NFL 2014 Week 15 picks

We're getting into the final weeks, so let's look at divisional races and playoff contenders.

AFC EAST:  New England leads in the division with the greatest separation. The Pats win the division with a win or losses by Miami and Buffalo.

AFC NORTH:  Tightest division race in the AFC, as every team still has a shot.  Bengals lead by half a game, but they haven't been impressive recently.  With games against Pittsburgh and Denver remaining, nine games looks to be their limit.  Ravens have the easiest schedule remaining.

AFC SOUTH:  Colts play Texans this week.  A Colts win seals the title for them.

AFC WEST:  Denver wins the title with a victory over San Diego this week.

AFC wildcards:  With the lost conference record of all contenders with 8-5 or 7-6 records, the Ravens need to win their division.  Pittsburgh has the best position for a wildcard berth, followed by Houston.  Miami, Buffalo, San Diego, KC, Houston, and Cleveland are still in the race.

NFC EAST:  Philly and Dallas are neck-and-neck, although Philly holds the tiebreaker.  They face each other this week for the lead.

NFC NORTH:  Green Bay leads, but Detroit is still nipping at their heels.  Minnesota has no chance now.

NFC SOUTH:  Even Tampa Bay is mathematically in it, although not practically.  Atlanta holds tiebreaker status, but New Orleans has the easier schedule and a rematch against the Falcons.

NFC WEST:  Arizona's lead is in jeopardy to Seattle.  The 49ers are still mathematically in, but a loss to Seattle this week would eliminate that.  The Rams don't have a chance at the title.

NFC Wildcards:  Seattle and Detroit are best poised to capture playoff berths.  The NFC East runner-up is also a strong contender.  Rams, 49ers, and Vikings are the only other wildcard contenders.

Thursday night:  Arizona Cardinals at St Louis Rams:  This game could determine Arizona's playoff fate.  The Rams defense has the best two-game streak of any team in the league, and the Cards offense has been sputtering.  This will be a defensive battle.  The Cards defense can score points, while the Rams are best at producing stops.  As such, I'll give a slight edge to Arizona, but watch out for the Rams.  CARDINALS, 20-17

Sunday early games
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns:  The Browns start Manziel, which may not be a smart idea against a division rival.  That's the main reason I'm picking Cincy, although neither is likely to have a great game.  BENGALS, 17-16

Green Bay Packers at Buffalo Bills:  Green Bay will knock the Bills out of division title contention.  Kyle Orton used to have decent stats against Green Bay when he was Chicago's QB, so expect that again.  PACK, 34-23

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts:  The Colts could clinch the division at home.  Nothing more really needs to be said.  COLTS, 30-23

Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens:  The Jags make most opponents look good; not that Baltimore needs it.  RAVENS, 30-16

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots:  Like the Colts, the Patriots have a chance to clinch their division at home.  That's incentive enough, ignoring the fact that they play a tough division rival.  PATS, 30-20

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs:  Lots of divisional contests this week, and KC appreciates the opportunity to improve their wildcard resume.  Despite two victories in recent weeks, the Raiders still have a ways to go to be a force in the league.  CHIEFS, 23-16

Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons:  Pittsburgh's offense has been potent recently.  I don't think the Falcons can keep up, unless their defense comes up with something to stop Le'Veon Bell.  The Flacons may get a late score to make the game look closer than it was, but the Steelers should rule.  STEELERS, 27-23

Tampa Bay Bucs at Carolina Panthers:  How bad are the Bucs?  Cam Newton is not playing after being involved in a car accident, and I still pick them to win.  PANTHERS, 20-17

Washington Redskins at New York Giants:  With all of the internal strife in the Redskins organization, I'm not sure they'll win another game, especially since they see nothing but divisional opponents.  GIANTS, 26-13

Sunday late games
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers:  As stated above, a Broncos victory clinches the division.  The Chargers have been too inconsistent recently for me to believe they can win, although the sometimes spotty Broncos defense could five Philip Rivers and company an opening.  BRONCOS, 27-24

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans:  Finally!  An opponent the Jets can beat.  JETS, 23-20

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions  Teddy Bridgewater has been doing fairly well, but the Lions defense will make this game tough.  LIONS, 21-17

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks:  With Seattle's revitalized defense and Colin Kaepernick's struggles, this game should be easy for Seattle.  SEAHAWKS, 23-13

Sunday night  Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles:  The Eagles were embarrassed by Seattle, so they are itching for a good game.  Dallas has been avoiding their December slump, although they were stomped on Thanksgiving Day by these same Eagles. The Cowboys have a couple of extra days to prepare, but until their defense shows more effectiveness at slowing the Eagles fast-paced offense, I have to favor the Eagles.  EAGLES, 27-26

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:  New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears:  The Bears typically do poorly on Monday night, and their defense is in shambles.  Drew Brees should have a good game.  However, the Saints defense hasn't been great recently, either, and Chicago is itching for a good game.  Expect aerial antics from Jay Cutler as well.  This game will have several lead changes, but I like the idea of Cutler producing a late drive when the Saints defense tires.  BEARS, 30-27