NFL Week 15 betting, odds, lines: 5 biggest storylines, including Lamar Jackson's disappearing act

In Week 14, there was a bad beat that will live in NFL betting infamy.

By now, everyone has seen one of the worst bad beats of all time. The Broncos were 7.5-point favorites, leading by 10 in the final seconds when Raiders receiver Tyler Lockett was tackled in the field of play. Las Vegas had no timeouts and the clock was about to expire. But Broncos safety Brandon Jones wouldn't let Lockett up, which is a delay of game penalty. That stopped the clock with five seconds left and Raiders coach Pete Carroll, hoping for a miracle, decided to try a field goal on the long shot that it would go through with at least a second left on the clock. Time expired as the Raiders hit the field goal, which only meant that all the Broncos -7.5 tickets could be torn up as Denver won 24-17. That's some unspeakable pain. Hopefully nothing like that repeats this week in the NFL.

Here are the top betting storylines going into Week 15 of the NFL season, with all odds from BetMGM:

Lamar Jackson's disappointing season

Jackson has done well for bettors through the years. Not this season.

Jackson and the Ravens lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers as 6-point favorites Sunday. Betting on the Ravens has been a losing endeavor most of the season. Baltimore has lost four in a row against the spread. They're tied with the Commanders for the worst record against the spread this season at 4-9. The Ravens are just 3-7 when Jackson starts this season.

It's pretty clear Jackson isn't his normal self after missing time due to a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 4. He and the Ravens have been a big disappointment, including to bettors. And despite all of that, the Ravens are still 2.5-point road favorites at the Bengals this week. Cincinnati beat the Ravens 32-14 in Baltimore on Thanksgiving.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws a pass as Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) pulls him down during Sunday's loss by Baltimore. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesDaniel Jones' injury affects odds

The Colts were once 7-1 and seemingly had the AFC South title locked up. Then came a losing streak and a season-ending injury to their quarterback.

Jones went down Sunday with a torn Achilles, and the Colts' outlook is rough. They're +2200 to win the AFC South. The Jaguars are favored at -165, and the Texans are behind them at +150. Indianapolis isn't favored to make the playoffs at all anymore. They have +280 odds to make the playoffs. They're 8-5 and the betting market doesn't favor them to win more than once the rest of the season. The Colts' win total is 9.5, and the under is the heavy favorite at -225. It's a disappointing injury in many ways.

Jonathan Taylor's fade

Taylor was once a strong favorite to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year, but the Colts' slide and his own personal slump has changed that.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is now the clear favorite to win OPOY, at -350 odds. Taylor isn't second in the odds anymore. That's Jahmyr Gibbs at +450. Taylor is next at +700. Taylor has failed to rush for more than 85 yards in four of Indianapolis' last five games. And he's unlikely to see many rushing lanes down the stretch with quarterback Daniel Jones out for the rest of the season.

Patriots are home underdogs

The Patriots aren't getting the respect that most 11-2 teams get. The Patriots are 1-point home underdogs against the Bills on Sunday. New England already beat the Bills in Buffalo once this season, and it's coming off a bye. New England's advanced metrics indicate it's not as good as its 11-2 record, and the criticisms about them fattening up on a soft schedule have been common. The Bills also have better Super Bowl odds than the Patriots. Buffalo is +900 to win it all, while New England is +1000, tied for the sixth-best odds.

The Patriots are tied for the best record in the NFL, but they haven't convinced everyone they're legit.

Rams and Matthew Stafford bounce back

The Rams won big in Week 14, and that was important for Matthew Stafford's MVP odds. Stafford is back to being the betting favorite to win MVP after throwing for 281 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-17 blowout of the Cardinals. Stafford is -175 to win MVP. Drake Maye, last week's favorite who had a bye in Week 14, is +200.

The Rams' Super Bowl odds got a little shorter too. They're the favorites at +400. They were +450 last week.