Week 16 of the NFL regular season is upon us. Just three weeks remain before the playoffs. My Week 15 picks fared well. I picked 12 of 16 games correctly. Through fifteen weeks I’m now sitting at 151-73
with predictions. Let’s see if I can keep up that accuracy with my Week 16 picks.
Thursday Night Football — Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Winner: Rams
The Rams and Seahawks both sport 11-3 records with the San Francisco 49ers right on their heels in the NFC West. This game could be the one that ultimately decides how the division plays out. It’s a great primetime matchup to kick of this week’s slate of games. I think that the Rams can do enough on offense against a staunch Seahawks defense to secure a huge road victory.
Saturday Football (Afternoon Game) — Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders
Winner: Eagles
This NFC East rivalry game has profound implications for Philadelphia. It’s simple—win and they secure the division title and an opportunity to host a playoff game. I think they are going to be able to accomplish that feat on the road in Washington.
Saturday Football (Night Game) — Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Winner: Packers
The Bears sit atop of the NFC North at 10-4, but the Packers are right in the thick of it at 9-4-1. Unfortunately, Green Bay lost star edge rusher Micah Parsons for the rest of the season after an ACL tear against the Denver Broncos last Sunday. For the third game in a row, I’ll be picking the away team to come away with a dub. I’m taking the Packers here.
Sunday Football (Early Game) — Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns
Winner: Bills
Riding high after defeating the New England Patriots in Week 15, Buffalo can punch their postseason with a win against Cleveland paired with loss or tie by the Houston Texans or Indianapolis Colts. On top of that, they still have a path to winning the AFC East if things go their way in the final three games. I’ll bank on Josh Allen and company keeping that dream alive with a win on the road in Cleveland.
Sunday Football (Early Game) — Los Angeles Chargers at Dallas Cowboys
Winner: Chargers
The Chargers can earn a postseason berth but have to win and get some help this week. I’ll keep this short and sweet. I think Justin Herbert will lead his team to another victory. I’m not sure I’ve ever picked five teams in a row to win on the road to start of my picks, but that just happened choosing Los Angeles in this one.
Sunday Football (Early Game) — Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans
Winner: Chiefs
The door was shut on the Chiefs relative to the playoffs with their loss last weekend. Even worse, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL. It will be up to Gardner Minshew to lead the Chiefs to a victory on the road against the Titans. That’s a task I’m confident he will be able to do.
Sunday Football (Early Game) — Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins
Winner: Bengals
The Bengals are coming off a shutout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. On the flipside with Miami, news just broke Tua Tagovailoa is being benched in favor of rookie Quinn Ewers. That’s quite the development. Even though Cincinnati looked horrible last week, I’ll be taking them in this one.
Sunday Football (Early Game) — New York Jets at New Orleans Saints
Winner: Saints
This is probably one of the least interesting games of Week 16. The Saints are now 4-10 after playing spoiler the past two weeks against division rivals. The Jets, sitting at 3-11, still have a shot the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Finally, I’ll be picking a home team to win. I’m going with New Orleans.
Sunday Football (Early Game) — Minnesota Vikings at New York Giants
Winner: Vikings
Despite back-to-back wins, the Vikings have been eliminated from playoff contention. Tough luck for them. Meanwhile, the Giants are sputtering at 2-12 and are losers of eight in a row. I’ll be banking on Minnesota’s momentum to continue on the road in this one.
Sunday Football (Early Game) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
Winner: Buccaneers
With the way things have been going as of late for these NFC South rivals, it sure seems that neither of them really wants to win the division. Both of them have a 7-7 record with three games left. They’ll face each other again in Week 18, but this is essentially a playoff game for both teams. The victor will surely have the upper hand in the race for the division. I like Tampa Bay on the road.
Sunday Football (Late Game) — Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals
Winner: Falcons
I’ll be honest here. There is nothing remotely interesting about this matchup. Two bad teams with nothing to play for. It’s probably safe to say most fans on either side are hoping for a better draft pick than a meaningless win. That being said, I’ll take Atlanta here. Just because.
Sunday Football (Late Game) — Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos
Winner: Broncos
The Jaguars are the top team in the AFC South, and the Broncos are best in the AFC West. This is one of the weekend’s best games. Jacksonville is talented, but are they good enough to take down Denver on the road? I’m not so sure about that. I think the Broncos make it twelve wins in a row with a huge hometown dub.
Sunday Football (Late Game) — Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
Winner: Lions
This is a fun matchup. The Steelers are 8-6 and atop the AFC North, but the Baltimore Ravens are 7-7 right behind them. This is a big game for them. With respect to the Lions, they are 8-6 and outside the playoff hunt in the NFC. Who wants it more? Not sure, but I think Dan Campbell will have the Lions roaring on Sunday. I’ll take Detroit at home.
Sunday Football (Late Game) — Las Vegas Raiders at Houston Texans
Winner: Texans
I don’t see a 2-12 Raiders team going on the road and finding a way to beat a Texans squad that has won six in a row. I expect the Texans to win handily, with the Raiders inching one step closer to achieving the top pick in the ‘26 NFL Draft.
Sunday Night Football — New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
Winner: Ravens
This game has huge implications for both squads. The Patriots want to keep their grasp on the AFC East and still have a shot as the conference’s number one seed. At 7-7, the Ravens are a game behind the Steelers in the AFC North. It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a year for Baltimore, but I think they will hit their high note with a primetime victory on Sunday Night Football to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Monday Night Football — San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts
Winner: 49ers
The 49ers are a game back in the NFC West, whilst the Colts continue to see their playoff hopes fade with each week that passes. If Indianapolis drops this one at home, it will probably vanquish their postseason hopes. I don’t think Philip Rivers is going to be able to save them in this one. I’ll be taking Kyle Shanahan’s squad here to keep things interesting in the NFC West.
