Christmas may be this weekend but the NFL was in full gift-giving mode last week, handing out close games and fantastic finishes like they were candy canes. According to @NFLResearch, 12 of the 15 games on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday were decided by one score, tying the most in a single week in NFL history. And don’t forget that three teams rallied from 17-point deficits to win, including Minnesota orchestrating the biggest comeback ever.
So that sets a very high bar for Week 16, which has most of the games taking place on Saturday because Christmas is on Sunday. But first, it’s “Thursday Night Football” between the Jaguars and the Jets. This is pretty much a must-win situation as both teams are still in the wild-card chase but are currently on the outside looking in.
Related: NFL Playoff Picture Entering Week 16
On Saturday, the early window has several games lined up with major playoff implications, including Giants at Vikings and Bengals at Patriots. Elsewhere, the Bills have a chance to wrap up the AFC East when they visit the Windy City to take on the Bears, and the Lions will look to continue their late-season surge on the road against the Panthers. The Chiefs will try and keep pace with the Bills atop the AFC bracket when they host the Seahawks with Saints-Browns and Ravens-Falcons rounding out the 1 pm ET time slot.
Later on Saturday, the game everyone will be watching is Round 2 between Philadelphia and Dallas. The Eagles can clinch both the NFC East and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a second win over the Cowboys but may be without Jalen Hurts. The current MVP front-runner is dealing with a shoulder injury and his availability is uncertain. Meanwhile, Dallas can stave off Philly’s coronation for at least one more week if it can draw even after losing to the Eagles back in Week 6. The Cowboys also will be looking for a better effort after almost losing to Houston at home two weeks ago. by coughing up a 17-point lead on the road against Jacksonville before losing in overtime on a pick-six. Washington’s playoff hopes took a big hit after last week’s loss to the Giants and things won’t get any easier out in San Francisco against the league’s hottest team (49ers have won seven in a row). The last game on Christmas Eve has Las Vegas fighting for its playoff chances against a Pittsburgh team that still has a chance of keeping head coach Mike Tomlin’s streak of never posting a losing season intact. But the Steelers must win out (or win two and tie one).
On Christmas, the holiday tripleheader starts with Green Bay taking on Miami. The Packers pretty much need this one to keep their slim playoff hopes alive while the Dolphins would like to stop their downward descent in the AFC pecking order after three straight losses. The middle game has the Broncos visiting the Rams in a matchup of disappointing, injury-riddled teams that have already been eliminated from playoff contention followed by Tampa Bay at Arizona for “Sunday Night Football.” No Kyler Murray for the Cardinals means the Buccaneers catch a break as they look to snap a two-game losing streak and increase their lead in the mediocre NFC South.
Week 16 concludes with the Los Angeles Chargers hosting the Indianapolis Colts for “Monday Night Football.” The Chargers are climbing after two straight wins while the Colts were on the other end of the Vikings’ historic comeback last Saturday and have now lost four in a row.
So which teams will come out on top in every NFL game in Week 16? Athlon’s own Steven Lassan (@AthlonSteven), Mark Ross (@AthlonMarkR), and Ben Weinrib (@benweinrib), along with AthlonSports.com contributor Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer), predict the winners for every game this week:
NFL Week 16 Predictions
| Bryan Fischer | Steven Lassan | Mark Ross | Ben Weinrib | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jacksonville at New York Jets (TNF) |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
Jaguars |
|
Atlanta at Baltimore (Sat.) |
Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
Ravens |
|
Detroit at Carolina (Sat.) |
Lions |
Lions |
Lions |
Lions |
|
Buffalo at Chicago (Sat.) |
Bills |
Bills |
Bills |
Bills |
|
New Orleans at Cleveland (Sat.) |
Browns |
Browns |
Browns |
Browns |
|
Seattle at Kansas City (Sat.) |
Chiefs |
Chiefs |
Chiefs |
Chiefs |
|
New York Giants at Minnesota (Sat.) |
Vikings |
Vikings |
Vikings |
Vikings |
|
Cincinnati at New England (Sat.) |
Bengals |
Bengals |
Bengals |
Bengals |
|
Houston at Tennessee (Sat.) |
Titans |
Titans |
Titans |
Titans |
|
Washington at San Francisco (Sat.) |
49ers |
49ers |
49ers |
49ers |
|
Philadelphia at Dallas (Sat.) |
Cowboys |
Cowboys |
Cowboys |
Cowboys |
|
Las Vegas at Pittsburgh (Sat.) |
Raiders |
Steelers |
Steelers |
Steelers |
|
Green Bay at Miami |
Dolphins |
Dolphins |
Dolphins |
Dolphins |
|
Denver at Los Angeles Rams |
Rams |
Broncos |
Broncos |
Broncos |
|
Tampa Bay at Arizona (SNF) |
Buccaneers |
Buccaneers |
Buccaneers |
Buccaneers |
|
Los Angeles Chargers at Indianapolis (MNF) |
Chargers |
Chargers |
Chargers |
Chargers |
|
Week 15 |
10-6 |
12-4 |
11-5 |
12-4 |
|
Season Total* |
141-81 |
146-76 |
144-78 |
145-77 |
*Indianapolis-Houston in Week 1 and Washington-New York Giants in Week 13 ended in ties.
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