Lions at Jets (pick ‘em):

Detroit kept its playoff hopes alive last Sunday, beating Minnesota despite giving up a Vikings franchise record 223 receiving yards to Justin Jefferson. Of course, Jefferson could have topped 400 yards if he were playing against the Vikings’ defense. Pick: Lions by 3

Cowboys at Jaguars (+4½):

Dallas rallied in the final minutes to fight off the one-win Houston Texans for a Week 14 victory. It was the most disappointing moment for the Houston franchise since it received the first two dozen complaints against Deshaun Watson. Pick: Cowboys by 7

Eagles at Bears (+8½):

Dallas’ Micah Parsons says he didn’t mean to start a (expletive) storm with the Cowboys’ main NFC East rival but admits “I’m sure they hate me in Philadelphia.” That puts the star linebacker in fine company as Eagles fans already hate everybody in New York, Washington and Dallas, Dr. Oz and Santa Claus. Pick: Eagles by 3

Giants at Commanders (-4½):

Hall of famer Lawrence Taylor urged his former team to “show me some nuts!” in their pivotal Week 15 showdown. That’s great advice because, in the long history of the New York Football Giants, nobody was more nuts than L.T. Pick: Commanders by 7

Steelers at Panthers (-2½):

Carolina, at a sad 5-8, somehow controls its own destiny in the NFC South championship sweepstakes. Analysts agree that the South race could produce the lamest, most underwhelming winner since the last two presidential elections. Pick: Panthers by 3

Bengals at Buccaneers (+3½):

Tampa’s Tom Brady, saying he’s a “good sport,” autographed a football for the 49ers’ Dre Greenlaw after he intercepted the veteran quarterback in last Sunday’s rout. The 45-year-old hasn’t made a habit of signing intercepted footballs this season, as it would take too long and cause his passing hand to cramp up. Pick: Bengals by 10

Patriots at Raiders (pick ’em):

New England QB Mac Jones dropped some high-decibel F bombs Monday night that were clearly audible during ESPN’s broadcast of the Patriots’ win in Arizona. Few fans’ sensibilities were hurt, though, because nearly all viewers were on the other channel watching the Manningcast. Pick: Patriots by 4

Falcons at Saints (-3½):

Atlanta quarterback Marcus Mariota, having yet another mediocre season, abruptly left the team after he was replaced as the starter by rookie Desmond Ridder. It’s the latest evidence that the former Heisman Trophy winner is a 3-year-old. Pick: Saints by 7

Rams at Packers (-7½):

Baker Mayfield led Los Angeles to a stunning comeback victory over Las Vegas after only a few days with the team. Team officials insist Mayfield doesn’t need to learn the whole playbook for this week’s game, mostly because he’ll be a Ram only for a few more weeks. Pick: Packers by 11

Cardinals at Broncos (pick ’em):

Denver quarterback Russell Wilson was knocked out of last week’s game when his head was slammed into turf as he lunged for more yardage. Experts said the play was one of the 150 saddest moments of Wilson’s season in Denver. Pick: Broncos by 3

Other games

Chiefs at Texans (+14½): Pick: Chiefs by 11

Titans at Chargers (-3½): Pick: Chargers by 7

Record

Week 15 >> 8-5 straight up; 3-10 vs. spread***

Season >> 127-78-3 straight up (.620); 92-116 vs. spread (.442)

*** You might think that abominable record is a typo, but sadly you’d be mistaken.

You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@ pioneerpress.com.