The AFC and NFC wildcard race is still wide open. The final three weeks of the 2016 NFL season will provide us with plenty of drama as we offer our NFL Week 15 betting tips which begins with the L.A Rams and the Seattle Seahawks for Thursday Night Football.
NFL Week 15 Betting Tips
Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (Friday 16th December 12:25pm)
This Thursday Night Football showdown is between NFC rivals the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. Both teams are coming off bad week 14 losses but it’s the Rams that must overcome an even bigger hurdle. After the Rams lost 42-14 to the Atlanta Falcons they were booed out of the L.A Coliseum. Not long after that the head office fired head coach Jeff Fisher. They appointed special team’s coordinator John Fassel as the interim head coach. Now the Rams must overcome a road game, on a short week, with a new head coach….
It wasn’t just the Rams that got blown out in week 14. The Seattle Seahawks lost 38-10 to the Green Bay Packers. It was an ugly game for quarterback Russell Wilson who threw five interceptions. Interceptions aside, the Seahawks had more total yards, more first downs and led the time of possession. The problem was efficiency.
This is a big bounce back opportunity for Seattle. They are a different team at CenturyLink Field (perfect 6-0) this season and there’s also the revenge factor. Earlier this season the Rams beat the Seahawks 9-3 in a very low scoring game. This will be a blowout victory for the Seahawks.
Prediction: Los Angeles 9 Seattle 28
Tip: Seattle Seahawks at the line (-15.0) - $1.92 at Sportsbet
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos (Monday 19th December 8:25am)
The Denver Broncos will host the New England Patriots in the high-altitude conditions at mile high Stadium. The Broncos have put themselves at risk of missing the playoffs after losing to Tennessee last week. They have a very tough schedule to end the season which includes games against New England, Kansas City and Oakland. Personally, I think they will miss out on a wild card spot to either Baltimore, Tennessee or Miami.
The Patriots looked great against Baltimore. It would have been a blowout victory if it wasn’t for some very bad special team’s fumbles. They beat Baltimore through the air. Tom Brady threw for over 400 yards and had three touchdowns. However, this game should look very different. Denver have the number one ranked passing defense allowing just 183.5 yards per game but they are very vulnerable against the run. They allow over 127 yards of rushing per game (ranked 29th).
If LeGarrette Blount gets the Patriots running game going (and I think he will) it will allow Belicheck and Brady to play a far more conservative game. The Patriots will win this game and possibly end the Broncos chances of making the playoffs.
Prediction: New England 24 Denver 13
Tip: New England Patriots at the line (-3.0) - $1.86 at Sportsbet
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys (Monday 19th December 12:30pm)
This is a very important Sunday Night Football matchup. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are flying under the radar. They have won their last five games and are right in the playoff picture. Over the past five weeks they have beaten some good teams, including Kansas City and Seattle. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to bounce back after suffering their second loss of the season.
There will be a lot of pressure on rookie quarterback Dak Prescott to perform. Even though he has been unbelievable up to this point. The fact is there’s a veteran quarterback named Tony Romo just waiting for his chance to get back on the field. It’s a very-unique situation and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. Dallas should have success running the ball against this Tampa Bay defense. Tampa Bay have allowed over 110 yards of rushing per game (ranked 21st).
On the other hand, Tampa Bay can exploit the Dallas secondary who are allowing 267.8 yards of passing yards per game (ranked 28th). Especially with the one-two punch of Jameis Winston and Mike Evans. The 23-year-old receiver is really establishing himself as an elite player. He has 1100 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns (ranked 5th). I’m predicting a high scoring game at AT&T stadium.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 24 Dallas 30
Tip: Total Points Over 46.5 - $1.90 at Sportsbet
Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins (Tuesday 20th December 12:30pm)
After three road games the Washington Redskins will be happy to be back at FedEx Field. The NFC wildcard spot is very tight and will go right down to the wire. The Redskins currently sit just half a game outside and find themselves in a must win situation. Playing the role of “spoiler” is last year’s Superbowl team the Carolina Panthers. They will need to motivate themselves with “pride” as a playoff berth is off the table.
Washington has had no trouble putting points on the scoreboard. Head coach Jay Gruden has done a great job with Kirk Cousins and they have created a very potent offense. Cousins has thrown for 4045 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Redskins are averaging almost 26 points per game (ranked 8th). Only problem is they are allowing almost the same points (24.4 ranked 22nd).
Redskins cornerback Josh Norman will go up against his former teammates. He will be very familiar with Cam Newtons tendencies and his knowledge of the Carolina Offense will no doubt help his new team. This could get ugly for the Panthers.
Prediction: Carolina 17 Washington 35
Tip: Washington Redskins by 14+ points - $3.08 at Sportsbet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
