The 2012 NFL schedule continues in Week 15, as there are just three weeks left in the campaign to determine which teams will and will not be going to the playoffs, and where they will all be playing. Join us here at Bankroll Sports, as we break down all of the games on the Week 15 NFL schedule, along with all of the Week 15 odds on the board.

There are a heck of a lot of teams that are fighting for their lives right now, and we’re going to see that right away on Thursday when the Cincinnati Bengals visit the Philadelphia Eagles. Cincy is one of the many teams this week that is favored by right around a field goal. In fact, there are nine games as of Tuesday evening that are lined between two and four. The Bengals are one of those at the high end of that spectrum at -4 on the road against a Philadelphia team that is trying to play the role of spoiler.

Division titles can basically be won (or actually be won) in a number of games on Sunday, and most of the games are going to be incredibly close calls.

The Green Bay Packers are going on the road to Soldier Field on Sunday, and the clash against the Chicago Bears is going to be the biggest game of the year for both of these teams. The Pack will win the NFC North with a victory, while the Bears will claw right back into the race if they can hold serve at home. However, Green Bay is clearly the better of these two teams and is better form at the moment, and it is favored by a field goal as a result.

In the other big time game of the weekend that could solve a division championship is in the AFC South. The Houston Texans are a win over the Indianapolis Colts away from winning the division. However, at this point, the Colts also control their own destiny for shocking the world and winning the division. Indy will be in the playoffs with a win one way or the other, and it will put the pressure on the Texans in a big time way in the division race. Meanwhile, Houston is three wins away from the No. 1 seed on the AFC side of the postseason. Everyone sees how “lucky” QB Andrew Luck and the Colts are getting, and the whole world saw the Texans get their doors blown off on Monday, yet the hosts are the biggest favorites of the weekend at -7.5.

Division leaders are also going to be involved in a few duels on Sunday as well that could shape the landscape of the playoffs in both conferences. We’ll start at the Georgia Dome, where the Atlanta Falcons are taking on the New York Giants. The G-Men are the team to watch here, as they are the ones with a heck of a lot more on the line. New York needs to win these final three games to ensure getting into the playoffs, and no other route will absolutely ensure a bit into the postseason. Atlanta is starting to stare over its back shoulder at some teams coming from behind, who might be able to catch up with it. The Giants are getting a point for now, but we wouldn’t be surprised if that flips by the end of the week.

Meanwhile over at M&T Bank Stadium, the Baltimore Ravens, who are perennially a fantastic home team, are actually two-point dogs this week to the Denver Broncos. The winner of this game is going to have a good chance to get a first round bye in the playoffs and keep their name in the hat for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The loser is going to be in a lot of trouble, especially if it is the Ravens. Baltimore still hasn’t won the AFC North yet, and it needs a couple of wins down the stretch to ensure that that happens. The tiebreaker here is crucial for the Broncos, who already lose tiebreakers to both the Patriots and the Texans, and they aren’t going to want to have lost to all of their most competitive playoff foes going into the postseason.

Sunday Night Football this week also pits two division winners against each other. Both the San Francisco 49ers and the New England Patriots are chasing the top seeds in their respective conferences, and the team that loses this game is unlikely to ultimately be able to claim that top seed. The Niners are a group that garner a heck of a lot of respect, but this is the toughest game thus far in the career of QB Colin Kaepernick, who has to go against a New England defense that just shut down the top team in the NFL, the Texans, last week. That’s why the Pats are -5.5 to open up the week.

And then there are plenty of games that are going to involve teams with Wild Card playoff hopes as well. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints are essentially playing in an elimination game for sure, though both of these teams are already probably on the wrong side of the playoffs for good. New Orleans is laying 3.5 at the site of Super Bowl 47. The Washington Redskins are still hanging in there, and they have to go on the road to the Cleveland Browns this week as well. Cleveland is hot, and if the rest of the teams in the AFC North keep sliding, you never really know if it can actually get into the playoffs. Winning out is a pre-requisite for success though, and the Browns are getting 1.5 at home.

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Perhaps the most important of the Wild Card potential showdowns in the 1:00 ET hour pits the Minnesota Vikings against the St. Louis Rams. Both teams are still struggling to get into the playoffs, and both are going to need some wins and some help to get the job done. The loser is going to likely be done for this year, making this essentially a playoff game for both. The Rams are -2.5 at the Edward Jones Dome, and regardless of what happens to these two this year, both should be incredibly proud that they took a lot of steps in the right direction.

In the 4:00 ET hour though, there are two other crucial games. The Buffalo Bills are on their last gasp, and they have to win out and get a lot of help to think about the playoffs. They head to Toronto for their annual visit to the Rogers Centre on Sunday afternoon for a battle with the Seattle Seahawks, the team that everyone is chasing for the last playoff spot in the NFC. The Hawks are -4, and if they can win this one and watch the Bears lose earlier in the day, they’ll be in a spot where they really should make the playoffs from here.

The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers are both 7-6 teams, and they’ll both know by the time they take the field in this one what it means to them. Dallas is in a spot this week where making up a game on the field in the NFC East is a distinct possibility, while Pittsburgh could draw nearer in the AFC North. However, the loser of this one will be just 7-7 through 14 games. That isn’t damning by any stretch of the imagination, but it will make life harder and open up the door for a number of teams that could slip into the playoff race around them both. This one should be tight at Dallas Cowboys Stadium, though the hosts are actually getting a point in what should be a crucial tilt.

Of course, for all of the great games on the docket, there are some lousy ones as well that we’ll fly through quickly. The Miami Dolphins are favored by a touchdown, making them the second biggest favorites of the weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Carolina Panthers and San Diego Chargers are separated by just home field advantage, while the Detroit Lions are going to put their skid of four out of five games on the line against the longest losing streak in the NFL, that of the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona has dropped nine in a row, and it is coming off of the embarrassing 58-0 loss in Seattle last week. That’s why it is getting six points at home. The dog game of dog games pits the 10-loss Oakland Raiders against the 11-loss Chiefs. The loser of this one will be in significantly better shape in terms of the NFL Draft than the winner will be, but the Raiders are -3 thanks to home field advantage. Monday Night Football features the Titans at -2 against a New York Jets outfit that, believe it or not, could actually get back onto level terms for the last playoff spot on with a win and some help.

‘Totals’ this week are pretty tightly packed as well. There are only two numbers stuck in the 30s this week. The Jags and Fins are only expected to reach 37, the lowest ‘total’ of the weekend, while the Rams and Vikings are at 38. There are only two games in the 50s as well. The Falcons and Giants are the second highest number on the board of the weekend at 51, while the highest, not surprisingly, features the Saints and Bucs, who have two of the worst defenses in the NFL. That over/under is set for 53.5. All other ‘totals’ this week chime in between 42 and 48.

2012 NFL Week 15 Odds @ WagerWeb Sportsbook (as of 12/16/12):
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Week 15 NFL Betting Odds for Thursday, December 13th
301 Cincinnati Bengals -4.5
302 Philadelphia Eagles +4.5
Over/Under 45

Week 15 NFL Spreads for Sunday, December 16th (1:00 ET Kickoffs)
303 Green Bay Packers -1
304 Chicago Bears +1
Over/Under 43

305 New York Giants +1
306 Atlanta Falcons -1
Over/Under 51

307 Tampa Bay Buccaneers +4
308 New Orleans Saints -4
Over/Under 53.5

309 Minnesota Vikings +1
310 St. Louis Rams -1
Over/Under 39

311 Washington Redskins -1
312 Cleveland Browns +1
Over/Under 43

313 Jacksonville Jaguars +8
314 Miami Dolphins -8
Over/Under 37.5

315 Denver Broncos -3
316 Baltimore Ravens +3
Over/Under 48

317 Indianapolis Colts +10
318 Houston Texans -10
Over/Under 47.5

NFL Week 15 Betting Lines for Sunday, December 16th (4:00 ET Kickoffs)
319 Carolina Panthers +3
320 San Diego Chargers -3
Over/Under 44.5

321 Seattle Seahawks -4.5
322 Buffalo Bills +4.5
Over/Under 43

323 Detroit Lions -6
324 Arizona Cardinals +6
Over/Under 43.5

325 Pittsburgh Steelers -1
326 Dallas Cowboys +1
Over/Under 44

327 Kansas City Chiefs +3
328 Oakland Raiders -3
Over/Under 44

Sunday Night Football Week 15 Odds for Sunday, December 16th
329 San Francisco 49ers +4.5
330 New England Patriots -4.5
Over/Under 46

Monday Night Football Week 15 Lines for Monday, December 17th
331 New York Jets +1
332 Tennessee Titans -1
Over/Under 41