll manage a huge win over the Cowboys. In fact, this should be a three-possession game but Dallas will steal a garbage-time touchdown to make it seem like they actually showed up for once.
Atlanta Falcons 24, San Francisco 49ers 37
We’ll see another garbage-time touchdown affair as the Falcons’ apparent competition with the 49ers is merely an illusion. The 49ers will not hit the brakes; instead, they will pound the gas pedal and win big.
Minnesota Vikings 27, Los Angeles Chargers 31
Here’s your upset of the week. The Vikings are 3-4 on the road while the two teams are historically even-matched. The Chargers have managed some surprising upsets so far, and that will somehow continue this week.
Buffalo Bills 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 10
The Buffalo Bills hate to see the Patriots be gifted with a game against the Bengals, but Buffalo will do their job as they defeat the Steelers and hold their ground in the AFC playoff race.
