NFL Week 15 bold predictions: Bills' D steps up in win over Cowboys; Steelers score season high

Posted on : 12/15/2023
NFL Week 15 bold predictions: Bills' D steps up in win over Cowboys; Steelers score season high
NFL 

Throughout the 2023 season, NFL Network analysts will provide one bold prediction heading into each week’s slate of games (see the full Week 15 schedule).

Buffalo pulled out a season-saving victory over the Kansas City Chiefs last week, while the Cowboys looked like legit Super Bowl contenders in a blowout win over the Eagles. The Bills continue their playoff push with Josh Allen contributing three total touchdowns and the defense forcing MVP frontrunner Dak Prescott into two turnovers in another Bills win.

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Courtland Sutton has found the end zone in 10 of 13 games and trails only Tyreek Hill (12) with 10 receiving touchdowns, engineering one of the least expected and most overlooked breakouts of the 2023 season. And yet, the sixth-year wideout has yet to log a game with 100-plus yards or multiple touchdowns this year. That changes on Saturday, when Sutton tags the suspect Lions secondary for 105 yards, two tuddies and a top-10 fantasy finish on the week.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are averaging a putrid 16.2 points per game this season, ranking 28th in the NFL. They haven’t reached 20 points since Week 10, and their season high (26 points) came back in a Week 2 win over the Cleveland Browns. Well, this is the bold predictions article, so that’s what I’m going to give you. Pittsburgh scores a whopping 30 points with backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Saturday, lifting them to victory and keeping them in the playoff chase.

Kyler Murray’s return has been a slow process, as expected. While the stat sheet may not have shown it, he played arguably his best game before Arizona’s Week 14 bye. After the week off, expect the Cardinals to have a new wrinkle for the 49ers. It’s also Murray’s first game against San Francisco since Week 5 of 2021. Look for him to show out against a tough divisional foe with a pair of TD passes (a season high for him), though it won’t be enough for Arizona to win.

DeVonta Smith has quietly been the WR6 in fantasy points per game over the second half of the season. A.J. Brown has more than double the targets of Smith when playing against man coverage. Against zone, however, Smith has just one fewer target than Brown — but Smith has been the more productive Eagles WR in that circumstance, with more receiving yards and touchdowns than Brown. Smith will have another chance for a ceiling performance on Monday versus a Seahawks defense that plays the second-most zone coverage in the NFL — leading you to victory in Round 1 of the fantasy playoffs. 

Matthew Stafford stays hot and has his best game in years. Stafford has thrown three-plus TDs in each of his last three games, and with Cooper Kupp looking healthy again, the veteran wideout explodes against the Commanders, who have allowed the second-most passing yards and the most touchdowns through the air in the NFL this season. Stafford finishes the day with 400 pass yards and four TDs.

Full NFL Week 15 schedule

Thursday, December 14

  • Las Vegas Raiders 63, Los Angeles Chargers 21

Saturday, December 16

  • Minnesota Vikings at Cincinnati Bengals (1 p.m. ET on NFL Network/NFL+)
  • Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts (4:30 p.m. ET on NFL Network/NFL+)
  • Denver Broncos at Detroit Lions (8:15 p.m. ET on NFL Network/NFL+)

Sunday, December 17

  • Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers (1 p.m. ET on FOX)
  • Chicago Bears at Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. ET on FOX)
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers (1 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (1 p.m. ET on FOX)
  • Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (1 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots (1 p.m. ET on FOX)
  • San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • Washington Commanders at Los Angeles Rams (4:05 p.m. ET on CBS)
  • Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX)
  • Baltimore Ravens at Jacksonville Jaguars (8:20 p.m. ET on NBC/Universo/NFL+)

Monday, December 18

  • Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks (8:15 p.m. ET on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/NFL+)

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