NFL Pro Football 2007 Week 15 Picks early games

NFL Pro Football 2007 Week 15 Picks

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Fearless Rick's NFL Week 15 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | Dec. 13

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday and Monday night games.

Thursday, Dec. 13

Denver (-1, 47 1/2) at Houston 8:15 pm - With both of these teams at 6-7, playoff hopes rest on winning the remainder of their games, so this one is a must. The Broncos may have a slight edge on offense, though good things happen when backup QB Sage Rosenfels is doing the signal-calling, as he did last week in Houston's 28-14 upset win over Tampa Bay. The Texans are also 4-2 at home, while Denver is 2-4 on the road, with their two road wins coming by one and three points. Houston gets the nod in a wide-open offensive battle.

Prediction: Texans 31 Broncos 27

Saturday, Dec. 15

Cincinnati (-8, 43) at San Francisco 8:15 pm - It shouldn't be surprising that the Bengals show up at more than a TD favorite against the horrific 49ers. While Cincy can still salvage an 8-8 season, SF has lost a stunning 10 of their last 12 after a 2-0 start. They are one of the major disappointments of the season, and pitting Trent Dilfer against Carson Palmer is a QB mismatch. The Bengals, should they decide to play hard with no playoff spot on the horizon, ought to win this one going away. The 'Niners worst-in-the-league offense will make the Bengals' D look better than they are.

Prediction: Bengals 35 49ers 13

Sunday, Dec. 16

Arizona at New Orleans (-3 1/2, 48) 1:00 pm - Enormous playoff implications here as both teams are at 6-7 in the flimsy NFC. The Cardinals may take a look at the remaining schedule and note that they have no more road games following this and try to improve on their 2-5 visitor record. Plus, they play Atlanta and St. Louis in their final two games and have an edge defensively over the Saints. New Orleans got back on track, winning 34-14 at Atlanta on Monday night, but they are only 2-4 at home. Without Reggie Bush, New Orleans will be handicapped on offense, to the delight of Arizona's fans.

Prediction: Cardinals 24 Saints 20

Atlanta at Tampa Bay (-13 1/2, 39) 1:00 pm - Now that Bobby Petrino has flown the coop, the Falcons are flying without a quarterback and sans a coach. The team is in complete disarray in a season they'd rather just mail in at this point. Makes for easy pickings for the Tampa Bay squad, which can clinch the NFC South with a win and will likely have Jeff Garcia back at QB.

Prediction: Buccaneers 24 Falcons 6

Baltimore (-3 1/2, 37 1/2) at Miami 1:00 pm - With Cleo Lemon back behind center, the Dolphins stand a better chance of at least staying close in games, especially with the woeful exploits of the Baltimore defense, which has allowed 214 points in their last seven games (30.1 per game), all losses. If the Dolphins are ever going to win one, this could be their best shot, as they travel to New England next week and finish at home, hosting the Bengals. Now or never for Miami.

Prediction: Dolphins 27 Ravens 17

Buffalo at Cleveland (-5 1/2, 43 1/2) 1:00 pm - This should be one of the more entertaining games of the week with two up-and-coming QBs - Buffalo's Trent Edwards and Cleveland's Derek Anderson - trying to lead their teams to the playoffs. Cleveland is in the driver's seat at 8-5 and at home, though the never-say-die Bills are 7-6 and on a 6-2 run. Cleveland has serious deficiencies on defense and the streaky Bills should exploit them all day. Besides, Buffalo's defense is one of the better units out there, with an ability to shut down just about anyone at any time.

Prediction: Bills 31 Browns 21

Green Bay (-10, 44) at St. Louis 1:00 pm - The Packers have already clinched their division, but need to keep winning in order to secure the #2 seed in the conference playoffs. Winning in St. Louis is not a given, especially if Marc Bulger starts at QB for the Rams. When he's in, the Rams are a contender, and it looks like he'll start. Surely, Brett Favre will throw a couple of TD passes and the Packers will probably win, but not by much.

Prediction: Packers 24 Rams 23

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh (-3 1/2, 37) 1:00 pm - A high-quality matchup with playoff possibilities for both teams. Pittsburgh still has an outside chance at being the #2 seed in the AFC, but they'll need Indy to lose at least two of their last three games. With that not a top thought, the Steelers still have to be concerned with winning their division. The Browns are only a game back. Jacksonville is as tough an opponent one could get at this point in the season, as the Jags have won four of their last five by healthy margins and their only loss in that stretch was a 3-point loss at Indy. The Steelers are only slight favorites due to home field and the Jaguars look like the team with momentum here.

Prediction: Jaguars 20 Steelers 13

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N.Y. Jets at New England (-23 1/2, 46 1/2) 1:00 pm - OK, it's back to ridiculous lines for the Patriots as they roll towards that perfect record. With only the Jets, Dolphins and Giants remaining between them and perfection, this one should be over early. Plus, there's a little bit of bad blood bubbling here, so New England should have additional motivation. Um... like they need any?

Prediction: Patriots 54 Jets 6

Seattle (-7 1/2, 37) at Carolina 1:00 pm - The season euphemistically ended for the Panthers last week at Jacksonville, where they were unceremoniously eliminated from the playoffs by the Jags, 37-6. Without a quality QB for most of the season, they have struggled to even get to 5-8. Meanwhile, the Seahawks have quietly won 5 straight, clinched the NFC West and are making preparations for the playoffs. No let up here results in another Seattle victory.

Prediction: Seahawks 27 Panthers 10

Tennessee (-4, 34) at Kansas City 1:00 pm - The Chiefs have lost six straight and are just 2-5 at home. That really doesn't sit well with the fans, who are accustomed to much better. A loss here may well signal the end for head coach Herm Edwards and the Titans, who have lost 4 of their last 5 (including a nearly complete meltdown in last week's 23-17 OT loss to San Diego), should have plenty of motivation to deliver a death blow. This one is huge for the Titans because they finish at home with the Jets and then on the road at Indy.

Prediction: Titans 20 Chiefs 10

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday and Monday night games

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