NFL 2023 Week 15 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is soon coming upon us yet again. With only four more weeks of regular season play left, there is still plenty of football to enjoy. In this post I'll do the latest playoff picture for Week 15, a Week 15 preview and picks as well as the Early & Late TV Broadcast pairings that FOX and CBS will have. Let's get to work!

NFL Playoff Picture: Week 15

With the playoffs in five weeks, there is still quite a few teams that haven't punched their ticket to January football yet. Still there are a few games this week that have implications to the playoff picture. At least one or two teams won't be playing beyond Week 18. Let's take a look at the NFC first.

Seeding

1st seed: San Francisco 49ers (10-3)

2nd seed: Dallas Cowboys (10-3)

3rd seed: Detroit Lions (9-4)

4th seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)

5th seed: Philadelphia Eagles (10-3)

6th seed: Minnesota Vikings (7-6)

7th seed: Green Bay Packers (6-7)

Super Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Green Bay @ Dallas

Minnesota @ Detroit
Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay

In the Hunt

LA Rams (6-7), Seattle (6-7), Atlanta (6-7), New Orleans (6-7), NY Giants (5-8), Chicago (5-8), Washington (4-9), Arizona (3-10)

Better Luck Next Year

Carolina (1-12)

San Francisco is ahead of both Dallas and Philadelphia due to head-to-head records. Same for Dallas and Philadelphia. Atlanta is behind Green Bay and Los Angeles based on conference record. Quite a log jam in with the 6-7 teams. Those losses to San Francisco and Dallas really put Philly in a hole. Let's look at the AFC. 

Seeding

1st seed: Baltimore Ravens (10-3)

2nd seed: Miami Dolphins (9-4)

3rd seed: Kansas City Chiefs (8-5)

4th seed: Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5)

5th seed: Cleveland Browns (8-5)

6th seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)

7th seed: Indianapolis Colts (7-6)

Super Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Indianapolis @ Miami

Pittsburgh @ Kansas City

Cleveland @ Jacksonville

In the Hunt

Houston (7-6), Denver (7-6), Cincinnati (7-6), Buffalo (7-6), LA Chargers (5-8), Las Vegas (5-8), NY Jets (5-8), Tennessee (5-8)

Better Luck Next Year

New England (3-10)

A bit quieter in the AFC. Kansas City is ahead of Jacksonville based on head-to-head record. Kansas City is ahead of Cleveland based on conference record. Pittsburgh is ahead of Indianapolis based on common games record but this week's Steelers-Colts matchup will decide that more. A lot of the 7-6 teams in the hunt are going to keep an eye on that matchup. Specifically teams that beat the Steelers like the Texans. 

Week 15 Preview

The Fifteenth Week of the National Football League's regular season will start in Las Vegas, Nevada and finishes up in Seattle, Washington. There will be a 16-game slate where all 32 teams will play. No teams are on a bye this week. Week 15 will feature a Thursday night, three Saturday games, seven early games, three late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. CBS will have the single, regional game while FOX will have the doubleheader this week. Let's get to the picks!

Week 15 Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

LA Chargers (5-8) @ Las Vegas (5-8) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers

The Chargers lost to the Broncos and the Raiders lost to the Vikings last week. Week 15 starts off with an AFC West battle as the Chargers and Raiders battle it out. Both teams are 5-8 and will likely miss the playoffs. Los Angeles won't likely have Justin Herbert in the game as he got injured. Easton Stick will likely get the start. Las Vegas has been dealing with their own troubles with quarterback play. The book on Aidan O'Connell has been more misses than hits. If the Raiders can take advantage of the less than average Chargers defense I think they might have a shot to win. I have some confidence that the Chargers team can rally around Stick and find a way to win. 

Minnesota (7-6) @ Cincinnati (7-6) (NFL Network; 1:00 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Vikings

The Vikings beat the Raiders and the Bengals beat the Colts last week. The first of three games on NFL Network. Minnesota managed to win a game by getting a field goal. Other than that they probably should've won that game by more than a field goal. They'll need to do better against a better offensive team in the Bengals. Cincinnati looked to be on the right track after losing Joe Burrow. Then they lose Jake Browning. It is possible that Browning might come back. Otherwise it will be AJ McCarron's job to lead the Bengals to victory. I feel the team will rally to whoever quarterbacks the team. I don't trust the Vikings as much as I can throw them. I'll take the Bengals. 

Pittsburgh (7-6) @ Indianapolis (7-6) (NFL Network; 4:30 pm): TW: Colts; CV: Colts

The Steelers lost to the Patriots and the Colts lost to the Bengals last week. Two possible playoff teams duking it out in Indy. Pittsburgh 10 days ago were 7-4 and with a bright future ahead. Then the 2-10 Cardinals and Patriots came. It feels like they should play up to potential and beat the teams that they should have to beat. They just end up playing with their food and before you know it, they are losing to them. Indianapolis is still in possible playoff position but they face a tough schedule. They need to win against a potential playoff team to get that head-to-head edge. The matchup to watch is TJ Watt (if he plays) and the offensive line of the Colts. If he doesn't play then the Colts will have a bit of an easier time to giving Gardner Minshew enough time to throw the ball to the necessary people. I'll take the Colts in toss-up. 

Denver (7-6) @ Detroit (9-4) (NFL Network; 8:15 pm): TW: Lions; CV: Lions

The Broncos beat the Chargers and the Lions lost to the Bears last week. Denver has been one of the hotter teams in the league. There was a time that the Broncos were 1-5 and looked like it was a lost season. Since then, they have went 6-1 and the verge of a wild card spot. They'll have their hands full against a Lions team that got beat soundly against the Bears. Detroit really plays worse against their own division it seems. They gave up the ball, couldn't generate enough points to be competitive and let Justin Fields loose. I still like the Lions to at least keep pace in the now open NFC playoff picture but they need to cut down on the mistakes and at least calm down. 

Chicago (5-8) @ Cleveland (8-5) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Browns; CV: Browns

The Bears beat the Lions and the Browns beat the Jaguars last week. Chicago has kind of been playing better as of late. It's like they might've had a breakthrough with Justin Fields and he is playing like his job is on the line and that this dumpster fire of an organization is desperate enough to get rid of him. So far Justin Fields has done more good than bad. I like some stock in the Bears. Cleveland finally got themselves a quarterback that can throw the ball accurately and at the fraction of the cost and less than the lawsuits. Joe Flacco played pretty well last week. Cleveland could potentially be a team that can make some noise in the playoffs if they can keep playing the way that they are. I think the Browns defense will clamp down on the Bears running game. If the Browns win, it'll be just the fourth time since coming back in 1999 that they have a winning season. 

Atlanta (6-7) @ Carolina (1-12) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons

The Falcons lost to the Buccaneers and the Panthers lost to the Saints last week. Another NFC South showdown for both teams. The Falcons come off a rough loss against Tampa. It was a game that they looked to have possibly won but sadly Baker Mayfield had other ideas. They should be better than they seem. I wish they'd utilize Bijan Robinson more as he is just such a talent. Carolina is just not that good, based on the record. They aren't good on either side of the ball. If the Falcons lose this game, they should just close up shop for real.

Houston (7-6) @ Tennessee (5-8) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Texans; CV: Titans

The Texans lost to the Jets and the Titans beat the Dolphins last week. Houston took a bit of a step back against the Jets. They couldn't do anything on offense. Maybe it makes the Jets defense look a lot better than they are. Houston will need to rebound quickly and find themselves against a Titans team that would rather play spoiler. Tennessee has to be feeling a bit good about themselves beating the Dolphins on the road. Maybe they will help give themselves some confidence in possibly beating the surprising Texans. I feel like the Texans should win with their offense. 

Kansas City (8-5) @ New England (3-10) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

The Chiefs lost to the Bills and the Patriots beat the Steelers last week. Kansas City has kind of had a rough go of it lately. Their problems stem from not following through details. Dropped passes have been an issue. The fact that they can't line up properly for a game-deciding play proves that they have a lot more issues underneath. It's really a miracle that they are at 8-5. New England is mostly playing out the season. This might prove to be a huge advantage to them as they could play spoiler. It seems unlikely as their offense is not as good as the Chiefs are... at least on paper. New England's defense can keep them in games but even they have their troubles. They aren't as good as pass rush in past years. I think its a tough go but I'll take the Chiefs. 

NY Giants (5-8) @ New Orleans (6-7) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Giants; CV: Saints

The Giants beat the Packers and the Saints beat the Panthers last week. How about the Giants and their Godfather-esque quarterback. Tommy DeVito has been playing pretty well the last few weeks since coming out of the bullpen to relieve an injured Tyrod Taylor. Poor Tyrod. His cast of characters have also been playing well as of late. The G-men have won three straight games. New Orleans just seems like a team on the down in this matchup. Their offense should be so much better than it is. The Derek Carr to Chris Olave connection should be a household name next to gumbo. I feel good with the Giants so I'll stay on the DeVito bandwagon for a bit longer. 

NY Jets (5-8) @ Miami (9-4) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins

The Jets beat the Texans and the Dolphins lost to the Titans last week. The Jets got a win with Zach Wilson's return to the fray. They actually put up points and kicked the Texans around like a dog playing with its food. Normally the Texans offense could put up points like no other team in the NFL. They have to be feeling good with Zach Wilson playing again at quarterback. At least for the moment. Miami really should've won against the Titans. They just let the Titans proceed to do what they wanted and gave the Dolphins a black eye. They need to come out swinging and just keep piling it on the Jets. I sitll like the Dolphins offense in the matchup. Unless Zach Wilson proceeds to put in his best version of Joe Namath, I'll take Miami. 

Tampa Bay (6-7) @ Green Bay (6-7) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Packers; CV: Buccaneers

The Buccaneers beat the Falcons and the Packers lost to the Giants last week. Tampa Bay fought hard for a win against division rival Atlanta. They managed to get a win on the Bucs last drive. They certainly have to feel good about themselves. Green Bay had a bit of a letdown against the Giants. It seemed to me that the best team out on the field on Monday night was the Packers. Had they not made mistakes they probably should've won. Not to say anything against the Giants (I don't want the DeVito family to to whack me). I still feel good about the Packers in this matchup. I think they can get a win. 

San Francisco (10-3) @ Arizona (3-10) (CBS; 4:05 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: Cardinals

The 49ers beat the Seahawks and the Cardinals had a bye last week. An NFC West showdown that makes you wish something better. San Francisco has looked to be the team that we saw back earlier in the season. Their offense has so many weapons and they can hurt you with their defense. Sure the 49ers had their skids and bumps along the way. Any normal team will have them along the way. Arizona has been the complete opposite of their division rivals. They don't have the greatest offense in the world but they aren't necessarily terrible. Their defense has to be the one that's suspect. Kyler Murray coming back has to be one of the bigger news stories this team has had thus far. Arizona has done some crazy things this season like beating the Cowboys earlier in the year and beating the Steelers on the road. I don't see them taking the win against a tough team. 

Washington (4-9) @ LA Rams (6-7) (CBS; 4:05 pm): TW: Rams; CV: Rams

The Commanders had a bye and the Rams lost to the Ravens last week. Washington has had a rough season, going 2-9 since starting at 2-0 earlier in the season. Yeah I kind of forgot about that as well. I like a few pieces in their offense, like Sam Howell. Howell looks like the kind of quarterback this team should build around. The Commanders defense just isn't that great as they can give up points like a pinball machine. They currently give up 30.4 points/game, which is currently ranked 32nd in the NFL. The Rams could easily exploit that. I still think that the Rams can put together a run. They have to first take care of business and hope that the pieces fall into place. The secret to the Rams success is how many weapons they have. They have capable pass catchers that you can't double team more than one guy in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. I think it'll be a dogfight but I think the top dog will be the Rams. 

Dallas (10-3) @ Buffalo (7-6) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Cowboys

The Cowboys beat the Eagles and the Bills beat the Chiefs last week. Both teams come off wins against tough opponents. The Cowboys beat the rival Eagles in a resounding fashion. Buffalo beating Kansas City by a hair. Buffalo has shown up to play when it comes to NFC East opponents and winning against the Cowboys would give them a boost of confidence. Dallas as well shares in this high amount of confidence in beating the defending conference champions. If Buffalo can keep feeding the ball to James Cook and the other running backs and keep Dak Prescott off his game by spying on him, the Bills got a shot to win. Dallas would need to apply pressure to Josh Allen by forcing everyone else other than him to beat you and to keep Allen in that pocket. Philadelphia couldn't do it and I don't have faith that Dallas can either. I'll take the Bills. 

Baltimore (10-3) @ Jacksonville (8-5) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Jaguars; CV: Ravens

The Ravens beat the Rams and the Jaguars lost to the Browns last week. Baltimore is at 10-3 but they probably should've lost last week with the way that they played against the Rams. The Rams gave them as much of a fight that even most Ravens fans would've wanted. I question how well the Ravens can continue this level of play. Jacksonville almost gave up with a win out of its ass last week. If Trevor Lawrence would cut down on the turnovers, imagine how well that game could've gone for the Jaguars. I think the biggest factor in this game is whether or not the Jaguars running back Travis Etienne is used well enough to win. They need to give Lawrence a break and hope for the best. It seems favored for the Ravens but I'll go for the upset. 

Philadelphia (10-3) @ Seattle (6-7) (ABC; 8:15 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Seahawks

The Eagles lost to the Cowboys and the Seahawks lost to the 49ers last week. The week finishes up with a battle of the birds. Philadelphia has had a bit of a rough go of late. They lost big against two of the conference's best teams. Teams that granted are tough to beat but they should've played better. Fortunately for them, they play against the Seahawks. Seattle had been stuck at six wins for quite a while. They haven't won a game since beating the Commanders at home. Geno Smith not playing has been somewhat of a factor but not so much. Drew Lock has only started one game thie season and it was against the 49ers. I would pump the brakes a bit on him. If the Seahawks want to win, they will need to get back to running the ball and play balanced offense. For the Eagles to get back to playing better they just need to calm down and not feel so much pressure. I don't see it happening as I will take the Eagles. 

Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings

CBS Single

NY Jets @ Miami
Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Tampa Bay @ Green Bay

Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan

Houston @ Tennessee

Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

Washington @ LA Rams (Late)

Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely

San Francisco @ Arizona (Late)

Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

FOX Early

Kansas City @ New England

Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston

NY Giants @ New Orleans

Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

Chicago @ Cleveland

Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

Atlanta @ Carolina

Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth 

FOX Late

Dallas @ Buffalo

Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2023: Week 15 Maps

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 6-8

Week 11: 7-7

Week 12: 9-7

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 5-10

Total: 114-94

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 7-7

Week 11: 11-3

Week 12: 8-8

Week 13: 9-4

Week 14: 4-11

Total: 123-85

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all after the Monday night game for the Week 15 Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom