Wednesday, December 21, 2011

NFL Week 16 Predictions

Isn't the end of the world not supposed to happen until next December?  Because it sure seemed like it came a year early this past week.  The Packers lost for the first time this season; the Colts finally won one; the Ravens, Steelers, and Texans all laid an egg; and Tim Tebow and the Broncos were finally brought down to earth.  What sort of surprises are in store for this Christmas weekend? 


As I've said before, I usually avoid posting my picks early in the week, but I'm making an exception this week for two reasons.  First, since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, all of the afternoon games will be played on Saturday.  Secondly, my girlfriend is coming up to visit for the weekend, so I'm getting my predictions done early so I have the entire weekend to spend with her.  So here goes...


Last week: 10-6
Season to date: 143-81 (63.8 %)


Texans over Colts
  •  Things should return to the status quo this week. 
Ravens over Browns
  • You can't really blame the Ravens for their loss at San Diego last week.  The Chargers have a strong history of winning games in December.  The Browns, sadly, don't. 
Broncos over Bills
  •  The Bills don't have a prayer, and no amount of Tebowing will help, as the Broncos bounce back from a rare home loss to New England. 
Panthers over Buccaneers
  •  The Panthers continued to surprise last week with an upset win over the Texans.  Tampa just continued to implode. 
Bengals over Cardinals
  • Arizona's been on a roll lately with John Skelton leading the way, but I don't think they'll be able to handle the cold weather of Cincinnati, not to mention the Bengals' defense.  
Chiefs over Raiders
  • Chalk another one up to the Chiefs' defense. 
Patriots over Dolphins
  •  With Matt Moore now at quarterback instead of Chad Henne, the Dolphins will make this a closer game than they had against the Pats in Week 1, but I don't think they'll have enough to outgun New England's offense. 
Giants over Jets
  • Which New York team will lay the bigger egg on Saturday?  
Steelers over Rams
  • Pittsburgh blew a golden opportunity to overtake Baltimore for the division lead thanks to Ben Roethlisberger's four turnovers.  If I were Mike Tomlin, I'd sit Roethlisberger for the next two weeks.  I highly doubt Baltimore will slip up again, which means the Steelers will most likely have to play in the first round, so they should give Big Ben some time to rest while they still can so he's healthy for the playoffs.  Besides, they've only got St. Louis and Cleveland left on the schedule, and they're facing the NFL's worst run defense this week, so it shouldn't matter who's starting at quarterback.  Just a thought...
Jaguars over Titans
  •  With a loss to the previously winless Colts last week, the Titans are fading fast. 
Redskins over Vikings
  •  The 'Skins looked like they did at the start of the season last week against the Giants.  Rex Grossman torches the Viking's non-existent secondary this Saturday.  (Gee, never thought I'd be saying that!) 
Lions over Chargers
  • It's kinda hard to bet against San Diego after the way they handled the Ravens last Sunday, and they usually play really well in December, but let's see how they deal with playing on the road against a team that's been playoff-starved for the last decade.  
Eagles over Cowboys
  • Hard to believe, but the Eagles still have a pretty good shot at the playoffs, and they're playing like their hungry.  Dallas finds a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory once again.  
49ers over Seahawks
  • The NFC West is full of surprises.  Seattle has won three in a row and still has a long shot at a wild card spot, but the Niners have just been playing lights-out on defense.  I've got a feeling it's gonna be a Harbaugh Superbowl this year.  
Packers over Bears
  •  So much for a perfect season.  No matter, the Packers will bounce back and clinch home-field advantage against the injury-depleted Bears. 
Saints over Falcons
  • The Falcons have the better defense, but you can bet Saints QB Drew Brees will be fired up for this one, with a chance to break Dan Marino's passing record  with a week to spare.  He needs just a little over 300 yards.  
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  Stay frosty, y'all! 

B-)  

No comments:

Post a Comment