Week 15’s Top 5 NFL Games
Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys take their unbeaten road record into Philadelphia for a crucial NFC East clash against the Eagles on Sunday Night Football.
Week 15 in the National Football League got off to a start Thursday night with the Arizona Cardinals earning a grueling victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in a game void of touchdowns. In the process, the Cardinals continued to set the pace in the NFC.
Betting Sports now looks ahead to what remains of this week’s NFL action, bringing you the top five games left on the schedule.
Let’s start with a big divisional showdown in the Forest City.
*****
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, OH (Sun, 1:00 p.m. ET)
The Cincinnati Bengals are currently clinging to a lead in the AFC North while the Cleveland Browns are looking to stay in the race for the division championship. The two sides go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon.
A loss to the Steelers last weekend saw things get a whole heap closer in the AFC North. With the Steelers and Ravens playing inferior opposition this weekend, Cincinnati (8-4-1, 4-2 road) must earn an important divisional win over the Browns if it is to remain at the front of the pack.
A late loss to Indianapolis last Sunday saw Cleveland (7-6, 4-3 home) fall behind its divisional rivals, but with two divisional games left on the docket, the Browns are still in the race. That will change with a loss on Sunday.
*****
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN (Sun, 1:00 p.m. ET)
The Indianapolis Colts can secure the AFC South championship Sunday with a win over the Houston Texans. The Texans meanwhile will be looking to stay alive in the race for the division title and the postseason.
Indianapolis (9-4, 5-2 home) earned a 33-28 victory when the two sides met in Week 6 and will be confident it can repeat the feat in the Circle City. Clinching the division title doesn’t mean the end of the race for the Colts though. Chuck Pagano’s side still has a shot at a top two finish and a first round bye.
As far as the AFC South title goes, Houston (7-6, 4-3 road) has its work cut out for it. A win over the Colts would move the Texans within one game of the table-toppers though, which would really set the cat amongst the pigeons.
*****
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA (Sun, 4:05 p.m. ET)
After a tough game against New England on Sunday night, the San Diego Chargers will face the AFC’s other top side this Sunday as the Denver Broncos make their way to Southern California.
Despite Sunday’s loss, San Diego (8-5, 5-2 home) retained its place in the Wild Card position last week, and will look to do the same this week. With as many as eight teams vying for two berths in the AFC, a loss to the Broncos could be critical for Phillip Rivers and Co.
Denver (10-3, 3-3 road) will continue to push for the No. 1 seed on Sunday, looking to earn a season sweep of the Chargers in the process. While the result may be a foregone conclusion for some, the Broncos’ road record has been somewhat suspect this season.
*****
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA (Sun, 4:25 p.m. ET)
The Seattle Seahawks will look to make a clean sweep of the San Francisco 49ers when the two sides meet in the Pacific Northwest on Sunday.
With Arizona winning on Thursday Night Football, Seattle (9-4, 4-1 home) now knows that a loss on Sunday could make its shot at winning the NFC West that much more difficult. Next week’s head-to-head with the Cardinals will be crucial, so Pete Carroll’s side would prefer to arrive in the desert with a 10-4 record. A win over bitter rivals, the 49ers, wouldn’t go amiss either.
San Francisco (7-6, 4-3 road) is out of the running in terms of the NFC West title, leaving a Wild Card berth as the team’s only entry point to the postseason. Even that looks highly unlikely heading forward, but Jim Harbaugh will look to urge his team forward. Getting up for a game against the Seahawks shouldn’t be a tough ask, particularly after the Thanksgiving thumping the Niners received in Santa Clara.
*****
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA (Sun, 8:30 p.m. ET)
First place in the NFC East will be up for grabs Sunday night as the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys.
Philadelphia (9-4, 6-1 home) earned a convincing win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving to gain the edge in the division standings, but that edge came to an end as the Eagles fell to the Seahawks last Sunday.
Dallas (9-4, 6-0 road) will look to maintain its unbeaten road record at The Link on Sunday. Doing so would give Jason Garrett’s side a very good chance of winning the division, although with a home game against the Colts still on the agenda, there’s still much to play for.
This isn’t quite the winner take all battle we saw in Week 17 last year, but it’s not far off.
*****
For an up-to-date list of Week 15 NFL odds, click here.
For a full list of NFL Futures, click here.
For NFL team prop bets, click here.
For NFL player prop bets, click here.
