NFL Week 16 Picks

I went 9-7 last week, bringing my overall to 134-90. There are a lot of good match-ups slated for this week so let’s get right to it.

CAR vs. PIT  

                                 Congratulations to Carolina for winning their second game. As a reward, you get to play one of the best teams in the NFL. Have fun. Pittsburgh wins.

                DAL vs. ARI 

                                 Arizona is as anxious as any to have the regular season end and allow the rebuilding process to begin. However they still have two games left to play and this one against Dallas has got to make them feel like they got coal in their stockings. Dallas should beat on the Cardinals.

               

                NYJ vs. CHI

               

                                 The Jets seem to recover from their several weeks’ long nap in their victory against the Steelers. Now they get to face off against one of the better defenses in the NFL, brought to you by the Bears. The last time we saw the Bears play a team from the AFC East; they were beaten on by the Patriots. I don’t expect the Bears to lose that badly, however I also don’t expect them to win. While the Bears have shown the ability to cause turnovers, they also have a propensity for giveaways. I think that will be their downfall in this game. The Jets win.

                NE vs. BUF

                                 For how good the Bills are able to play, they simply aren’t good enough to compete with the Patriots the way the Patriots are playing right now.

                TEN vs. KC

                                 This duel between run heavy teams is going come down to which team is able to play better defense. Matt Cassell and Kerry Collin are about equal as quarterback when they’re both clicking, so the passing games are going to cancel out somewhat. The real key is which defense is going to be able to step up and contain the opposing offense. While Tennessee has a good rotation of defensive lineman, Kansas City’s defensive front seven have come together to stonewall opposing offensive lines. I’m going to give the win to Kansas City on the basis of that defense.

                WAS vs. JAC

                                 I have never been a big fan of teams switching quarterbacks partway through the season. This goes doubly true when Donovan McNabb is involved. I have no faith in Rex Grossman right now and I am also not of the opinion that the Washington defense is going to be able to stop Maurice Jones-Drew long enough to stay in this game. Jacksonville wins.

                DET vs. MIA

                                 This game should be surprisingly good. I’ve made it clear on numerous occasions that I really like the way Detroit has been playing this season. Miami has had its ups and downs during the course of this season, but the one consent that Miami has been able to count on, is the tremendous pass rush provided by Cameron Wake. If Wake is able to provide pressure on the Detroit quarterbacks, then I think Miami will win. If not, I still think Miami will win, but it will be a much tighter game.

                SF vs. STL

                                 I’m going to try and use logic here, though it has failed me every single time NFC west teams play one another. So, by my logic St. Louis should win this game because they have more to play for so the entire teams should be motivated enough to make up for the failures of Sam Bradford, who has appeared to hit his rookie wall. So I am picking St, Louis. So now the 49ers will win, just because.

                BAL vs. CLE

                                 Cleveland has made some good strides, more than enough to keep Eric Mangini on for another year. However, those strides aren’t going to keep the Ravens from beating down on them.

                HOU vs. DEN 

                                 Well this will be interesting to watch. Tim Tebow gets a shot at the worst pass defense in the league and we will really get a chance to see if he has the ability to throw the ball consistently, or if he needs more time before becoming a starting quarterback. Regardless of how well he throws, the Denver defense cannot pressure the quarterback and I doubt their corners can cover the best receiver in the game for 10 or 20 seconds. Houston wins.

                                               

                IND vs. OAK

                                 This game is really hard for me to pick. While Indianapolis showed that they are still competitive last week, their run defense has been so bad for so much of this season; it’s hard for me to confidently pick them to win against a strong running team like the Raiders. Say what you want about why the Raiders are winning, but one way or another, the Raiders have looked more competitive this year than they have in a very long time. That being said, I think the Colts, in their desperation to make the playoffs are going to find a way to win.

                SD vs. CIN

                                 Cincy surprised a lot of people (me) when they won last week. They seemed to have discovered their running game again, but at the cost of their leading receiver Terrell Owens, who suffered a knee injury. That being said, they’re playing the Chargers in December. The Chargers are practically unbeatable in December. San Diego wins.

                SEA vs. TB

                                 Fortunately for Seattle, they’re facing a Buccaneers team that is absolutely decimated by injuries. The Bucs made a valiant run for the playoffs, but they’re still going to fall short. I’m Seattle the win here.  

                NYG vs. GB

                                 I’ve got admit that Green Bay surprised me last week. I expected them to completely implode without Aaron Rodgers playing at full strength. So I am a little more hesitant to simply dismiss them in this game. I know Aaron Rodgers was cleared fairly early in the week however he shouldn’t have been. After suffering his second concussion during this season, he should have been put on IR. It makes more sense both for Aaron Rodger’s health and for the long-term stability of the Packers if Rodgers doesn’t risk another concussion by playing. This goes doubly true for this season when the Packers finish the season against two of the best defensive teams in the NFL (the Giants and Bears). I still think the game will be close because of the great supporting cast around Rodgers, but that alone will not be enough for them to beat an angry Giants team.

                MIN vs. PHI

                                 Joe Webb is likely to make his second straight start. I think that’s all that needs to be said about this game. Philly wins.

                NO vs. ATL *Game of the Week*

                                 My favorite team in the biggest game they’re going to have this season. Both Atlanta and New Orleans are competing for the NFC South title. Both teams are fairly evenly matched, though I think Atlanta has an edge in rushing the ball. I’m giving this one to the Falcons, because Matt Ryan has lost only one game at home.