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With many teams in must-win scenarios, Week 15 will likely feature a lot of the close finishes seen last Sunday. The Ravens have the opportunity to further increase their chances of a playoff berth as they host the 5-8 Buccaneers. The readers have kept their lead in Baltimore Beatdown’s season long predictions contest. Participate in the polls at the end of this article to keep the momentum going this week!
Current standings:
- Readers — 64.1 percent correct (132-74)
- Kyle A. — 63.1 percent correct (130-76)
- Frank, Jake and Vas — 62.1 percent correct (128-78)
- Sage — 61.7 percent correct (127-79)
- Logan — 59.7 percent correct (123-83)
- Kyle B. — 58.7 percent correct (121-85)
- Zach — 58.3 percent correct (120-86)
- Dustin — 57.8 percent correct (119-87)
An analysis of the Baltimore Beatdown staff picks
Consensus winners
- The Texans get back on track against the Jets (HOU -6.0)
- The Falcons defeat the Cardinals (ATL -9.0)
- The Jaguars beat the Redskins (JAX -7.0)
- The Seahawks continue their win streak against the 49ers (SEA -4.5)
Despite losing to the Colts in Week 14, Houston still has a comfortable lead in their division, and the Jets are scoring under 21 points per game. Atlanta and Arizona have both had very forgettable seasons and would be better off losing out than stacking up any late season victories. However, the 4-9 Falcons have a top ten offense whereas the Cardinals are dead last in the league. Simply put, Washington is a dumpster fire after losing Alex Smith for the season. And while Jacksonville is a surprising last in the AFC South, their defense should have an easy day against the Redskins. Seattle has won their last four games, most recently holding Minnesota to just seven points, which prompted the firing of their offensive coordinator John DeFilippo. In their first meeting, the Seahawks put up 43 points on San Francisco.
‘Lone wolf’ picks
- Zach: The Buccaneers hand the Ravens their second loss in a row (BAL -7.5)
Ravens flock be kind to Zach, as he is the first writer this season to fly solo in picking Baltimore to lose this week. Perhaps he has been scorned too many times by the Ravens who have failed to reach the playoffs in recent years, despite largely controlling their own destiny late in the season.
- Logan: The Steelers rebound against the Patriots (NE -2.0); the Eagles get to .500 against the Rams (LAR -11.0); the Panthers snap their five-game losing streak with a victory over the Saints (NO -6.0)
The Beatdown staff might be trying to will a Pittsburgh loss into existence, as all but one writer is predicting New England to recover from last week’s Miami Miracle, heating up the race for the AFC North crown.
Chicago made the Rams prolific offense look pedestrian on Sunday Night Football and Philadelphia lost a somewhat controversial overtime game to the divisional rival Cowboys last week. With both teams trying to put Week 14 in the rear view, Logan is going against the crowd in selecting Los Angeles to drop two straight.
The Saints have already clinched the NFC South and have a 6-1 record on the road, but that’s not stopping Logan from believing Carolina will win their first game in over a month.
All writers’ picks can be found in the table below.
NFL Picks Week 15
| Games | Kyle A. | Frank | Jake | Vasilis | Sage | Logan | Kyle B. | Zach | Dustin | BB Readers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Kyle A. | Frank | Jake | Vasilis | Sage | Logan | Kyle B. | Zach | Dustin | BB Readers |
| Chargers at Chiefs | Chargers | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chargers | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chargers | Vote |
| Texans at Jets | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Texans | Vote |
| Browns at Broncos | Broncos | Browns | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Browns | Browns | Browns | Broncos | Vote |
| Buccaneers at Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Buccaneers | Ravens | Vote |
| Packers at Bears | Bears | Packers | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Packers | Vote |
| Lions at Bills | Bills | Bills | Lions | Bills | Bills | Lions | Bills | Bills | Lions | Vote |
| Cardinals at Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Vote |
| Raiders at Bengals | Raiders | Bengals | Raiders | Bengals | Raiders | Raiders | Raiders | Bengals | Raiders | Vote |
| Titans at Giants | Giants | Giants | Giants | Titans | Titans | Giants | Titans | Giants | Giants | Vote |
| Dolphins at Vikings | Dolphins | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Dolphins | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vote |
| Redskins at Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Jaguars | Vote |
| Cowboys at Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Colts | Vote |
| Seahawks at 49ers | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks | Vote |
| Patriots at Steelers | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Steelers | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Vote |
| Eagles at Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Eagles | Rams | Rams | Rams | Vote |
| Saints at Panthers | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Panthers | Saints | Saints | Saints | Vote |
| Week 14 Record | 9-7 | 8-8 | 9-7 | 10-6 | 8-8 | 11-5 | 9-7 | 11-5 | 8-8 | 9-7 |
| Season Record | 130-76 | 128-78 | 128-78 | 128-78 | 127-79 | 123-83 | 121-85 | 120-86 | 119-87 | 132-74 |
Vote in the polls below for the winner of each Week 15 matchup: