NFL Week 15 Matchups
This week has some truly great matchups that could very well decide permanent positions in the playoff race. Several top teams are facing off and looking to claim dominance in their divisions and conferences. These teams stack up well against each other making the spreads pretty tight. We have analysis on each big game that will help NFL bettors make great picks for the weekend.
New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-6)
Sunday, December 19 – 4:15pm
The sportsbooks are giving The Steelers the upper hand in this one with a 6 point spread. The Steelers have been good in their last few games which included victories over division rivals Cincinnati and the much more important Baltimore Ravens. Aside from the New England game, The Steelers have had a propensity for winning big games and winning tough games this season. They have had several close games but managed to pull out wins landing them at the top of the division with a 10-3 record.
Until 3 weeks ago, The Jets were rolling through the season at the top of the AFC with a 9-2 record. They hit major speed bump when they outright decimated by New England on Monday Night Football and their troubles seemed to follow them into the next week against Miami in a 10-6 loss. The Jets failed to cover in that game as a 4 ½ favorite and went under the total racking up only 16 points overall. Mark Sanchez has had his fair share of difficulties running the offense putting up just 9 points in the last 2 games. His offensive core has not helped much either as they have committed several devastating mistakes including a dropped touchdown pass by Santonio Holmes in the Miami game.
The Steelers offense has not exactly been stellar either scoring just 1 TD in their last 2 games. Their defense however, has been outstanding with players like Troy Polamalu and Lamarr Woodley forcing turnovers resulting in TD’s.
The Jets key to winning this game will be spreading out their offense as Pittsburgh’s run defense is too good to establish the rush. Sanchez will need to be at the top of his game and by opening up The Steelers’ defense through the air they will have a chance to get the running game some yardage as well.
Pittsburgh will need to stop cutting their own throat on offense. Their offense has committed too many penalties in the last several games making it do twice the work to gain half the yards. Pass protection is also key for Ben Roethlisberger as he has been banged up severely in the last 2 games.
Betting Trends
In 9 of the last 12 Jets games the total has gone OVER and the team is 9-3 SU. They are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games and 3-11 SU in their last 14 games against Pittsburgh. The Steelers are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games and 16-4 SU in the last 20 games at home. In the last 12 games against NY the team is 9-3 ATS.
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New Orleans @ Baltimore Ravens
Sunday, December 19 – 1:00pm
The Ravens and The Saints will both be battling for a much wanted win on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. The spread on this game has not yet been posted but whatever comes in as it is sure to be thin. In The Saints most recent outing they were a 31-13 winner against the St. Louis Rams as they covered the 9 ½ point spread as favorites but went under the total. The team has now won 6 straight and as defending Super Bowl Champions are going to be very hard to beat as they make their run for playoff positioning in the NFC. The team currently sits as the number two seed in their division behind the 11-2 Atlanta Falcons which gives them a number five seed in the conference. The Saints will be gunning to win out the rest of the season and hope that the Falcons falter to give them the top seed going into the playoffs.
The Ravens are in a very similar situation. They currently sit a game back from the Pittsburgh Steelers and will need to win out and hope The Steelers have break down in that time. Statistically, The Ravens are in pretty good shape as they are in a wild card position for the playoffs along with the Jets. The next closest team is San Diego who sits 2 games back on both teams.
The Ravens have one of the most feared defenses in the NFL, perhaps only second to that of The Pittsburgh Steelers. However, they will be playing one of the most high powered offenses this Sunday. Drew Brees has been excellent this season and if the Ravens secondary is not ready he will pick them apart.
Betting Trends
New Orleans is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games and 5-0 SU in its last 5 games. In its last 16 games on the road the Saints have gone 14-2 SU and 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games on the road. Baltimore is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games and 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home. The team is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 home games and 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing New Orleans.
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts (-5)
Sunday, December 19 – 1:00pm
It’s hard to imagine the playoffs without the Indianapolis Colts, but right now, that’s exactly what they are. The Colts haven’t missed the playoffs since 2001 but are now in serious danger of falling out of favor. They have already lost once to their division rival Jaguars this season and a second loss will surely mean the end of the season for The Colts. A win will tie them with the Jags for the division lead and from there it’s a race to win games and tie breakers.
The Jaguars are not about to roll over for The Colts. They have taken the back seat to the superstar-laden team and finally have a chance to put them away for good this season. The Jags will need to capitalize on Colts mistakes as Peyton Manning has had one of his worst seasons yet in terms of interceptions. If the Jags can force Manning to throw under pressure they will almost certainly get their chances to pick him off.
Both of these teams are coming off wins from last week – The Jags as 38-31 OT winners over the raiders and The Colts as 30-28 winners over the Titans. Neither team has any major injuries to report and should be ready with a full list of starters.
Betting Trends
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Jacksonville’s last 7 games and the team is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games. They are just 5-12 SU in the last 17 road games. The Colts are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 games and the total has gone OVER in 4 of Indie’s last 6 games. The team is 19-4 SU in its last 23 games at home with a 2-4 ATS record in its last 6 against The Jags.
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