And we are down to the second to the last week of the NFL regular season: Week 16.
It should prove to be a helluva week again, especially with a pair of crucial games on tap on Christmas Day—Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs. Whichever team loses there could find themselves kissing their playoff hopes goodbye. Read on below for a full look at both games, as well as the rest of the games schedule for the coming week.
New York Giants (-3) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (+3) – 8:25 PM ET
The Giants have been playing great football at home, where they finished 7-1 this season after Sunday’s win against Detroit, 17-6. Eli Manning threw for two touchdowns with the second corralled by Odell Beckham Jr., who has now found the end zone four times in the last five games. Both should have another huge game against an Eagles defense that’s conceded a total of 21 passing touchdowns on the year, among the highest in the league. However, New York, though, is just 3-3 SU (2-2-2 ATS) on the road heading into this game.
Writer’s Prediction: Giants win, but do not cover.
Saturday, December 24
Miami Dolphins (+4) vs. Buffalo Bills (-4) – 8:25 PM ET
A big game from Matt Moore, who had four TD passes in his first game as the injured Ryan Tannehill’s replacement, kept Miami’s playoff hopes alive. The Dolphins currently own the final wild card spot in AFC, but there are five other teams knocking at their doorstep to unseat them, including their next opponent—the Bills. Miami will need RB Jay Ayayi to relieve some pressure of off Moore by taking advantage of an inconsistent Buffalo run defense that’s allowed 18 rushing touchdowns this season, the second most in the NFL.
The Dolphins are 3-2 SU and ATS in their last five road games, while the Bills enter here as losers of back-to-back games (1-1 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction: Miami wins.
New York Jets (+16.5) vs. New England Patriots (-16.5) – 1:00 PM ET
Tom Brady walked away with his third win in 10 career trips to the Mile High City, leading New England past the Broncos on Sunday, 16-3. He completed just half of his 32 passes for 188 yard with zero touchdowns and interceptions, but the Pats overpowered their longtime nemesis on the ground behind a 95-yard, 18-carry effort from RB Dion Lewis. The win over Denver assured a first-round bye in the postseason for New England, which now looks to stay on track against a struggling Jets team that’s lost five of its last six games (2-4 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction: Pats win, but don’t cover the big spread.
Tennessee Titans (-4.5) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (+4.5) – 1:00 PM ET
Tennessee brought home its third win in a row in thrilling fashion, squeaking out a huge 19-17 win at Arrowhead Stadium to keep them in a first-place tie with the Texans for the AFC South lead. Marcus Mariota was held without a score for the first time this season, but the Titans’ running game had his back, amounting nearly 150 yards along with two TDs from Derrick Henry. Mariota should be able to reawake his arms versus the Jaguars, who are merely looking for something to smile about in what has been an ugly 2016 season for them. They’re also currently in search for a new head coach after the recent firing of Gus Bradley.
The Titans are 4-3 SU and 3-4 ATS on the road this season.
Writer’s Prediction: Tennessee wins and covers.
Minnesota Vikings (+7) vs. Green Bay Packers (-7) – 1:00 PM ET
Minnesota will try to stay optimistic, especially about its very slim playoff hopes, after being bullied by Andrew Luck on Sunday, 34-6. RB Adrian Peterson made his return from a knee injury that forced him to miss 11 games, but was limited to 22 yards on six carries and lost a fumble. He and, hopefully, the Vikings’ vaunted defense can regain respect in a hefty matchup with the streaking Packers, who’ve won their last four games (3-1 ATS), including an impressive 38-10 home win over the Seahawks in Week 14.
Writer’s Prediction: Green Bay escapes with the win.
San Diego Chargers (-6.5) vs. Cleveland Browns (+6.5) – 1:00 PM ET
A matchup with the winless Browns already sounds like a sure win for San Diego. The Chargers were in a neck-and-neck showdown with Oakland on Sunday, and found themselves squandering another fourth-quarter lead en route to their third-straight setback and ninth loss of the season. But Cleveland has played far worse than them, so expect Philip Rivers, who’s thrown 27 touchdowns in total this year, along with the possible return of Melvin Gordon to carry the Bolts to an easy victory here. They’re 6-2 SU and 3-5 ATS in their last 10 games against the Browns dating all the way back to the 1999 season.
Writer’s Prediction: Chargers wins and barely cover.
Washington Redskins (-3) vs. Chicago Bears (+3) – 1:00 PM ET
Alshon Jeffery was a positive impact in his return from a four-game suspension for the Bears on Sunday against the Packers, hauling in six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Howard, meanwhile, saw 17 carries, finishing with 90 yards and one running score. However, Chicago still suffered its fifth loss in six games (5-1 ATS) with three interceptions thrown by Matt Barkley. It’s hard to see him doing any better against a Washington secondary that currently ranks ninth in the league (257.8 yards allowed per game).
Writer’s Prediction: Washington wins.
Atlanta Falcons (-2.5) vs. Carolina Panthers (+2.5) – 1:00 PM ET
Atlanta lit up the scoreboard for the second-straight week, putting up 41 points in what everyone expected to be blowout win over the 49ers. Matt Ryan threw a pair of touchdowns, while Devonta Freeman wreaked havoc on the ground with 139 yard and three scores. With the Falcons’ attack as hot as fire right now, another 40-point outburst could be in the making versus the Panthers, whom Atlanta defeated, 48-33, earlier this season. Matty Ice delivered four TDs there, including one to Julio Jones, who amassed a record-breaking 300 yards on 12 receptions. Jones has missed the last two games due to a sprained toe, but he should be ready to make a big return here.
Writer’s Prediction: Atlanta wins.
Indianapolis Colts (+4) vs. Oakland Raiders (-4) – 1:00 PM ET
A dominant win over the Vikings on Sunday afternoon kept the Colts in the playoff race. Andrew Luck went 21-of-25 for 250 yards with two touchdowns, Indy gained 161 yards on the ground and its defense surprisingly held Minnesota to just two first downs in the first half, got five sacks and forced three turnovers. If they can repeat that against the Raiders, who clinched a postseason berth for the first time in 14 years after the hard-fought win over San Diego, expect Indy to make their playoff-hopeful fans more hopeful.
The Colts are 4-1 SU and 4-0-1 ATS in their last five road games.
Writer’s Prediction: Indianapolis gets this one behind a big effort from Luck.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3) vs. New Orleans Saints (-3) – 4:25 PM ET
Drew Brees got himself and the Saints’ offense clicking on Sunday, passing for 389 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Brandin Cooks, with zero picks in a 48-4 1 road win over the Cardinals. New Orleans now prepares for their final home game of the season against the Bucs, who just saw their five-game run snapped at the hands of the Cowboys. A quarterback showdown between Brees and Winston potentially has another high-scoring game written all over it. Both have 53 TD passes combined this season.
Writer’s Prediction: Saints win and cover.
Arizona Cardinals (+9) vs. Seattle Seahawks (-9) – 4:25 PM ET
It’s going to be fun to see what Arizona’s David Johnson does against one of the league’s top defenses. Seattle is only giving up 319.7 total yards this season, including only 95.1 rushing yards. Johnson rumbled for 53 yards with two scores and hauled in four passes for 55 yards in Sunday’s shootout loss to New Orleans. He also became first player in NFL history to have at least 100 yards from scrimmage in the first 14 games of the season.
Arizona clashed with Seattle earlier this season, a game which resulted in a 6-6 stalemate. Prior to that, the Seahawks have won three of the previous four meetings (3-1 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction: Seattle wins, but does not cover.
San Francisco 49ers (+4) vs. Los Angeles Rams (-4) – 4:25 PM ET
San Francisco’s dropped 13-straight game since winning its opener—a 28-0 shutout at Los Angeles. The 49ers will face the Rams again, looking to finally notch that second win. RB Carlos Hyde is in line for a stat-filling performance versus an LA run defense that allows 107.6 yards per game. But San Francisco also has a number of defensive issues to fix. The team ranks worst in the league in total (424.9 YPG) and scoring defense (31.0 PPG).
The Niners are 2-11-1 ATS this season, while the Rams are 0-5 SU and in their last five games overall.
Writer’s Prediction: San Francisco wins.
Cincinnati Bengals (+2.5) vs. Houston Texans (-2.5) – 8:25 PM ET
Houston is 6-1 at home on the season with the lone loss happening against the Chargers a couple of weeks ago. The Texans were oh-so-close from losing another one in front of their home crowd against Jacksonville on Sunday, but the second-quarter benching of the error-prone Brock Osweiler was arguably the game-changer for Houston.
Backup quarterback Tom Savage replaced him and completed 23 of 26 passes for 260 yards, while Lamar Miller scored the team’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter to complete the come-from-behind 21-20 win.
Savage is expected start after that close win versus the Jaguars. If he does so, he’ll be gearing up for an encounter with the visiting Bengals, who have found most of their success from RB Jeremy Hill lately. He has one running touchdown each in the last three games, a stretch in which Cincy’s gone 2-1 SU and ATS.
Writer’s Prediction: Houston ekes out another close W, 26-23
Sunday, December 25
Baltimore Ravens (+4.5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (-4.5) – 4:30 PM ET
Baltimore needs to go perfect in its final two games this season to make the postseason. Hence, this Christmas-Day matchup with its division rivals Pittsburgh will be an all-out brawl.
The Ravens are coming off a 27-26 win over the Eagles on Sunday, allowing Baltimore to improve to 8-5 and earn its third win in four games (2-2 ATS). Joe Flacco had a relatively rough time against a good Philly defense, but he persevered his way in making clutch plays with a pair of touchdown passes. Flacco, however, also threw an interception for the fourth-straight game, giving him a total of 12 this season. The Ravens defense will likely have to take control in what’s bound to be another nail-biter with the Steelers, who head into this game as winners of their last five contests (5-0 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction: The Baltimore defense shuts down Big Ben and company, 27-24.
Denver Broncos (+4) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-4) – 8:30 PM ET
Denver won’t be catching a break, even after being outclassed by Tom Brady and the Pats on Sunday, 16-3. The Broncos, who’ve gone 2-4 in their last six games, cannot afford another loss and needs some outside help in order to reach the playoffs. They will be playing next at Arrowhead Stadium, a place where they’re 6-1 SU and ATS in their last seven trips.
Plus, as we’ve all seen this season, the Denver defense is usually the main reason why the team’s been competitive in all, if not almost every game. That defense has held each of its last three foes below 20 points. Alex Smith and the rest of the Chiefs could see themselves losing their second-straight at home if they don’t get it together offensively. Kansas City only managed 13 first downs in the loss to the Titans on Sunday.
Writer’s Prediction: Chiefs bounce back, 19-17.
Monday, December 26
Detroit Lions (+7.5) vs. Dallas Cowboys (-7.5) – 8:30 PM ET
Dallas moved a step closer in claiming home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs after a gutty 26-20 bounce-back win over the Bucs on Sunday night. That game was almost single-handedly dominated by Ezekiel Elliott, who had a career game with 159 yards on 23 carries and one of Dallas’ two touchdowns of the game. The other one came from Dak Prescott, who played mistake-free football with 279 passing yards. He might have to rely on his arms more in this matchup with the Lions, who’ve only given up a total of six touchdowns on the ground this year, the second-fewest in the league.
