NFL Week 15 Odds: Washington Football Team, Chicago Bears Are Big Underdogs After COVID Outbreaks

The NFL Week 15 schedule continues to be greatly impacted by COVID-19. With dozens of players set to miss Sunday’s games, a few teams face an uphill battle in trying to win.

The Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Rams were forced to place a number of key players on the COVID-19/reserve list at the start of the week. As the contests get closer, the Washington Football Team and Chicago Bears are losing more and more players for their upcoming matchups.

Washington has more than 20 players on the COVID-19/reserve list ahead of an important road game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That list includes Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen, leaving the team without its top two quarterbacks.

Kyle Shurmur and Jordan Ta'amu, neither of whom has attempted a pass in an NFL regular-season game, are now the only quarterbacks on Washington’s roster who are eligible to play in Week 15.

Philadelphia is a massive 12-point favorite over Washington, according to the latest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, just 48 hours before kickoff. That represents nearly a 10-point swing from the opening betting line. The Eagles opened as 2.5-point favorites, and the line was only 4.5 points Tuesday when Washington started to put more players on the COVID list.

The NFC East matchup is a pivotal one for the playoff picture. Washington enters Week 15 as the conference’s final wild-card team, but it is tied with four other teams, including Philadelphia, with the same 6-7 record.

Another one of those teams that sits at 6-7 and just outside the Week 15 playoff bracket is the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota is a six-point favorite against the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football.” The betting line was four points a couple of days ago.

The change came amid news that six Bears were added to the COVID list Thursday. Wide receiver Allen Robinson and safety Eddie Jackson were part of that group.

Chicago offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, defensive coordinator Sean Desai and special teams coordinator Chris Tabor could all miss Monday’s game because of COVID-19 as well.