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Week 15 NFL Picks: Predictions, Advice for Latest Vegas Spreads, Odds and Props
- Updated: December 15, 2016
The Green Bay Packers dug themselves a deep hole this season.
After dropping a 42-24 decision to the Washington Redskins in Week 11, the Packers were 4-6 and apparently on the road to nowhere. Their defense was miserable, and Aaron Rodgers was having a hard time running the Green Bay offense efficiently, in part because running backs Eddie Lacy and James Starks were hurt.
But even though the Packers were 4-6, they found a way to turn things around. They have won three games in a row and have pulled above the .500 mark.
The defense has picked it up a bit in victories over Philadelphia, Houston and Seattle, and Rodgers has found his stride.
He is completing 65.1 percent of his passes and has a 32-7 TD-interception ratio. He has a 10-0 TD-interception margin over the last four games.
The Packers are in an excellent position to make it four wins in a row as they get set to play the Chicago Bears this week. The Bears are 3-9, and they are lining up with fourth-string quarterback Matt Barkley at quarterback.
The Packers are 5.5-point road favorites over the Bears, according to OddsShark. That website also reports that 70 percent of the bets made on the game have been on the Packers.
The Packers are 10-2 straight up in their last 12 games against the Bears, and 13 of the last 18 Green Bay-Chicago games have gone under the total, according to OddsShark.
This is not a game where the handicapper should fall into the trap of overthinking. The Packers have gotten hot, Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball well and they tend to assert themselves against the Bears.
We are not worried about Rodgers’ calf problem that kept him out of practice Wednesday and is scheduled to do the same Thursday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
The Packers will win this game and cover the spread as they continue their late-season charge.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
If the Packers are hot, the Pittsburgh Steelers are hotter.
The Steelers have followed up a four-game losing streak with a four-game …
