Weekly Wager: Week 15

For the season, Weekly Wager is 29-19 in total. 8-8 on college games, 21-11 in NFL. We'll pick back up with the college next week once the bowl games are underway. With that said, here are the picks for this week:

Cincinnati @ St. Louis (+7.0) - SUN 1:00PM - CBS
It might be too little too late, but my money is on Andy Dalton leading the Bengals back to victory and keeping hopes of landing the last wild card spot in the AFC alive. Cincy's defense has struggled as of late giving up atleast 20 points in each of the last 5 games, but I place little weight on that given St. Louis is dead last in points scored per game at 11.8. Cincinnati is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games, while St. Louis has failed to cover in 14 of their last 17. The Bengals win this one in convincing fashion and keep their playoff hopes alive for one more week...Cincinnati 24, St. Louis 14

Carolina @ Houston (-6.0) - SUN 1:00PM - FOX
These two teams couldn't be coming off more different outcomes this past weekend. Ultimately, with Houston's defense giving up just 16ppg, I think this match-up strongly favors Houston. Cam Newton and Co. continue to put up points and come up short, while TJ Yates just finds a way to win. Like I've said before, offense sells tickets, defense wins championships. A top 10 offense has resulted in a 4-9 record for Carolina, while a top 10 defense has produced a 10-3 team in Houston. Despite Wade Phillips being away from the team this coming Sunday, I think the Texans keep the wins coming and cover...Carolina 17, Houston 28

New Orleans @ Minnesota (+7.0) - SUN 1:00PM - FOX
It appears Adrian Peterson will play after nursing his high ankle sprain for weeks, but I don't see it changing the outcome. The Saints will be back indoors on turf and should light up the Vikings defense, which is ranked 26th against the pass giving up 249ypg. After a slow start in Tennessee, I expect the Saints to once again look like the team that is averaging almost 32ppg against a flailing team in the midst of a 5-game losing streak. The Saints know they can clinch the division with a win and an Atlanta loss. Given the team's struggles on the road, I expect Drew Brees to get the troops up for this one and handle their business resulting in atleast one home game in the playoffs...New Orleans 34, Minnesota 21

Detroit @ Oakland (+1.0) - SUN 4:05PM - FOX
After Carson Palmer's 4 INTs against Green Bay's subpar defense last week, I have no faith in Oakland. I fully expect Carson to improve on his terrible performance, but I also expect Matt Stafford to continue winning without much production from Megatron. In the last 10 games, the Lions are 5-5 and have lost each time they failed to score more than 20 points. With the Raiders' defense allowing 27ppg, I'm feeling confident the Lions score their points and take this one. The Lions should also get a boost from Ndamukong Suh who returns from his 2 games suspension on Sunday...Detroit 38, Oakland 24

Baltimore @ San Diego (+2.0) - SUN 8:20PM - NBC
The Chargers seem to be gaining momentum after a pair of wins over Buffalo and Jacksonville, but I think that comes to an end Sunday night. The Ravens defense is simply too good for Phillip Rivers and team. Look for this game to be a building block for Joe Flacco who has been struggling a bit of late. The Chargers are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games and likely to be 2-7 after Sunday....Baltimore 24, San Diego 20