Casino City's Week 15 NFL Circa Million V 2023 Pro Football Contest Picks
As we head into Saturday and Sunday, 30 of the league’s 32 teams are still mathematically alive for a playoff bid. Let’s take a look at five teams we think will come away with at least a cover in their matchup, beginning with a game from Saturday’s tripleheader.
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— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) December 14, 2023
Week 15 Contest Point Spreads
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Cincinnati -3 over Minnesota
In the last two games, both wins, Cinci’s backup QB Jake Browning has found a groove. In the victory over Jacksonville, Browning threw for over 350 yards and had three total touchdowns. Last week, Browning had 275 yards through the air and three total touchdowns in a 34-14 win over the Colts.
Obviously with Joe Burrow out for the season, the offense is down, but Browning has done a pretty good job at holding down the fort. He has had some help from RB Joe Mixon, who has three rushing TDs in the last two games, and WR Ja’Marr Chase, who had 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Jags. If the offense is clicking like it has been over two weeks, the Minnesota Vikings are in deep trouble.
After suffering an injury in his first game back from IR, Justin Jefferson believes he will play come Saturday. Adding one of the best receivers in football immediately helps your offense, but the Vikings may need more than that. QB Josh Dobbs has been benched and Nick Mullens is set to be the starter.
Mullens came in last week for his first snaps of the season. The Vikings snuck away with a 3-0 win over the Raiders. The week prior, Minnesota walked away with a tough 12-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. Offense is definitely the current issue for the Vikings and leading rusher Alexander Mattison will miss this game due to injury.
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— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 14, 2023
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Atlanta -3 over Carolina
If you have watched Carolina play this year, it’s no surprise that the Panthers are running away with the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft. The only problem is that pick goes to the Chicago Bears as a result of last year’s trade Carolina made in order to move up and draft QB Bryce Young. The offense is nothing short of abysmal, failing to score 20 points in a single game in over two months.
Atlanta, on the other hand, is tied for first in the division lead with a 6-7 record. Both Tampa Bay and New Orleans also sit at 6-7 in the NFC South. Atlanta is just on the outside looking in at the playoffs due to tiebreakers, but a win Sunday would be a major step in the right direction.
If there has ever been a must-win game, it is this one. With a team looking to make a playoff push going up against a 1-12 team showing no signs of offensive life, we’ll lay the points with the Falcons.
Chicago +3.5 over Cleveland
After a very rough start to the season, the Bears are starting to build a little chemistry and have rattled off three wins in their last four games. QB Justin Fields is always a threat to take off and run when the play breaks down. He also has done a much better job protecting the football, only tossing one interception in his last five games and no picks in his last three.
With Chicago potentially having the top pick in the draft, thanks to Carolina, Fields is looking to prove himself as the team’s future QB rather than needing to draft one come April. The Fields/D.J. Moore combination has been very lethal this season and while he is battling an injury, Moore was back at practice in a limited fashion yesterday.
The Browns, currently in fifth in the AFC standings, have an impressive 6-1 home record but current QB Joe Flacco has only played one game at home, a 31-27 win over banged-up Jacksonville. Can the veteran QB put up winning numbers against a tough, hard-hitting Bears defense behind an offensive line ravaged with injuries? We don’t think so.
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— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 11, 2023
Dallas +2 over Buffalo
The Cowboys made a big statement Sunday night with a 33-13 dismantling of the Philadelphia Eagles. Dak Prescott has his offense firing on all cylinders and he is the favorite to win the MVP at +150 on bet365 Sportsbook & Racebook.
During the team’s current five-game win streak, the offense has scored over 41 points in three of those games and at least 33 points in all five. It hasn’t just been one-sided for Dallas though. The defense has been holding up their end of the bargain just as well. In the last five contests, Dallas has only allowed more than 17 points in a game once.
Sure, Buffalo defeated Kansas City on the road last week, but go deeper than the eye test because the Bills were lucky to walk away out of Arrowhead with a win. This isn’t the Buffalo offense we have been accustomed to over the last couple of years.
Turnovers have been a major issue for QB Josh Allen and the Bills this season. If you give a powerhouse offense like Dallas extra possessions, you are going to find yourself well behind on the scoreboard.
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— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) December 11, 2023
Jacksonville +3 over Baltimore
The Jaguars lead the AFC South at 8-5, but after back-to-back losses, the Colts and Texans are both nipping at their heels at 7-6. The Jags have had a few injury issues, starting with QB Trevor Lawrence not being 100% heading into last week’s game. Both WR Zay Jones and RB Travis Etienne, while expected to play, were limited in practice yesterday while managing injuries of their own.
Hopefully, the Jacksonville offense looks to be normal again after Lawrence and his skill position players had an additional week to get healthy.
Baltimore, currently the top seed in the AFC at 10-3, has strung three wins in a row despite losing TE Mark Andrews to injury in mid-November.
With a sub-par 3-4 home record, this is a prove-it game for Jacksonville to show it can pull away in the division and also compete with the best in the AFC.
Week 14 Results: 1-3-1
Season Record: 28-39-3