2012 NFL Week 15 Picks: You Better Be Listening to These Guys 

Wait – the Eagles won? And the Panthers too? Who would have ever guessed that?

Well, the answer is Tom. He was truly Mc-Feel-ing it in Week 14, going 12-4 for the week. Because Michael, who was up one game on Tom, went 10-6, McFeeley vaults into the lead at 22-10 overall to 21-11.

These guys know what they are doing.

So it’s week 15. So many NFL games with playoff implications, for your real teams and your fantasy teams (if you’ve survived). Here is how we see the week shaping up. Tom has the honors and will pick first.

Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia Eagles

TOM: Forget last week. The Eagles are ready to be done with the season and the Bengals need to bounce back, or let the Jets – the Jets? – into the playoff picture.  BENGALS 34-19

MICHAEL: I still like the Bengals to make the postseason; last week was just a slip up. In a game versus an inferior opponent, they’ll put the Eagles out of their misery early. BENGALS 38-16

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

TOM: The banged-up Bears have little to nothing left in the tank. You simply cannot run on fumes against the Packers, even if they have their own share of injuries. PACKERS 31-16

MICHAEL: As a Packers fan, I can see signs of the 2010 championship team in this year’s squad. With a newly found balanced offense against the reeling Bears, the Packers win back-to-back NFC North crowns. PACKERS 27-17

New York Giants at Atlanta Falcons

TOM:  The point spread is under 2, acknowledging the Giants are just as good. They’re playing better and we’ve seen this movie before. GIANTS 20 –13

MICHAEL: Just when the Falcons looked like a true championship-caliber team, they’ve appeared to have peak too early this season. Meanwhile, the Giants look to have gained their usual December momentum heading into the playoffs. GIANTS 23-10

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

TOM: This game looked a lot better just a couple of weeks ago. Bucs need the game and the Saints are just beaten down at this point. Freeman finds a way in a hostile environment, BUCS 21-20

MICHAEL: The Saints have finally hit rock bottom this season. That means there is nowhere to go but up, and this team has pride. I see Drew Brees rallying this team to victory and spoiling any slight hopes the Buccaneers have at the playoffs. SAINTS 27-21

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams

TOM:  The Adrian Peterson express continues. He will continue one of the most remarkable seasons in NFL history this week. I say 150 yards, 2 more TDs. Hell, he might throw for one too.  VIKINGS 24-12

MICHAEL: Adrian Peterson will get even closer to Eric Dickerson’s 2,105 rushing yards in a season record with another game of 100+ against the Rams. But despite popular belief, Peterson can’t do it all. The Rams really aren’t a bad team, just inconsistent. I feel their defense will stop Peterson enough to force Ponder to throw more than he wants to, and that will be the difference maker. RAMS: 15-14

Washington Redskins at Cleveland Browns

TOM: The Browns are almost a touchdown favorite in this game, I assume because of RG3’s injury. When news comes down that he plays (and it will, because I’m facing him in a fantasy playoff game) this spread will decline as well. But it’s a great matchup to top rookie running backs. We forget that Alfred Morris is already one of the best rushers in the league, and the Browns take a step back even if RG3 is out or limited. REDSKINS 17-7

MICHAEL: Being from the northeast Ohio area, Browns fans are elated that they’re not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs at this point in the season. And though I’ve picked them to win the past three weeks (which they have), I’m going with the more playoff-hungry Redskins. Whether it’s RG3 or Kirk Cousins, the difference makers for Washington are Alfred Morris and Pierre Garcon. REDSKINS: 27-13

Jacksonville Jaguars at Miami Dolpins

TOM: This is what I don’t get about the NFL. If two teams from Florida play each other, why on earth would you put the game in December? They both enjoy favorable climates at home, why give them an extra game late in the season in which weather is a factor. Both teams suck in any climate. DOLPHINS 10-9

MICHAEL: Cue the coin-flip decision. Done. DOLPHINS 13-9

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens

TOM: If ever we could flex out a Monday night game, we’d move this game from 1 p.m. Eastern and swap it with the Jets/Titans. I think Denver is the better team, but the Ravens need to right the ship and Ray Lewis is back. But Peyton smells a bye, a top seed, and an MVP.  BRONCOS 24-19

MICHAEL: I can’t see the Ravens losing three straight games, but I also can’t see Peyton Manning and the Broncos losing at all at this point (well, at least until the AFC Championship Game at New England). BRONCOS 31-23

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans

TOM: A really intriguing game here. The Legend of Luck grows, while the Texans suddenly are human after a drubbing at New England. The truth is Luck still makes his share of mistakes and the Texans are angry and will be looking to take it out on someone. The rookie’s in the wrong place at the wrong time this week. TEXANS 26-13

MICHAEL: Though Tom Brady and the Patriots embarrassed the Texans, they’re still a great team. And Andrew Luck and the Colts cannot compare to Brady and the Pats. Houston, we’re going to solve our problems (at least for one week). TEXANS 34-20

Carolina Panthers at San Diego

TOM: Talk about two teams that nobody can figure out. I know Cam Newton has been lights out over the last month, reminiscent of Cam’s first 3 or 4 games as a rookie.  I’ve believed in the Chargers most of the season, until I don’t, and they go and spank the Steelers.  I like West Coast teams at home against East Coast teams and I do think the Chargers are better. But only by a hair. CHARGERS  17-16

MICHAEL: Superman is going to leap from the east coast to the west coast in a single bound. PANTHERS 24-13

Seattle Seahawks  at Buffalo Bills

TOM: Russell Wilson does belong in the rookie of the year discussion, particularly if they keep winning. I just think they are about due to stub their toe. BILLS 21-17

MICHAEL: Once again, the Seahawks have a chance to win a game 58-0. But the Bills will probably score garbage time points in the fourth. SEAHAWKS 41-10

Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals

TOM: You know how on the replays on TV, they can show you just two players and make every other player go away? It will seem like that on about 10 plays with Stafford and Megatron playing catch like they were tailgating. LIONS 31-9

MICHAEL: The Cardinals don’t have an Optimus Prime to stop Megatron. They also don’t have a quarterback. LIONS: 38-6

Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys

TOM: As a Jet fan, I’m rooting hard for the Cowboys out of some crazy chance my crappy team can back in to the playoffs.  Yes, I’ll be rooting for both Mark Sanchez and Tony Romo to win. Naturally, they won’t.  STEELERS 19-14

MICHAEL: I’m going with the Cowboys and I’m not sure why. I just have a gut feeling that Romo & Co. can pull off a victory against a Steelers squad that looked very subpar last week. COWBOYS: 19-17

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

TOM: Because they tell me I have to pick every game, RAIDERS 14-6

MICHAEL: And I thought that Jaguars-Dolphins game was hard to pick. But rather than a coin toss, I’m simply going to pick against Tom on this one just for the sake of it. CHIEFS 7-3

San Francisco 49ERs at New England Patriots

TOM: Somehow I think the Patriots were granted the easiest schedule in the league. This is one of the tougher games, but as I pointed out last week, the most difficult opponents always seems to come to Foxborough.  PATRIOTS 24-17

MICHAEL: Like I said last week, it’s hard for me to ever pick against Belichick and Brady (unless they’re playing the Giants), because they’ve seen it all before. The 49ers may have a better way to slow down Brady, but he’s impossible to stop. This one will be closer, but Patriots win again. PATRIOTS 31-20

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans

TOM: The depleted Titan offensive line will prevent them from doing much of anything against a defense that’s playing well of late. I don’t even want to talk about the Jets’ QB situation. Make it stop, please. Jets make it interesting for their fans before ultimately falling short of a playoff berth.  JETS 20-13

MICHAEL: The NFL could’ve easily flexed out of this game weeks ago, knowing that both these teams are disappointments and aren’t doing anything this season. But they didn’t, and this has to be the worst MNF game this season. I won’t be watching this one, but since I have to pick, I think the Jets are the better team. JETS 16-12.