Trav’s 2023 Week 15 NFL Predictions

Week 14 is in the books, and it looks like we’re in for a fun and crazy final month. My record for last week was 5-5 and it dropped my overall mark to 82-47. The overall winning percentage dropped from 64.7 to 63.6%. The first defeat came when New England went to Pittsburgh and upset the Steelers. New England opened the game with an offensive flurry and was able to hold on and win the game. In an NFC South matchup, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied and scored in the final moments to beat the Falcons. The win over Atlanta and with the Saints winning, we have a 3-way tie atop the division. My third defeat came when the Cleveland Browns took down the Jacksonville Jaguars. Joe Flacco stepped in and looked great and has been named the starter for the remainder of the season.

The final two losses were the Monday Night Football, and we can say were upsets. The first one saw the Tennessee Titans travel to Miami and upset the Dolphins. The loss by Miami means that the Baltimore Ravens sit atop the AFC by themselves with a 10-3 record. The other game saw the feisty New York Giants defeat the Green Bay Packers. The loss ended the Packers 3-game winning streak and it extended New York’s win streak to three. The win by the Giants now has them one game behind a slew of teams for the final Wild Card spot in the NFC. Green Bay is now tied with four other teams for the final Wild Card spot. With a lot of games with playoff implications I’ll be predicting a total of 10 games this week. Let’s get this thing started.

As usual, we kick things off with the Thursday Night game and it features two AFC West rivals. The Los Angeles Chargers will travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. With both teams being two games out of the final Wild Card spot, this feels like an elimination game. The Chargers have lost four of their last five games. If that’s not enough, they will probably be without Justin Herbert after breaking his index finger on his throwing hand. In their last four games, the Chargers are averaging less than 11 points per game. The Raiders have lost three in a row and the offense is just as bad. In their last four games, the offense is averaging 11.5 points a game and that includes a 3-0 loss to Minnesota. This could be an ugly game and I’ll pick the Raiders since they’re home. Las Vegas Win 16-13

This is the first of three games to be played on Saturday. We have the Minnesota Vikings heading to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. The Vikings ended their 2-game losing streak by beating the Raiders 3-0. Joshua Dobbs was benched in the game, and they lost Justin Jefferson and Alexander Mattison to injuries also. Minnesota is another team that’s had offensive woes in the last three weeks. They have scored a total of 33 points in the last three games. Cincinnati is finding their groove and they have won their last two games. In those games, they scored 34 points per game and Jason Browning is looking great. The Bengals are one of six teams fighting for the final two Wild Card positions. I’m not seeing this offense slowing down and have them winning again. Cincinnati Win 24-14

The second game to be played on Saturday has a lot of playoff implications in the AFC. The 7-6 Pittsburgh Steelers will head to Indianapolis to take on the 7-6 Colts. The Steelers have lost two in a row and those losses came against the Cardinals and Patriots. The Steelers defense have had its struggles and now T.J. Watt is in concussion protocol. Pittsburgh needs to start playing with some urgency if they’re going to turn this around. The Colts had their 4-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Bengals last week. If Indianapolis can’t get their running game going, they are in trouble. Not having Jonathan Taylor is having a huge impact on the offense and he will be out for this game also. I’m picking the Steelers to rebound and win this game. Pittsburgh Win 24-20

The third and final Saturday game should be a great one between a pair of playoff hopefuls. The Denver Broncos will travel to Detroit to battle the Lions. After starting the season 1-5 and basically written off, the Broncos have won six of seven games. They have found themselves a game behind the Chiefs for first place in the AFC West. After this game, they have a favorable schedule for their final three games. Can they make it 7 wins in 8 games with a win over Detroit? Detroit has lost two of their last three games, but they are still the 3^rd seed in the NFC. This game should be treated as a must win seeing two of their last three games are on the road. I’m picking the Lions to edge the Broncos with urgency. Detroit Win 24-21

We have the Chicago Bears traveling to Cleveland to battle the Browns. The big question for the Bears organization is, will they draft a QB or keep Justin Fields and build around him? Chicago has won three of their last four games and Fields is showing a lot of promise. With the revamped defense, this team is now only a game out of the final Wild Card spot also. Can Fields and the Bears make it three in a row? Cleveland finds themselves holding on to the first Wild Card spot. Joe Flacco turned back the clock last week in their big win over Jacksonville. The defense of the Browns is still good, but they’re allowing a lot of points lately. How will this Browns offense respond to the feisty Bears defense? This is a tough one, but I’m going with the Bears. Chicago Win 30-28

We have a pair of 6-7 NFC teams hoping to snatch one of those playoff spots. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will head to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. The Bucs are coming off an impressive win in Atlanta over the Falcons. With the win, Tampa took over first place in the NFC South having the tiebreaker over the Falcons and Saints. The lack of a consistent run game has hurt this team all season. Green Bay had their 3-game winning streak snapped on Monday Night against the Giants. The game winning field goal by the Giants brought the Packers momentum to a halt. The Pack were without two of their offensive weapons in Christian Watson and Aaron Jones. If one of them returns, the Pack has a great chance of winning this one. Green Bay Win 27-20

We have the New York Giants take a trip down south to New Orleans to take on the Saints. The Giants have won three in a row and found themselves in the thick of the playoff race. New York is a game out of the final Wild Card position but have a tough remaining schedule. They still have a pair of games with the Eagles and a home game against the surging Rams. Can they make it 4 in a row? New Orleans finally had their 3-game losing streak ended with their win over Carolina. Derek Carr didn’t play his best game against the woeful Panthers defense. New Orleans will need to rely on their defense if they are going to win this one. I’m thinking the Saints defense will do enough to win this one. New Orleans Win 21-17

We have arguably the best game of the week with this matchup. The Dallas Cowboys will make the trip up north to take on the Buffalo Bills. The Cowboys bring their 5-game winning streak and all the confidence in the world. Dallas is coming off an impressive win at home over their NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles. Dak Prescott is looking more and more like the league MVP heading into the final month of the season. Buffalo went to Kansas City and defeated the Chiefs, and it may have saved their season. The Bills are one of six teams fighting for the two Wild Card spots with a 7-6 record. Josh Allen will have to have a Superman like performance against this tough Cowboys defense. The Cowboys are a different team on the road and the Bills need a win so I’m going with the Bills. Buffalo Win 27-24

We have the Sunday Night game between two division leaders in the AFC. The Baltimore Ravens will travel down to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. The Ravens sit atop of the AFC with a 10-3 record. They have four games remaining and they include San Francisco on the road and at home against Miami. Lamar Jackson had an amazing game last week against the Rams as he threw for over 300 yards and rushed for 70. Jacksonville is coming off tough back-to-back losses to drop their record to 8-5. The Jaguars are now trying to fight off the Colts and Texans in the AFC South. With three favorable matchups after this one, the Jags could position themselves atop of the AFC. It’s hard to pick against the Ravens even on the road for a primetime game, but I’m going with the Jags. Jacksonville Win 26-24

We have a couple of NFC teams that enter this contest on losing streaks. The Philadelphia Eagles will travel to Seattle where they will battle the Seahawks. The Eagles are struggling on offense and defense and have dropped two in a row. The defense has given up 109 points in their last three games. The offense has only scored 25 points in the last two games, and they continue to turn the ball over. Philadelphia hasn’t beaten Seattle in 15 years, and this is a must win. Seattle is on their own 4-game losing streak after such a promising start. The Seahawks went from contending for the NFC West crown to on the outside of the playoff bubble. The Eagles look like a shell of themselves and the Seattle receiving core will help them win the game. Seattle Win 30-20

There we are my predictions for the 2023 Week 15 NFL season. What games intrigue you the most for the 2023 Week 15 NFL weekend? What do you think about my picks? Check out my top 5 teams in both conferences below. Leave some feedback below about anything NFL related or my 2023 Week 15 NFL predictions.