2017 Week 15 Predix

Written by Sam DeCoste

Only three weeks remain in the 2017 NFL regular season, and there's all to play for. Draft position, wild card spots, division titles, first round byes, and homefield advantage are all up for grabs right now. To grab them, well, you better win in December, and it's Week 15 everybody. So let's get going. The Chargers and Chiefs duel on Saturday for the division title (most likely), and the Patriots and Steelers play a massive game in the late window. It should be a great week of games, so let's predict them!

My overall record last week: 7-9

Lock of the Week record: 12-2

My overall record this season: 140-68

This is the final Thursday Night game of the season. But it may also be the worst of them all. Both teams combine for seven wins all season, and they’ve been ugly teams to watch all season. Sure, two bad teams can play a good game, but you’re not telling me you’re invested in the result. I like the Colts at home because they play better in front of their fans, and Denver has not won a game on the road this season. Yikes.

Prediction: DEN 13, IND 19

I like having football on Saturdays, but this is still pretty bad scheduling. The Bears have already been eliminated from playoff contention, and the Lions realistically have no chance where they are in a very deep NFC. Besides, the Lions aren’t playing good football, and they don’t deserve to be in the playoffs. We need games of consequence this late in the season in prime time, and this game has no meaning of consequence whatsoever. The Lions will win because they do still have something to play for, and Matthew Stafford tears the Bears up every time he plays them.

Prediction: CHI 17, DET 28

This is juicy. This is the kind of matchup we need in prime time. This is essentially the AFC West title game. Winner moves on, loser goes home. It’s hard to imagine that the loser will be able to get to the playoffs. You have the Chiefs, who finally won a game again, for the first time since October 30, and topped a seemingly lifeless Raiders squad. They played alright, but even still, one win won’t solve their problems, because the red hot Chargers are coming into town. Since starting 0-4, the Chargers somehow are sitting at 7-6, and are playing great ball. Philip Rivers can sling it with the best of them, and that defense wrecks opposing offenses every week. They should absolutely win this game. But, this is just the spot where they never get it done. The old Chargers lose this game in this spot. I will probably regret this pick, but I think this year’s Chargers are different.

Prediction: LAC 24, KC 23

Aaron Rodgers may play in this game. If he does, he gives the Packers a better chance to win. But that is not a given, especially on the road against a great defense. It’s not like the Packers can just turn a switch and they’ll return to the form they were in back in Week 5. I’m not buying that narrative. I also don’t think they go to the playoffs, because they need to win out, and that is too hard for a team like this, dependent on a single player. Cam Newton has a better matchup than his counterpart, and he has weapons to help him, including Christian McCaffrey and Devin Funchess. This is the Panthers’ game to lose.

Prediction: GB 17, CAR 23

Just when I talked up the Jets and waxed lyrical about how good they are, they lay an egg in Denver. They played lifeless football, and their defense got torn apart by Trevor Siemian. Their season is over. The Saints season is not over, but they took a huge step back with the loss in Atlanta. If they want a first round bye, they need to win out and get help. They should be favored to do it, as their schedule is fairly easy. The Falcons game next week is tough, but it is at home, and the Falcons will be in a tough spot, playing a must win game at the Superdome. But this week, the Jets are overmatched and the Saints should put up a great performance. This is my Lock of the Week.

Prediction: NYJ 13, NO 24

The Bills are holding on for dear life, but they’re probably going to be watching the playoffs from the same spot where you and I will...on the couch. The Dolphins will be joining you and I as well on the couch. They have been horrible this season. Maybe the worst decision of the NFL offseason was the Dolphins signing Jay Cutler. Of course, he did not singlehandedly wreck Miami’s season, but this team is bad. Especially on offense. I know, it was quite an upset on Monday night, but the Dolphins matchup horribly with this Bills defense, which, remember, held Tom Brady in check two weeks ago, not letting him throw a touchdown pass. The Bills also desperately need to stack more wins, so they have more to play for. Also, it might snow again. 

Prediction: MIA 13, BUF 23

The Bengals may be coming to an end of an era. Marvin Lewis’ contract is up at the end of the year, and there’s no reason why Cincinnati should resign him. The team is playing bad football, especially the offense. Andy Dalton is as average as you get, and you can’t depend on AJ Green like you can say Antonio Brown week to week. This is a great matchup for the Vikings, coming off of their first loss since Week 4. There is no reason to panic about the Vikings, as they’ve played amazing football all season and are in great position to clinch a bye. Case Keenum has carried this team to where they are, and he will lead the Vikings as far as he is capable of. He’ll torch Cincinnati.

Prediction: CIN 10, MIN 28

Arizona and Washington’s 2017 seasons are over. Both teams just weren’t good enough, and they’ll be looking ahead to next season. The Redskins better lock up Kirk Cousins, because he is the best and most consistent quarterback that the franchise has had in a long time. He is the best player in this football game. But this is still a pretty dull game with close to zero implications. Arizona struggles mightily on the road, especially on the East Coast. This is a horrible spot for them.

Prediction: ARZ 15, WSH 21

At this point, the final playoff spot is Baltimore’s to lose. They control their own destiny, and their schedule is stupid easy. Following a game against a still winless team, they have the Colts and Bengals. They can’t falter, and they won’t. They will wipe the floor with Cleveland, because Baltimore’s defense eats bad quarterbacks for breakfast.

Prediction: BAL 30, CLE 12

Remember back in Week 1, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, when Jacksonville stunned us all by destroying the Texans? That was where one era began and another ended, as the Texans’ reign over the AFC South seemed to be over, and it was a new era for a team which has waited for success for a long time. Now, fourteen weeks later, the Jaguars are the clear favorite to win this game, and the division. Blake Bortles has never lost to the Texans in the 2017 calendar year, and he is playing great football as of late. He’s making good decisions with the football, and is, well, the opposite of a liability. Also, their win over Seattle last week was their biggest win in the 21st century. They’ve been so bad for so long, and now they’re going to the playoffs for the first time in a long time, and they deserve it.

Prediction: HOU 13, JAX 30

Carson Wentz’s MVP hopes are probably over, as is his season. Hopefully he gets back for 2018 in time, because he is a fantastic player and he is the future of the league. The Eagles will be okay without him, because they have a great defense and running game. Now Nick Foles is evidently a downgrade at the quarterback position, but you just can’t get better than Carson Wentz. The only way the Eagles falter down the stretch and in the postseason is thinking about Carson, and moping that your franchise quarterback is out. Now the rest of the roster will want to play harder and try to win all by themselves. They are vulnerable to that at some point, but against a clearly inferior Giants team, I can’t imagine they mess this up.

Prediction: PHI 19, NYG 10

This game is massive. The division title may be on the line right here. If the Rams win, they’re up two games over Seattle with two games to go. If the Seahawks win, they have the head to head tiebreaker over LA, and they will win the division if they win out. This is the type of spot where MVPs shine. Russell Wilson is absolutely in the conversation, and this is a great opportunity to send a message to the rest of the league that he is just that, an MVP. The Rams are a better team, and they’re not depending on one player to win a game for them, but in this spot, in Seattle, the Seahawks get the job done almost every time.

Prediction: LAR 24, SEA 28

Going with the upset here. Jimmy Garappplo is still undefeated as a starter in his career somehow, including two wins as a Niner. If the Niners knew he'd be this good, they'd have traded for him in the offseason. He’s playing well, and he’s carrying the team with him. In terms of talent, the Titans wipe them off the floor. But the Titans haven’t played well all season, and they played lifeless football in Arizona last week. I’m just not confident in the Titans that they can win on the road this season. I like the 49ers’ chances this week to shock Tennessee and give them their third loss in four weeks.

Prediction: TEN 20, SF 23

Okay, I know I went on a rant about how bad of a matchup the Patriots-Dolphins game was, but did anybody see this coming? No! Of course not! Stop lying! But that loss makes this Pittsburgh affair a must win game. If they lose, then the Steelers will inevitably clinch homefield. The Pats need this to get the tiebreaker edge over the Steelers. And they have their work cut out for them this week. Le’Veon Bell is the hardest back in the league to defend, and Antonio Brown just racks up the yardage. But every time these teams match up, the Steelers come out flat. They need to come to play on Sunday, otherwise the Pats will blow them out like they always do. I haven’t seen the Steelers beat the Patriots since I’ve been a football fan, and I don’t think that will change Sunday.

Prediction: NE 31, PIT 22

What a dream matchup this would have been back in 2016. Lots of people backed these teams to play in the Super Bowl, and some of them picked them to play each other! What happened? Well, Dallas has been without Ezekiel Elliott, and they will be for one more game, and the Raiders haven’t been able to engineer exciting come from behind victories anymore. Derek Carr hasn’t been the same player, drops from Cooper and Crabtree have killed their rhythm, Marshawn Lynch never got going, and the defense just can’t stop anybody. They are a dictionary example of “one year wonder.” The Cowboys are a better football team than the Raiders, and there’s all to play for right now, but this is the final Raiders home game of the season, and I have a funny feeling that Derek Carr will lead them to a last minute victory on Sunday, just like he did every week last season.

Prediction: DAL 17, OAK 21

A bad time for the Bucs to be in prime time. They never found an identity on offense this season. It’s amazing how a team with this much talent just played so poorly this season. They have nothing to play for, except to spoil other team’s hopes and dreams. Atlanta has hopes and dreams. They are in the playoff picture right now, and they have to win this game to stay in it. I just feel that the Falcons will get it done, knowing what’s at stake.

Prediction: ATL 27, TB 16

Picture credit: http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/dec/28/chargers-lose-chiefs-miss-playoffs/