Del continued his trend of sub-par picking against the spread with a 7-9 week last week, but you’re never going to believe something else that happened. Del went a perfect 3-0 in the top three picks of the week. That’s right — undefeated.
While we realize it is going to be nearly impossible to get above the 50-percent mark against the spread with just three weeks remaining, we can still try to bring you some respectable selections. Hopefully, that will be true with the locks of the week. Here are Del’s Week 15 NFL Picks, with analysis of the top three after the chart. Check back later in the week for Doc Brown’s picks.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
We’re starting with the Colts at home laying 5.5 points against the Texans for our first lock of the week. Despite some inconsistent play all season, the Colts are 8-5 and in position to make the playoffs. The Texans, on the other hand, are horrendous. They’ve positioned themselves perfectly to earn the top overall pick in next year’s draft, and they need a quarterback. Simply put, there’s more to not play for in Houston these days than there is to play for. Indianapolis will be looking to bounce back after getting blown out by the Bengals. Andrew Luck and company play much better at home and indoors.
Next, I’m going with the Chiefs -4.5 on the road against Oakland. Winning back-to-back road games is tough in the NFL, but Kansas City was pretty convincing with a 45-10 win at Washington last week. Tamba Hali and company are playing lights out and the Chiefs still look like one of the better teams in the NFL. Andy Reid has completely turned this team around, and the Raiders are coming off a loss to the lowly Jets. The Chiefs are the much better team. If they can win on the east coast, they can win on the west coast.
Finally, I’m taking the Bengals laying 2.5 points on the road against Pittsburgh. The Steelers are coming off a demoralizing home loss to the Dolphins that all but eliminated them from playoff contention. Spirits can’t be very high for Mike Tomlin’s team. On the flip side, the Bengals demolished the Colts last week and are playing with confidence. They can clinch the AFC North title with a win and a Ravens loss. With the Ravens traveling to Detroit, that is a legitimate possibility. I expect the Bengals to take care of business — even on the road.
