NFL AFC Week 15 Predictions
The Indianapolis Colts are one step closer to perfection with their 28-16 win over Denver, putting them at 13-0 for the season and adding to their regular season 22 game winning streak, a new NFL record. Having already locked up the AFC South as well as home field advantage throughout the playoffs, the big question will be how much playing time the starters will get in the last three regular season games. Keeping their players healthy for a Super Bowl run will most likely take precedence over finishing the season undefeated. The next best team in the AFC is the San Diego Chargers. They extended their current winning streak to eight games with an impressive 20-17 win over the Cowboys in Dallas. Coupled with the Broncos loss, the 10-3 Chargers have now opened up a two game lead in the AFC West with three games to play. Cincinnati blew a chance to lock up the AFC North by losing to Minnesota 30-10. While at 9-4, they still have a two game lead over 7-6 Baltimore along with the tiebreaker having swept the Ravens this season, after watching their poor performance against the Vikings you have to wonder how much a threat they will be in the post season. New England ended their two game skid by beating Carolina 20-10 and maintained their one game lead in the AFC East. Both Miami and New York kept pace as the Dolphins beat Jacksonville 14-10 and the Jets hammered Tampa Bay 26-3. If the season ended today, the 8-5 Broncos and the 7-6 Jaguars would be the two wildcard teams. Still in the hunt for a spot in the post season are the Ravens, Jets, and Dolphins who are all 7-6. While not mathematically eliminated, the Steelers 13-6 loss to Cleveland on Thursday night all but ended their chance to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.
Moving onto week 14 in the AFC the key match ups we will be reviewing are; Indianapolis@ Jacksonville, Miami@ Tennessee, and Cincinnati@ San Diego.
Indianapolis Colts (-3.5) @ Jacksonville Jaguars Current Over/Under 43
Not really knowing how much playing time QB Peyton Manning, WR Reggie Wayne, and the rest of the Indianapolis starters will actually get in this game makes it kind of tough to predict. Jacksonville desperately needs a win just to hold on to their very thin grasp on a playoff spot. They are 5-2 at home which is a sharp contrast to their 2-4 record on the road so that is also in their favor for this game. They have the 8th ranked rushing offense in the league which should match up well against the Colts 30th ranked rushing defense. If Manning comes out of the game early, it will be up to rookie QB Curtis Painter to try and move the #1 ranked passing offense in the league against a Jaguars defense that is ranked 26th against the pass. Given that the Colt’s have already alluded to the fact that they will be looking to keep their starters healthy, I think their winning streak ends in Jacksonville this Thursday night. Go with the Jaguars and the UNDER.
Miami Dolphins @ Tennessee Titans (-4) Current Over/Under 43
The Dolphins are 4-1 in their last five games as they are peaking at the right time of the year. Tennessee won their sixth game of the season by crushing St. Louis 47-7, but lost QB Vince Young along the way with a strained hamstring. Given the fact that it has been reported as a mild strain, I would expect him back for this pivotal match-up. More important for the Titan’s attack is the running of Chris Johnson. Against the Rams he ran for a 100+ yards for the eighth game in a row. With 1626 rushing yards so far season, he is on pace to go over 2000 on the year. Stopping him will have to be priority number one if Miami is to have any chance of coming away with a win. Whichever team can squeeze the most out of their running game should come out on top. While Johnson is definitely a stud, I like Miami’s overall offensive balance just a bit better. I’m going with the Dolphins and the UNDER.
Cincinnati Bengals @ San Diego Chargers (-7) Current Over/Under 44
Over the past several weeks the Bengal’s offense has basically ground to a halt. They only managed 10 points against Minnesota last week and have only averaged 17 points a game since their bye in week eight. Their defense was exposed by the balanced attack of the Vikings as they gave up over 140 yards on the ground and 30 points on the scoreboard. While San Diego does not have nearly as good a running game, RB LaDainian Tomlinson is still always a threat to have a big day. The bigger concern for Cincinnati, whose pass defense is ranked 23rd in the league will be trying to shut down QB Philip Rivers and a Chargers passing game that is currently ranked fifth. The Bengals have suddenly become very suspect as a bona fide playoff team while San Diego is probably the only team in the AFC that has a legitimate chance to compete with the Colts for the title. I’m going with the Chargers and the OVER.
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