NFL lines, Week 15: 5 best bets

Thank a lot, New England Patriots. Even you can’t figure out how win in down in South Beach regularly. Here are the five best bets in the NFL in Week 15.

Well, no, we did not get another perfect week with best bets in Week 14. It came down to the Monday Night Football game, but even the evil empire New England Patriots couldn’t play a complete game on the road against the Miami Dolphins. An extra night in South Beach will do that to a visiting opponents.

So I went 2-3 in my best bets last week. Not too happy about it, but I’m still above .500 on the year at 36-32-2. What has gotten me a few more L’s than I deserve is quarterbacks either getting benched before this column is due or quarterbacks getting hurt and awful backups are forced in.

That being said, two backups came through this week for me. The handsome Jimmy Garoppolo led the San Francisco 49ers to an upset road victory over Tom Savage Garden and the Houston Texans. It took overtime, but yes, Brett Hundley was able to lead the Green Bay Packers over the still winless Cleveland Browns.

As for the L’s that I’ll just have to deal with, Josh McCown’s broken arm gave way to Bryce Petty for the New York Jets. So no, no, they did not cover the one-point spread as Gang Green got shut out by the hapless Denver Broncos in Mile High. The Oakland Raiders did not show up against the arch rival Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. They got four points and lost by 11.

Then there is you, Patriots. Come on! You didn’t do your job. I understand that the Dolphins down in Miami often make you cry, but you are now in second place in the AFC behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and their terrible towels. Do better and beat the snot out of them next week. That being said, I’m not picking you as my best bet. You’re not welcome, Patriots.

Here are my five best bets against the spread for Week 15. All lines are by OddsShark.

Green Bay Packers (+3) at Carolina Panthers

Though I can’t see you through the computer screen, please raise your hand if you’re done with seeing Aaron Rodgers star in State Farm commercials opposite of Clay Matthews. Exactly, we’re tired of seeing Hundley almost lose to the Browns in overtime. It’s time for the baddest man on the planet to get back in there and do some quarterbacking for the cheeseheads.

Regardless of if Rodgers will play on Sunday, I’m taking the Packers getting three points on the road versus the Carolina Panthers. Why? Because Carolina has been a better road team than home team this year for whatever reason. They will be far too emotional after beating the Minnesota Vikings last week. Carolina might drop this one to fall to 9-5.

Green Bay is fighting for a playoff berth. The Packers need the head-to-head tiebreaker to have a semi-realistic shot of getting in as a wild card team. Minnesota will inevitably win the NFC North, but having the tiebreaker would be huge for Green Bay. Though they have the tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Lions, losing on the road in Week 2 to the Atlanta Falcons could cost Green Bay a shot at the postseason.

Simply put, Carolina is more likely to make the NFC playoffs than the Packers at this point. In short, the Panthers can somewhat afford a loss in the last three weeks and be in good shape. Green Bay doesn’t have that luxury. Look for the Packers to upset Carolina in Charlotte, especially if Rodgers is under center for them.