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USA Today

We have just four weeks remaining in the NFL's regular season and only one playoff spot has been locked up. With the postseason race wide open, that naturally makes every upcoming game that much more important, including the looming Week 15 slate. In the NFC, San Francisco can clinch the division with a win over Seattle on Sunday and there are several matchups among playoff hopefuls that could see bubbles burst by the time the dust settles next week. 

While we still have one more game to go in Week 14 between the Patriots and Cardinals on Monday night, let's take our first glimpse of all the Week 15 matchups and get our impression of the opening lines to see if there is anything they can tell us about who the oddsmakers see coming out on top.

Note: There are three games slated for Saturday: Indianapolis at Minnesota, Baltimore at Cleveland, and Miami at Buffalo. 

Week 15 early odds

(All lines from Caesars Sportsbook, all games on Sunday unless noted)

49ers (9-4) at Seahawks (7-6), Thursday

Opening line: 49ers -1

San Francisco has since jumped out as a 3.5-point favorite after throttling the Buccaneers, 35-7. In his first career start, Brock Purdy looked great, completing 16 of his 21 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another score. If he can continue to play at this level and the defense remains as a top-tier unit, San Francisco could continue to be a legit threat in the NFC. However, Deebo Samuel did go down with an ankle injury during this game, so his status will be worth monitoring. As for Seattle, they fell to the Carolina Panthers at home and were torched for 223 yards on the ground. The Niners are 4-0 ATS in their last four games but have historically struggled in Seattle, owning a 2-8-1 ATS record over their last 11 trips.  

Colts (4-8-1) at Vikings (10-3), Saturday

Opening line: Vikings -5.5

The line has started to shift in the direction of Indianapolis as the Vikings are now a 4-point favorite over the Colts following a loss to the Lions. Minnesota's defense continues to be a key issue for them, despite owning a comfortable lead in the NFC North. Jared Goff threw for 330 yards and three touchdowns in the win on Sunday, further exposing a secondary that ranked at the bottom of the league in passing yards allowed entering Week 14. They'll now get a Colts team that was on the bye. Minnesota is 4-3 ATS at home this season, which does trend favorably against an Indy club that is 2-5 ATS on the road. 

Ravens (9-4) at Browns (5-8), Saturday

Opening line: Ravens -3.5

This line has fallen below the field goal threshold to Ravens -2.5 and that largely is centered around the uncertain quarterback situation for Baltimore. Tyler Huntley left Sunday's game against the Steelers after being put in concussion protocol. That thrust undrafted rookie Anthony Brown into the lineup under center and could pave the way for him to start on Saturday if Huntley and Lamar Jackson are unable to go. Meanwhile, Cleveland had another so-so outing on offense, managing just 10 points in a loss to Cincinnati. The Ravens are 5-1 ATS against the Browns in their last six meetings overall and are 6-1-1 ATS in their eight trips to Cleveland. 

Dolphins (8-5) at Bills (10-3), Saturday

Opening line: Bills -7.5

This line has held firm coming out of Week 14, despite the Dolphins offense continuing to look disjointed as they fell to Los Angeles. The Chargers deployed a similar strategy on Miami's receiver as the 49ers did the game prior and pressed them at the line of scrimmage. It'll be fascinating to see if Buffalo follows suit to continue to throw the rhythm off for Tua Tagovailoa. The status of Tyreek Hill is also a storyline worth following here as he was treated for an ankle injury throughout Sunday night's game. Both of these teams need this game to maintain their playoff position with the Bills sitting as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, while Miami is slotted as the No. 6 seed. The Dolphins are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games and have been a tough team to bet on in general, going 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games. Buffalo hasn't been much better as of late, owning a 2-5 ATS record over their last seven games. 

Falcons (5-8) at Saints (4-9)

Opening line: Saints -3

New Orleans has crossed over a critical number and is now a 4-point favorite against the Falcons, who'll be turning to rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder coming out of the bye. The 2022 third-round pick will be making his first career start in New Orleans on Sunday and look to keep Atlanta in the playoff conversation in a wide-open NFC South. The Saints -- who were also on the bye last week -- are coming off a demoralizing collapse against the Bucs in Week 13 where they allowed Tom Brady to erase a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter. So far this season, the Falcons have been the better bet between these two division rivals and are 7-6 ATS on the year, while New Orleans is 5-8 ATS. However, Atlanta has fallen off over the last half of the season and is 1-6 ATS in their last seven games. The Saints have also had success in this matchup, covering seven of their previous 10 head-to-heads. 

Steelers (5-8) at Panthers (5-8)

Opening line: Steelers -3

This line has been turned on its head as the Panthers are now a 2-point favorite at home as they host the Steelers next Sunday. Part of that flip is likely due to rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett landing in concussion protocol during their Week 14 matchup against the Ravens. That places his status for Week 15 in question and could mean that Mitchell Trubisky would be in line to start. On top of that, Carolina has been frisky and just upset the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday. The Panthers have also covered the spread in their previous four games. They'll now have to fend off a Steelers team that has covered in 57.1% of their road games this season. 

Eagles (12-1) at Bears (3-10)

Opening line: Eagles -8

Philadelphia is now a 9-point favorite over a Bears team that was on the bye in Week 14. Yet again, the Eagles proved why they are the class of the NFC and why Jalen Hurts is now rightfully the betting favorite to win league MVP after smoking the Giants, 48-22. This is the second consecutive week where fading the Eagles and taking the points seemed to be the public play and both times Philadelphia proved doubters wrong, so it may be hard to shy away from them here even as they approach being a double-digit favorite. Heading into the bye, Chicago was unable to cover in their previous four matchups. 

Chiefs (10-3) at Texans (1-11-1)

Opening line: Chiefs -14

This is the biggest spread on the Week 15 slate by a large margin and the Texans once again find themselves as a double-digit underdog. That didn't seem to bother them even as a 17-point dog on Sunday against Dallas as they nearly pulled off the upset, falling by just four points. Given their success last week, it'll be interesting to see how the public attacks this line against a lethal Chiefs offense. While Kansas City is among the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl this season, they are 0-5-1 ATS in their last six games. 

Cowboys (10-3) at Jaguars (5-8)

Opening line: Cowboys -6

Dallas is now a 5-point favorite as they gear up to head to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence and company are still hanging around the playoff conversation in the AFC South after enjoying an offensive explosion against the Titans. Lawrence threw for three touchdowns and rushed for one in the win and are just two games back in the standings to possibly leapfrog Tennessee. Meanwhile, Dallas earned its 10th win of the season by escaping a possible upset over the Texans. The Cowboys are 3-2 ATS on the road this season, but the Jags are 3-0 ATS as a home underdog.  

Lions (6-7) at Jets (7-6)

Opening line: Jets -3

This game is now a pick'em after the events of Week 14 and it wouldn't come as too much of a surprise to see Detroit rise to a road favorite in this game depending on the quarterback situation with New York. Mike White was in and out of their loss to Buffalo due to a rib injury and his status will be worth monitoring as the week rolls on. Meanwhile, the Lions are trying to crash the playoff party and took down the Vikings in a rather convincing fashion as Jared Goff threw for three touchdowns. Detroit is now 9-4 ATS, which is tied for the second-best ATS record in the NFL. New York's defense will be a much more difficult challenge than Minnesota's last week, but the Lions are firing on all cylinders at the moment, covering six straight.  

Cardinals (4-8) at Broncos (3-10)

Opening line: Broncos -1

This line should see some more movement following Arizona's matchup with New England on Monday night, but this game has already turned into a pick'em. That's due to Russell Wilson being placed in concussion protocol after being knocked out of Denver's matchup against the Chiefs on Sunday. If he's sidelined for this upcoming game with the Cardinals, Brett Rypien would get the start. The Broncos are 2-4 ATS at home this season, while the Cardinals have covered in 60% of their road games. 

Patriots (6-6) at Raiders (5-8)

Opening line: Raiders -2

Similar to Arizona's game with Denver, the Patriots-Raiders game could seem more movement after Monday night. However, New England has drawn even with the Raiders after they opened as a slim 2-point favorite. This is the first time that Bill Belichick will have gone against Josh McDaniels since he took the Las Vegas job last offseason. This game did look like it could have some impact for both teams as they push for a playoff spot, but the Raiders blew a 16-3 lead over the Rams last Thursday as Baker Mayfield threw a game-winning touchdown in the final seconds. Las Vegas is 3-2 ATS at home this season and has covered five of its previous seven games. 

Titans (7-6) at Chargers (7-6)

Opening line: Chargers -2

This line has hit a key number as the Chargers are now a 3-point favorite over Tennessee. Justin Herbert was masterful in his club's win over the Dolphins on Sunday night, tossing for 367 yards. Los Angeles is also in the thick of the playoff race and fighting for a wild-card spot in the AFC, so this matchup is certainly going to be an all-hands-on-deck kind of outing. The same can be said for Tennessee, which allowed Jacksonville to keep their hopes alive of leapfrogging them in the AFC South after a loss on Sunday. Both of these teams have been good bets this season, each owning an 8-5 ATS record. However, Tennessee is 5-2 ATS on the road this year, while L.A. is 3-3 ATS at home. 

Bengals (9-4) at Buccaneers (6-7)

Opening line: Bengals -2

This line has crossed a couple of key numbers as Cincinnati is now a 3.5-point road favorite in Tampa as they take on the Bucs. Tom Brady's club was blown out by the 49ers and is now in a legit flight for their playoff lives in a wide-open NFC South. As for the Bengals, they are looking to jump above a banged-up Ravens team for first place in the AFC North, so this game could have major impacts on both the AFC and NFC playoff picture. The Bengals are a league-best 10-3 ATS this season, which includes a 3-2 ATS record as a road favorite. The Bucs are a league-worst 3-9-1 ATS.   

Giants (7-5-1) at Commanders (7-5-1)

Opening line: Commanders -4

Washington is now a 4.5-point favorite coming out of the bye after the Giants fell to the Eagles in demoralizing fashion, 48-22. These two teams tied one another when they played in Week 13 and each is currently in the playoffs if the season ended today. However, a loss for either one of these teams could change that by this time next week. New York is 6-2 ATS in their last eight meetings, which includes a 4-0 ATS record in Washington. That said, the Commanders went into their bye on a hot steak after going 6-1-1 ATS in their previous eight games. 

Rams (4-9) at Packers (5-8), Monday

Opening line: Packers -9

Green Bay is now a 7.5-point favorite over Los Angeles. As the Packers enjoyed a Week 14 bye, the Rams welcomed in Baker Mayfield, who led a wild fourth-quarter comeback over the Raiders on Thursday night. Despite sitting at 4-9, there is technically a path for them to reach the postseason. In terms of picking a side for this game, neither club has been a particularly strong bet this season as they are both under .500 ATS. Green Bay comes into this game unable to cover in seven of their last 10 games and is 1-4 ATS in their last five games at home. Meanwhile, L.A. is 4-7-2 ATS on the season.