If you love football, well, week 15 should be an ideal time to find a screen in your house and fixate your eyes because it’s shaping up to be the best slate of games on the schedule. The NFL is a billion-dollar industry, and a great decision was to have most of the games for the last month of football played by divisional rivals. It makes for great television with every team in the AFC East and NFC East facing each other over the next few weeks. Another interesting wrinkle to the schedule is the start of Saturday games given College football is heading to Bowl season. This week in football is so good that the Commanders and Giants did not crack the best matchups, but Washington will win this game after a debacle called a tie two weeks ago. However, let’s take a deep dive by previewing and predicting the five best matchups of week 15.
Last WeeK:4-1
Overall Record:45-25
1. San Francisco 49ers (9-4) at Seattle Seahawks (7-6)-Thursday, 8:15 p.m, Prime Video
The Seattle Seahawks felt like a Cinderella team of the league this season because if the season ended right now, they would have exceeded expectations. However, the team headed into a matchup against the Buccaneers in Germany with a 6-3 record and then lost 3 of their next 4 games to the Bucs, Raiders, and Panthers. Yikes! This team has nosedived, while their opponents this week are hotter than a forest fire! The 49ers are on a six-game winning streak and down to their third-string quarterback, Brock Purdy who outplayed Tom Brady in his first NFL start. The 49ers’ defense is the best unit in the league, and it will be able to slow down Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense. Although it is a short week, and they will be on the road, I like the 49ers to grind out a close divisional victory.
49ers 23-Seahawks 20
2. Miami Dolphins (8-5) at Buffalo Bills (10-3)-Saturday, 8:15 p.m., NFL Network
The Dolphins should call the league and file a complaint about their schedule. The team has faced the 49ers and Chargers in the past two weeks on the road and now the Bills on Saturday Night in Buffalo. The weather forecast is for 1 to 3 inches of snow and a cold night at a brisk 22 degrees. Reports indicate that the Dolphins used sideline heaters to stay warm during 55-degree weather in Los Angeles. There are also questions over the health of Tyreek Hill, and the Bills will try to copy the defensive game plan that worked well against the Dolphins in the past two weeks. It will not be a high-scoring game based on the weather but I expect Josh Allen to make a few big plays with legs and will his team to victory.
Bills 21-Dolphins 17
3. Detroit Lions (6-7) at New York Jets (7-6)-Sunday, 1 p.m. ET CBS
If you thought this game would be a meaningful game when the schedule was released, please your hand. Stop lying and put down that hand. These two games have enjoyed great seasons because they were likely to lose a lot of games, and collapse to a high draft pick. The Lions head into this matchup having won 5 of their last six games, while the Jets have lost two straight. It is an interesting matchup because it will pit the Lions’ offense and the Jets’ defense. I think the Lions’ offense is a bit better, and they are the hot team peaking at the right time.
Lions 27-Jets 24
4. Tennessee Titans (7-6) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-6)-Sunday 4:25 p.m., CBS
This is the hardest matchup this week to predict because these teams are like Jekyll and Hyde. At the moment, things look bad for the Titans who have lost three consecutive games while the Chargers are coming off a win against the Dolphins but haven’t won back-to-back games since weeks 4 and 5. It is a long journey to the west coast, but I think the Chargers will be more consistent in their play with the return of Mike Williams to complement Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler. I am wary that the Chargers’ weakness is stopping the run, and it will be a test to face Derrick Henry. However, I think Justin Herbert propels the Chargers to an important win.
Chargers 33-Titans 24
5. Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET CBS
The Bucs played a disastrous game last week against the 49ers while the Bengals finally beat the Browns with Joe Burrow under center. The Bengals have righted the ship from a slow start, and surprisingly their defense that has impressed. The unit has allowed 16.7 points in the past three weeks to the Titans, Chiefs, and Browns. It is also a headline matchup because it will be the first and likely only matchup of Burrow and Tom Brady. Burrow has drawn comparisons to Brady, and expectations are that this game to be a close scoreline. However, the Bengals will win this game because the Bucs cannot be trusted to play consistently.
Bengals 28-Bucs 23.