Throughout the 2021 NFL season, NFL Network analysts will provide one bold prediction heading into each week's slate of games (see the full Week 15 schedule).
Joe Thomas: Some might think Saturday night's New England-Indianapolis tilt will be a close contest, but not this guy. I say the Colts will pummel the Pats, with Carson Wentz throwing for 250 yards and two TDs and Jonathan Taylor racking up 130 yards on the ground in Indy's 27-10 victory.
Nate Burleson: The Bengals (ninth seed) and Broncos (10th) are both outside of the AFC playoff picture at 7-6, so they know the importance of this contest. Joe Burrow, a player who loves the pressure and spotlight, helps get the Bengals trending back in the right direction after back-to-back losses. The second-year pro tosses three TD passes and Joe Mixon adds two more scores on the ground against the Broncos' No. 2-ranked scoring defense. Cincy improves to 8-6 and keeps playoff aspirations alive.
Marc Ross: New England is red hot right now with seven consecutive wins. Indianapolis has also been impressive in winning six of its last eight and averaging nearly 33 points per game in that span. The Colts take a page out of the Patriots' playbook from their running rampage in Week 13, as the NFL's leading rusher, Jonathan Taylor, eclipses 200 yards on the ground. In the victory, Indy becomes the first team to score 30 points in regulation this season on Bill Belichick's top-ranked scoring defense.
James Jones: The MVP race is heating up, and my former teammate, Aaron Rodgers, has a legitimate chance to take home the hardware for the second year in a row. No. 12 adds to his already-impressive 2021 résumé with five touchdown passes vs. the Ravens, and the Packers stay atop the NFC.
Maurice Jones-Drew: There are a ton of storylines to cover in Sunday's Bengals-Broncos game, but my attention is on show-stopping rookies Ja'Marr Chase and Patrick Surtain II. Should be a great battle on the perimeter, with the Cincy wideout catching seven Joe Burrow passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. However, Surtain also gets his, snatching his fifth interception of the season.
Full NFL Week 15 schedule
UPDATE: A surge in COVID-19 cases across the NFL has resulted in the postponement of multiple Week 15 games. Below is the updated schedule with new times and dates for the Raiders-Browns, Washington-Eagles and Seahawks-Rams games.
Thursday, December 16
Saturday, December 18
- New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts (8:15 p.m. ET on NFL Network)
Sunday, December 19
- Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (1 p.m. ET on FOX)
- Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars (1 p.m. ET on CBS)
- Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m. ET on CBS)
- New York Jets at Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. ET on CBS)
- Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions (1 p.m. ET on FOX)
- Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills (1 p.m. ET on FOX)
- Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos (4:05 p.m. ET on CBS)
- Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers (4:05 p.m. ET on CBS)
- Green Bay Packers at Baltimore Ravens (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX)
- New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8:20 p.m. ET on NBC)
Monday, December 20
- Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns (5 p.m. ET on NFL Network)
- Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN)
Tuesday, December 21
- Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles (7 p.m. ET on FOX)
- Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams (7 p.m. ET on FOX)
