NFL Week 15 picks against the spread

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 Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

New England Patriots (-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers

Both these powerhouse teams were upset in a major way last week. The Patriots lost on the last play of the game because they decided Gronk was a defender, and the Steelers lost because their kicker slipped on a banana peel (or probably just slipped on the Raiders terrible field). Both those losses make this game a must win for everyone involved.

The Patriots are holding on to their first-round bye by a threat, and if they lose here the Texans will probably get it. The Pats are making the playoff and could clinch with a win or Dolphins loss. The same cannot be said for the Steelers. They have a half-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens. They also have that lead over three other teams fighting for a Wild Card spot.

Giving the Patriots one point makes sense with how the Steelers have been playing. The Patriots lost to the Dolphins, who are a Wild Card contender. The Steelers lost to the Raiders, who are trying to get Nick Bosa. This game can go a million different ways but go with history. It’s been seven years since Big Ben got the best of Tom Brady. Don’t expect it to happen here.

New England 38, Pittsburgh 35

Seattle Seahawks (-5) at San Francisco 49ers

Who knows what to think of the San Francisco 49ers at this point? Every so often, they put together a huge winning performance. They did that last week against the Denver Broncos. Nick Mullens looked decent again. They even did it without Matt Breida, who could return this week.

However, this is a Seattle Seahawks team that hasn’t looked this good all season. They are firmly in the five seed, ready for a matchup with the winner of the NFC East. They’ve won four games in a row. This is a team hitting on all cylinders, especially on defense. Russell Wilson hasn’t been perfect, but he could forget his bad performance against the Vikings by tearing up a bad 49ers defense.

This one is a lock. The Seahawks deserve more points than five against this team. Sure, San Fran won last week, but they’ve shown those are fluke wins. It’s won’t happen again.

Seattle 35, San Francisco 10