Fansided

NFL Week 15 picks against the spread

By Nick Villano

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers shake hands after the Chiefs' 38-28 win against the Chargers on September 9, 2018, at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers shake hands after the Chiefs' 38-28 win against the Chargers on September 9, 2018, at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (-5.5)

The Green Bay Packers look like a whole new team last week, eviscerating the Atlanta Falcons just days after Mike McCarthy got fired. Aaron Rodgers looked like he had a little extra fire with the spotlight back on his team. With every team ahead of the Packers somehow losing, this team is technically still alive for a Wild Card spot.

The Chicago Bears, meanwhile, come in higher than any team in the league. They just beat the NFC’s top seed in the Los Angeles Rams, and they are back home. There is one major issue with the Bears, Mitch Trubisky looks terrible. If it wasn’t for the Bears suffocating defense, he would have given them no shot. He has the dump off to Tarik Cohen, and that’s about it for his arsenal. Could the Bears defense hold Rodgers to nothing as they did to Jared Goff?

This matchup really comes down to Rodgers. Did you see what he did in the first game of the season? After the Bears knocked him out of the game, he returned on one leg and led the Packers to victory. Still, this feels different. The Bears can clinch the NFC North with a win, something nobody really thought would happen this early in Matt Nagy’s tenure as coach. They will come out motivated, and the points really don’t matter when you have this defense.

Green Bay 21, Chicago 30

Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills (-2.5)

Earlier in the season, I told you you’d have to give me an insane line just to consider picking the Buffalo Bills. They were getting smacked around every single week and losing by double digits to almost anyone. Then, every so often, they would shock the world and beat a team that made the postseason last year. That’s how we get here, where they are the favorites against a team not vying for the first-overall pick in next year’s draft.

The Lions look lost at times in Matt Patricia’s first season as head coach. They currently sit in last place in the NFC North, where a lot of people predicted they would end up. Their franchise-tagged defensive end Ezekiel Ansah is now done, probably forever, as a Detroit Lions player. Things are not looking good for the Lions.

However, Detroit still has a good quarterback. Matthew Stafford can sling it, even if he doesn’t have any receivers. If Kerryon Johnson suits up, I think this is an easy bet for the Lions. If he doesn’t, reluctantly, still pick the Lions. They have LeGarrette Blount to do most of the inside running, and they have a slightly better talent level than the Bills, even with Josh Allen as QB.

Detroit 21, Buffalo 20