December 21, 2005

NFL Week 16 Predictions

December 21, 2005, 10:29 PM | 0 Comments

First of all, Merry Christmas! This week will probably answer most of the playoff questions that remain, and with 13 games on Saturday and 3 games on Christmas Day, it should make for a very busy holiday weekend.

Last week was disappointing on many levels. First, the Colts were defeated by the Chargers, ending their shot at a perfect season. Secondly, Green Bay was absolutely destroyed… by the Baltimore Ravens.

ESPN Expert Picks: Last Week | This Week.

On to my picks for week 16!

Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5) at Cleveland Browns (5-9) - Last week the Steelers ended the Vikings winning streak and made their chances at making the playoffs a little bit closer. With all of the teams in the AFC fighting for a wild card spot, the Steelers still have a chance to make it, but they’ll need some help (losses by other teams). They have to win this week and next, so… Pick: Steelers.

Buffalo Bills (4-10) at Cincinnati Benga;s (11-3) - The Bengals are probably one of the most exciting stories of the year. It’s nice to see them in the top half of the league for once. Pick: Bengals.

Dallas Cowboys (8-6) at Carolina Panthers (10-4) - Well, Dallas was kind of embarrassed by the Redskins last week, I almost felt bad for them. I don’t think the Cowboys really have much of a chance of making the playoffs, but they’ll probably play hard this week. Still, I think the Panthers will come out with a win, because their division is a tight race and they cannot afford to lose. Pick: Panthers.

New York Giants (10-4) at Washington Redskins (8-6) - Tiki Barber rushed for a million yards last week! Well, not really (it was actually 220 yards), but it seemed like it. I think this week they get the win this week and their division crown. Pick: Giants.

Atlanta Falcons (8-6) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) - Both of these teams lost last week, and I picked both of them to win, ouch. Tampa Bay was really humiliated by the Patriots though, losing 28-0. This will be a close game, but if TB can get their running game moving, they should get the win. Pick: Buccaneers.

San Francisco 49ers (2-12) at St. Louis Rams (5-9) - Nice to see the Rams and Ryan Fitzpatrick almost win last week. I think they’ll get past the ‘almost’ this week and actually achieve the win. Pick: Rams.

Detroit Lions (4-10) at New Orleans Saints (3-11) - The Saints have lost enough. They should win at ‘home’ for once. Pick: Saints.

Tennessee Titans (4-10) at Miami Dolphins (7-7) - I’ll keep going with the Dolphins. I think Nick Saban has done a great job this year, and should probably get some votes for Coach of the Year. Pick: Dolphins.

San Diego Chargers (9-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (8-6) - Congratulations to the Chargers, they’re the only team who has been able to beat Indianapolis all year long. Although, I wasn’t really too happy about it to be honest. I think the Chargers should get the win this week, but I’m not sure if it will help. There’s a good chance that neither of these teams will make the playoffs. As I heard it said on the radio earlier this week, ‘the Chargers may be the best team ever to not make the playoffs.’ Pick: Chargers.

Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) at Houston Texans (2-12) - The Jaguars easy road to the playoffs runs through Houston this week. Houston won last week and really made the race for the bottom (and the #1 Draft Pick) a little more interesting. With the two worst teams in the NFL (Houston and San Francisco) playing each other next week, it could be about which team wants to lose more. Pick: Jaguars.

Philadelphia Eagles (6-8) at Arizona Cardinals (4-10) - Not much to say about this game really, I’ll pick the Eagles. For Arizona though, I feel sorry for Kurt Warner who is now out for the season. Pick: Eagles.

Indianapolis Colts (13-1) at Seattle Seahawks (12-2) - This could be a preview of the Superbowl game, but I don’t expect it to be a very good preview. The Colts have nothing left to play for in the regular season, so I don’t think they’ll play their starters for the entire game. Seattle is still trying to win home-field advantage for the NFC playoffs, and can do so with a win. If I could be sure that Indy was going to play to win this game, I’d pick the Colts, but I don’t think they’ll play the entire game to win. Pick: Seahawks.

Oakland Raiders (4-10) at Denver Broncos (11-3) - The Broncos should easily clinch the AFC West this week, the Raiders shouldn’t really pose too much of a challenge to them, especially in Denver. Pick: Broncos.

Chicago Bears (10-4) at Green Bay Packers (3-11) - I don’t really even want to talk about Green Bay’s disgusting game last week against the Ravens. It really looked like they weren’t even trying (with the exception of a few players). With the loss of Samkon Gado with a torn MCL, that puts the number of starting running backs on Green Bay’s injured reserve up to 3. It’s been a year to forget in Title Town. Chicago will probably clinch the NFC North this weekend. Let’s just hope that Green Bay at least challenges them, or it’ll be a very long Christmas Day in Green Bay. Pick: Bears.

Minnesota Vikings (8-6) at Baltimore Ravens (5-9) - Baltimore had a big win last week, but don’t expect a repeat performance. The Vikings will probably pull out with a win. Pick: Vikings.

New England Patriots (9-5) at New York Jets (3-11) - Patriots, Jets, ABC’s Monday Night Football series finale. Patriots win. Pick: Patriots.

Picks Summary

AWAY - HOME - PREDICTION - RESULT
Steelers - Browns - Steelers - Steelers √
Bills - Bengals - Bengals - Bills Χ
Cowboys - Panthers - Panthers - Cowboys Χ
Giants - Redskins - Giants - Redskins Χ
Falcons - Buccaneers - Buccaneers - Buccaneers √
49ers - Rams - Rams - 49ers Χ
Lions - Saints - Saints - Lions Χ
Titans - Dolphins - Dolphins - Dolphins √
Chargers - Chiefs - Chargers - Chiefs Χ
Jaguars - Texans - Jaguars - Jaguars √
Eagles - Cardinals - Eagles - Cardinals Χ
Colts - Seahawks - Seahawks - Seahawks √
Raiders - Broncos - Broncos - Broncos √
Bears - Packers - Bears - Bears √
Vikings - Ravens - Vikings - Ravens Χ
Patriots - Jets - Patriots - Patriots √

UPDATE: 8-8 this week after some huge upsets and a lot of disappointing games.
Running total: 152-88.

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