NFL Week 16 Predictions
With two weeks to go in the regular season, some teams are just trying to stay alive and other teams are trying to win the division and/or get a first-round bye. Aaron Rodgers came back for a game against the Carolina Panthers, but with Green Bay being eliminated, the Packers put him back on injured reserve.
The Los Angeles Rams might have snatched the NFC West crown away from the Seattle Seahawks. Speaking of the NFC West, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has led the 49ers to three straight wins. Believe or not for the first time ever, I went 16-0 with my picks last week. My record is 141-83 on the year.
Indianapolis Colts 7 Baltimore Ravens 28: The Ravens defense will probably feast on the Colts offense. Alex Collins and Buck Allen will probably dictate the tone for the game on offense for the Ravens. Joe Flacco needs to continue to sling the ball down the field.
Minnesota Vikings 24 Green Bay Packers 10: The Vikings defense will have a fun time facing Brett Hundley once again. Aaron Rodgers has been place on injured reserve for the rest of the season. Minnesota's offense will abuse a bad Packers defense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21 Carolina Panthers 28: If Carolina wants a shot at winning the NFC South crown, they can't afford to lose to Tampa Bay at home. Cam Newton carved up the Packers defense last week and he will carve up the Buccaneers defense this week. Christian McCaffrey continues to be a factor in the Panthers offense. Jameis Winston could give the Panthers defense problems.
Cleveland Browns 10 Chicago Bears 31: DeShone Kizer isn't a good quarterback and the Bears defense will be ready to force turnovers. The Bears will have a viable rushing attack and Mitchell Trubisky continues to grow. The Bears are most likely playing for John Fox's job.
Detroit Lions 34 Cincinnati Bengals 13: The Lions are fighting for their playoff lives and the Bengals have already packed it in. With Marvin Lewis not coming back in 2018, the Bengals body language on the field is clearly obvious. The Lions defense is very underrated and Matthew Stafford continues to sling it.
Miami Dolphins 16 Kansas City Chiefs 21: Kenyan Drake has finally figured it out in the backfield, but Jay Cutler will be prone to turning the ball over once again. The Chiefs defense might have finally figured it out and the Chiefs offense is all of a sudden clicking again.
Buffalo Bills 14 New England Patriots 21: LeSean McCoy is going to have to continue carrying the Bills on his back and Tyrod Taylor is going to have to play near perfect. Tom Brady has been playing average lately, but Rob Gronkowski was a monster for the Patriots in Sunday's win against the Steelers.
Atlanta Falcons 17 New Orleans Saints 24: The Falcons got away with turning the ball over a few times against the Saints and winning but if the Falcons turn it over again a few times, the Saints will capitalize on it this time around. The Saints rushing attack continues to be the story of the NFL.
Los Angeles Chargers 28 New York Jets 14: Phillip Rivers will be thankful that he doesn't have to face the Chiefs anymore this season. He will get comfortable in the pocket this season. Keenan Allen will also get the ball in his hand and make plays. The Jets will keep it close early, but the Chargers will pull away late.
Los Angeles Rams 42 Tennessee Titans 14: The Rams love to play on the road and they will catch the Titans at the right time. Tennessee is heading into a tail spin at the wrong time. Marcus Mariota has been inconsistent and the Rams defense will make life uncomfortable for the Titans offense.
Denver Broncos 21 Washington Redskins 28: The Broncos have been playing better the last two weeks, but the Redskins will do some more home cooking this week. Kirk Cousins needs to prove his worth against a good Broncos defense. If Paxton Lynch starts for the Broncos, the Redskins defense will play physical and get after him.
Jacksonville Jaguars 24 San Francisco 49ers 20: The 49ers have been playing better with Garoppolo, However, Garoppolo will now be truly tested against an elite Jaguars defense. Blake Bortles has been playing real well for the Jaguars right now.
New York Giants 14 Arizona Cardinals 21: This has the potential to be the most boring game of the day. Both offenses are yawn. The Giants have their heads down, but the Cardinals play for one another and play hard.
Seattle Seahawks 14 Dallas Cowboys 35: With the return of Ezekiel Elliott, he will make his presence noticeable right away. He will run the ball effectively just like Todd Gurley did last week against the Seahawks. Dak Prescott will be effective as well and the Seahawks look finished.
Pittsburgh Steelers 24 Houston Texans 17: The Steelers offense is going to have to generate without Antonio Brown. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant is going to have to step up. Le'Veon Bell is going to have to get the ball more as well. The Steelers need to move on from the debacle at the end of the game last week. The Texans will keep this game close.
Oakland Raiders 17 Philadelphia Eagles 31: Nick Foles played well last week against the Giants. The Eagles need to figure out their defense in a hurry. The Raiders lost a heart breaker last week against the Cowboys and they won't recover from it.
