The surging Raiders and Dolphins should each top their rivals as the regular season enters its final three weeks...
Oakland Raiders to beat San Diego Chargers – {ODDS:126137773:4/6}
Oakland’s six-game winning streak ended against the Kansas City Chiefs last Thursday, but they should bounce back against a San Diego team that has hit a slump over the past few weeks.
The Chargers have lost three of their last four games, leaving them three games behind at the bottom of the AFC West.
Defensively, they have been poor all season, conceding an average of 26.7 points per game – the fourth-highest mark in the NFL.
Bad news, considering the Raiders are the league’s second-highest scorers, with an average of 27.5 points per contest.
Oakland have been particularly good on their travels this season. Their defeat to the Chiefs last weekend was their only loss in six games on the road.
It is unlikely they will add to that total here.
Miami Dolphins to beat New York Jets – {ODDS:126135779:20/27}
The injury suffered by quarterback Ryan Tannehill last Sunday will undoubtedly hurt the Dolphins’ play-off chances this season.
In week 15, though, they should be able to lean on their solid defence and running game to beat one of their AFC East rivals.
The Jets scraped past the San Francisco 49ers – the second-worst team in the NFL – in overtime last week.
That ended a run of four consecutive defeats, which started with a 27-23 loss to Miami on 6 November.
New York are averaging just 17.6 points per game this season – the fourth-fewest in the league – while the Dolphins have scored an average 24.1 over their past eight contests.
Don’t expect home-field advantage to help the Jets, either. They have lost five of the six games played at their own stadium this season.
Detroit Lions to beat New York Giants – {ODDS:126136172:17/10}
This is a meeting of two of the hottest teams in the NFL.
The Lions have won five games in a row and eight of their last nine, while the Giants have only lost one of their last eight.
Detroit are the superior side offensively – scoring 22.7 points per game to New York’s 19.6 – while the Giants have a slight edge on the other side of the ball.
But while the Lions’ biggest offensive weakness is their running game, the Giants are one of just three teams to have gained fewer yards on the ground.
They will need to throw the ball to win this game, but in Darius Slay, the Lions have one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL – a player capable of shutting down top receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Considering how evenly-matched these teams are, the Lions are great value.
Kansas City Chiefs to beat Tennessee Titans – {ODDS:126136961:20/47}
With eight wins in nine games, the Chiefs have forced their way to the top of the AFC West standings.
Well-rested, having not played since last Thursday, they should earn their fourth consecutive victory this week against the Titans, who have lost two of their last three away games.
The Chiefs’ defence has improved greatly since their difficult start to the season, conceding just 18.1 points per game over their last nine contests.
They will pose real problems for second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota, given that they have generated 25 turnovers this season – the joint-most in the NFL.
The Titans are a solid team, but Kansas City have beaten better.
They have come out on top against the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos in the past three weeks – all of whom have won at least eight games this season.
