NFL betting picks: Week 15 odds amid an uncertain schedule

Some NFL picks to pass the time while waiting for the next game to be postponed. Or worse. Mark these in pencil because of the fluidity of the Week 15 schedule.

New England (45.5) at Indianapolis (-2.5), 8:15 p.m.: Mac Jones famously attempted just three passes in his last outing, when the Patriots ran for 222 yards and beat Buffalo in a windstorm. DraftKings has his over/under on attempts against the Colts at 31.5. The pick: Indy also can run the ball. Colts laying the 2-and-a-hook. Under Jones’ 31.5 attempts.

Cincinnati (44) at Denver (-3), 4:05 p.m.: Did someone say parity? This is one of three games on the Week 15 schedule where both teams have a winning record.

Green Bay (-6.5) at Baltimore (43.5), 4:25 p.m.: Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (ankle) did not practice again on Friday. The pick: Put Green Bay in a teaser with the Colts.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Washington game postponed to Tuesday as WFT deals with COVID-19 cases

Las Vegas (-4) at Cleveland (38), 5 p.m.: The Browns are in as bad of shape with COVID-19 as Washington. The pick: Rain in the forecast could make for a sloppy game. These teams played last year and the Raiders won, 16-6. We’ll take under 38.

Week 14: 5-0. Season: 6-2.

Lines via VegasInsider.com

NBA: Next up for the Cavaliers, who have covered 13 in a row, is a Saturday visit to Milwaukee. The Bucks beat Cleveland, 112-104 on Dec. 6, but did not cover the 8.5-point spread. The Cavaliers are 23-6-1 against the number, easily the best in the NBA. Portland (10-19) is the worst.

CFB: First game of bowl season produced a hefty upset as Middle Tennessee, 10.5-point underdogs, made short work of Toledo, 31-24 in the Bahamas Bowl. Toledo scored an otherwise meaningless touchdown with 68 seconds left to get the over of 50.5 points. Buckle up, folks. Still more than three dozen games left (God willing).

» READ MORE: It’s college football bowl season. Here’s the lowdown on betting.

NFL: The Eagles, Colts, Dolphins and Patriots were the last of the 32 teams to have a bye when the NFL gave them off last week. The previous 28 teams were 15-12-1 straight-up (of course the Lions tied), and just 13-15 against the spread. More interestingly, unders were 18-10.

CFB: Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett opted out of the Peach Bowl. The line moved from Pitt -3.5 to Michigan State -2. Guess here is that it will only get higher.

Dallas linebacker Micah Parsons, the 12th pick in April’s draft, has had a sack in six consecutive games. He will rush the quarterback one play, and be 30 yards downfield in coverage the next.

He could become the first rookie to win Defensive Player of the Year in 40 years, since Lawrence Taylor, another linebacker who tortured the NFC East for a decade.

A Caesars player in Colorado put $1,000 on Parsons at 35-1. Before that, a Nevada player placed $100 when Parsons was 150-1.

Entering this week, Parsons was 3-1.

One other thing Parsons is trying to do: become the first Penn State player to win the award. Of all the great players to play at Happy Valley, none have ever been NFL defensive player of the year. What are the odds of that?