Merry Christmas! The NFL has given us the gift of four straight days of football, let’s get into Week 16 of the NFL Season! We’ve got two weeks left in the regular season and the fight for seeding (or draft position) is heating up. There’s a full slate of games from Friday to Monday (Hell yeah to four straight days of football) so let’s get into it.
Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints
New Orleans -7
This is the time for the Brees bounce-back game. The Vikings don’t have a pass rush as it’s practically nonexistent. The Minnesota Vikings will be without Eric Kendricks, one of the best linebackers in the NFL. No defense can be expected to perform well when missing a piece that big. The Saints need Brees to ease back into form for the playoffs and this is the best game for that.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions
Tampa Bay -10
So the Lions will have their wide receiver coach acting as their head coach and it’s just an absolute mess with Covid-19. The Buccaneers better beat this team by 10 points or else they’re not winning a playoff game. The Buccaneers are also figuring out how to incorporate Antonio Brown into the offense and are looking to solidify their approach before a postseason run.
San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals
Arizona -5
The 49ers still don’t have a quarterback, getting George Kittle is huge but the team will forever be limited due to the person taking snaps. The defense is still putting second-stringers out there and none of them have a chance to keep Murray under control. Deebo Samuel, Richard Sherman, and Jimmie Ward are all out for San Francisco and Javon Kinlaw is questionable. The 49ers are too beat up.
Miami Dolphins @ Las Vegas Raiders
Miami -3
First off, fear is a powerful drug and it’s a painkiller for Derek Carr this week. That being said, the Raiders have taken an absolute nose dive and I don’t see them rebounding. Ferrell is out and Maurice Hurst is questionable, bad news for a defense that’s already struggling.
Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets
Cleveland -9.5
Let’s not overreact to the Jets getting a win over the Los Angeles Rams. This is the NFL, wacky shit happens. The Browns are still rolling with their running game and Baker Mayfield is performing very well without Odell. The Browns defense is looking to make themselves a nice home in the New York backfield. Sam Darnold, meet Myles Garrett.
Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans
Cincinnati +8
I get it, Houston has Deshaun Watson, they’re still a terrible team. This is a battle between crappy teams, but might Cincinnati have the better roster. The Texans are missing Will Fuller for the rest of the year and that’s a massive blow to a WR needy team.
Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh +1.5
Juju’s TikTok’s are stopping if you give a crap about that. Vince Williams is returning and his return should not be understated. The Steelers had to lineup a safety to play inside linebacker these past couple of weeks, having a true veteran return is going to give this team a spark. If the Steelers can’t right the ship in Week 16, they won’t go far in the NFL playoffs.
Chicago Bears @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville +7.5
The Jags have been keeping close with a lot of good teams. They played the Packers and Vikings close, and the Bears don’t have the offense to really pull away. Yeah sure, Trubisky has been statistically performing well but he makes critical mistakes at the worst possible times. The only reason you aren’t hearing about those mistakes is that the Bears are winning. Chicago is going to win but it’ll be close.
New York Giants @ Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore -10.5
The Giants may be a playoff team in their crappy division, but they can’t compete against teams that are actually good. The Browns put them in their place on Sunday night and that was because of critical coaching errors. I understand being aggressive, but when a team fails to convert 4th down as many times as the Giants did you have to question why they kept trying. The Ravens are simply the better team and are better coached.
Atlanta Falcons @ Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City -10.5
The Falcons are missing Julio Jones, Alex Mack, Darqueze Dennard and James Carpenter. The Chiefs will have no trouble at all beating the Falcons on Sunday, it’s simply impossible for them to struggle.
Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers
Denver +3
I still have no idea how the Chargers beat the Raiders, it looked like they were actively trying to throw the game away. The Chargers are facing major injuries, Keenan Allen hasn’t practiced, Hunter Henry is on the Covid-19 list, and of course, you have the Anthony Lynn factor. It’s Week 16 in the NFL and he still hasn’t been fired.
Carolina Panthers @ Washington Football Team
Washington -2
The Football Team has a better defense and the Panthers are dealing with an insane amount of injuries. Russell Okung, Troy Pride and Christian McCaffrey are all doubtful and Brian Burns is questionable. If Okung can’t play, Chase Young is going to have a day.
Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks
Los Angeles +1
Again, let’s not overreact here. The Rams are a healthier team and a more well rounded team. The Rams defense led by Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey can and will shut down Seattle and Russell Wilson.
Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia -2.5
How the hell are the Eagles playing better with Jalen Hurts? It’s because Doug Pederson calls plays better with backup quarterbacks, for whatever reason. Every starting linebacker for the Cowboys is dealing with an injury and it looks like Leighton Vander Esch won’t be playing. Philly Philly.
Tennessee Titans @ Green Bay Packers
Tennessee +3.5
Derrick Henry is going to run all over the Packers. Green Bay cannot defend the run to save their lives, it’s hilarious.
Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots
Buffalo -7
It’s Week 16 in the NFL and the New England Patriots will not be making the playoffs, that’s still weird to say. The Patriots are beat up and do not have an offense. The Bills are playing for seeding in the postseason. David Andrews, Shaq Mason, Damien Harris, J.C. Jackson, and Jonathan Jones are some of the many Patriots dealing with injuries. The Bills have their fair share of injuries as well, but the team is simply superior.
Want some other picks? Check out Font’s Five!
