The NFL regular season is quickly winding down, but there are still no shortage of sleepers that have the potential to ruffle some feathers. This week, the 49ers and Bears look to play spoiler for a couple of playoff-bound teams. Meanwhile, the Broncos and Giants get their turn to stop two of the most potent offenses in the league.
Let’s take a look at all five games involving the potential sleepers for this week and make a case why each team will (or won’t) grab an upset against the spread. And for more sleeper coverage, check out our picks for Week 15 fantasy football sleepers here, as well as our college football bowl season picks here.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Why the Broncos will win: The Broncos defense remains very, very good. It’s giving up just 14.3 points per game over the past month, including two games of 15 points and one game of just three. The Steelers have been scoring points for fun lately, but their streak of 30-plus-point games has to end sometime. And if any team can slow them down, it’s this Denver D.
Why the Broncos will lose: The offense can’t hang with the Steelers. It couldn’t even hang with the Raiders at home. Brock Osweiler has thrown just five touchdowns in five games this season, while the running game has been erratic all year long. If the defense can’t make plays, it’s hard to see where the points needed to cover are going to come from.
Writer’s Prediction: The Broncos (+6) stop the Steelers from covering in a 27-24 loss.
Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers (+4.5) (Sun, Dec. 20, 4:25 PM ET)
Why the 49ers will win: Yes, the Niners are bad just about everywhere on the field, but it should count for something that quarterback Blaine Gabbert will have years more experience than the Bengals’ A.J. McCarron, who will be making his first career start.
Prior to the awful Browns loss, the Niners had also been reasonably competitive, particularly at home, where they gave the Cardinals a game in a 19-13 loss.
Why the 49ers will lose: That Browns loss was actually a signal that the Niners are tanking the rest of the season to get the highest possible draft pick they can get. The team simply folds it up against the Bengals, who still have a better team from top to bottom, save for the dude under center.
Writer’s Prediction: Gabbert outplays McCarron to help the Niners (+4.5) stay close in a 21-17 defeat.
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants (+5) (Sun, Dec. 20, 1:00 PM ET)
Why the Giants will win: The Panthers have to slip up sometime; they nearly did in their last road game against the Saints. The Giants have their issues, but when Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. play like they did on Monday night against Miami, they have every shot of sticking to at least a field goal of the Panthers.
Furthermore, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is questionable to play, which could see Cam Newton without his most reliable receiving target.
Why the Giants will lose: As the recently-shutout Atlanta Falcons can attest, the Panthers are not putting their foot off the gas pedal just yet. They look as if they’re going for perfection, which is not good news for the Giants’ chances. And if there’s one player in the league that can silence ODB, it’s Carolina’s shutdown corner Josh Norman.
Writer’s Prediction: The Giants (+5) end the Panthers’ perfect season with a 34-31 win.
Chicago Bears (+5.5) at Minnesota Vikings (Sun, Dec. 20, 1:00 PM ET)
Why the Bears will win: The Bears may be out of the playoffs, but they should find some motivation in helping keep their division rival Vikings out of it as well. Chicago has been within one score of the Vikings in its last three visits to Minny. Furthermore, the Bears are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games.
Why the Bears will lose: The Vikings, who have Adrian Peterson, have a pretty formidable running game. The Bears, on the other hand, have a pretty flimsy run defense. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that’s not a good matchup for Chicago.
Writer’s Prediction: The Bears (+5.5) battle hard and cover against the Vikings in a 24-21 loss.
Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles (+3.5) (Sun, Dec. 20, 8:30 PM ET)
Why the Eagles will win: The Eagles have looked light years better with Sam Bradford at quarterback as opposed to Mark Sanchez, and have won back-to-back games in the process. The defense has also settled down after two horror show performances against Tampa Bay and Detroit.
The Cards haven’t been blowing teams out with the same frequency over the last few weeks – four of their last five games have come by a single score – so the Eagles definitely have a shot of sticking to within a field goal.
Why the Eagles will lose: The Cardinals are just flat out better on both sides of the ball. Carson Palmer is showing no signs of slowing down, and he has the weapons in the receiving game to hand the Eagles D another vicious beating.
Writer’s Prediction: The Eagles (+3.5) hang on to cover in a 27-24 loss.
Create a betting account now to cash in on any or all of these sleepers in Week 15 of the NFL’s exciting 2015 season.
