NFL Week 15 Picks: Odds, Prop Bets and Predictions Before Thursday Night

The Tennessee Titans have joined the ranks of the respectable teams in the NFL through the first three quarters of the season.

Now they have a chance to earn a playoff spot if they can execute effectively over the final three games. The Titans are tied with the Houston Texans atop the AFC South, as both teams have 7-6 records. The Texans technically have the lead because they beat the Titans earlier in the year. The two teams are scheduled to meet in the season finale at Tennessee.

Prior to that game, the Titans have back-to-back road games with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the Jaguars don’t figure to cause much of a problem, beating the Chiefs on the road will be the Titans’ biggest challenge to this point in the season.

The Chiefs are 10-3, and they are a veteran team that does not make many mistakes with head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Alex Smith. The Chiefs tend to play a conservative game, and that leads to winning football.

Smith is completing 67.3 percent of his passes and has a 12-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. While 12 scoring passes are not impressive for this time of year, the five interceptions indicate that Smith is not going to put his team at risk.

He is content to take what the defense gives him and let his defense make key plays that decide the game. That defense features Dee Ford (10 sacks), Justin Houston (four sacks and one forced fumble in four games), Marcus Peters (five interceptions and 22 passes defensed) and Eric Berry (three interceptions, two for touchdowns).

The stats may say the Chiefs have the 27th-ranked defense in yards allowed, but any team that takes them lightly will pay a big price.

The Chiefs have been installed as a five-point favorite at Arrowhead Stadium, according to OddsShark.

However, if the Titans can avoid the intimidation factor at one of the NFL’s loudest stadiums, they have an excellent chance to compete with the Chiefs for 60 minutes.

Marcus Mariota seems to be improving every week, and he has an impressive 25-8 TD-INT ratio. Wide receiver Rishard Matthews and tight end Delanie Walker have combined for 13 …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com