Week 16 Picks: Holiday Special!

What could be better than Christmas eve? A full day of football on Christmas eve, of course! Week 16 action kicked off with the Indianapolis Colts upsetting the AFC South champion Texans, 19-16, capturing its second win of the season.

Saturday afternoon's games consist of several great matchups, many of which play a huge role in deciding the seeding for the postseason. Not to mention the NFC East and AFC West divisions, both of which are still up for grabs in these final two weeks of the regular season.

Here are my picks for Saturday's games, and Sunday night and Monday night's games as well.

Sidenote: One last thing, if I'm unable to post again before Sunday then Happy Holidays to my readers! I fully intend to post again before then, but just in case...

Saturday December 24, 2011

Ravens over Browns...No Colt McCoy again this week, so I think it's safe to say Baltimore can rest linebacker Ray lewis if need be, and not have any trouble winning out to capture the North title. Even if Joe Flacco decides to no-show against another team with a losing record.

Broncos over Bills...A win here for Tebow, one week off the biggest loss of his career against New England, would wrap up the AFC West for the Broncos. This would be one of the biggest mid-season comebacks we've seen in years, and would make for quite a story–I can assure you.

Panthers over Bucs...Last week rookie quarterback Cam Newton took another step towards the coveted Offensive Rookie of the Year award in an upsetting victory over the Texans. I think his quest will continue against the disappointing Bucs.

Bengals over Cardinals...Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton is another great 2011 NFL storyline. A win this week, and a New York Jets' loss (I'm not banking on that happening, but anything is possible) would put them in great position to capture the sixth-seed in the AFC playoffs the following week against Baltimore.

Chiefs over Raiders...No McFadden for the eighth straight game, and Kansas City is coming off its biggest win of the season against the once-undefeated Packers.

Patriots over Dolphins...Like Baltimore, New England is looking to solidify a first round bye in the playoffs and a victory this week over Miami woud put them one step closer to that and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Jets over Giants...This is a matchup that needs to be settled on the field, and not in the press room (*cough cough* Rex Ryan *cough cough*), although I do believe Ryan's Jets will back up that talk this week against a Giants team that has suffered a lot of injuries to key players.

Steelers over Rams...Smart move on Pittsburgh's part, resting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (high left ankle sprain) and starting veteran backup Charlie Batch instead. But, on the other sideline second-year Sam Bradford is battling injuries of his own. Kellen Clemens will be tossed in the mix against Pittsburgh, starting the game against Pittsburgh. Look out, Kellen.

Titans over Jaguars...Mike Munchak has stated that he is sticking with veteran Matt Hasselbeck in this week's must-win matchup with Jacksonville, rather than rookie Jake Locker who played half of last week's loss against Indy. If Tennessee (7-7) doesn't win this game they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.

Redskins over Vikings...Unfortunately this game doesn't have any sort of playoff implications, both teams are simply playing for pride these last two weeks of the season. The Skins are the hotter team (and by "hotter," I mean they are 2-8 in last 10 weeks), so I'll take them over the hapless Vikes. Looks like Minnesota's losing streak will extend to seven games.

Lions over Chargers...San Diego needs a victory and a prayer, however all the Lions need is a victory to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. At 9-5, Detroit can practically smell the postseason. All they need to do is stick it to Philip Rivers and the Bolts for 60 minutes, and I think Ndamukong Suh can take care of that.

Cowboys over Eagles...Ah, yes, the game of the week. This game not only effects Philly and Dallas, but also the Giants as well. If Dallas wins, which I believe will happen because I don't believe in the Tony Romo/December curse, then we will be set-up to witness a NY/DAL showdown the following week for all the marbles: the NFC East crown. What a great two weeks of football.

'Hawks over Niners...One of the top defenses in the game, in fact I would go as far as saying that I believe the Niners own the best all-around defense in the league, but I am going to go on a limb and call the upset. Seattle has quietly crept up to .500, winning three straight and five out of the last six. At 3-1 in the division (just like SF) I think they have a shot as long as they protect the football. Lose and they are out of playoff contention, though. Win or die time in Seattle.

Sunday December 25, 2011

Packers over Bears...Once you're done unwrapping all your presents and eating dinner with the family you can turn your attention to the Sunday night game. Prior to the season this matchup was sure to be a great one, although looking at it now it's not nearly as exciting. Green Bay has already lost the perfect season and Chicago, without Cutler, has benched Caleb Hanie and will be starting Josh McCown. But we do, however, have a great "win or go home" scenario for the 7-7 Bears.

Monday December 26, 2011

Saints over Falcons...THIS is the prime-time matchup we'll all be waiting for this weekend. Drew Brees is just 305 yards shy of surpassing Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record of 5,084 (1984 season). Brees will likely be coming out and throwing right away, so I expect New Orleans to jump ahead early, handing Atlanta its sixth loss of the year and putting its playoff hopes on hold another week.

Photo credit

A.J. Green: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

DeMarcus Ware: Rob Carr/Getty Images

Week 15 Picks: Make or Break for the Playoffs

Technically the playoffs haven't started yet, but playoff football started a couple of weeks ago. Three teams have clinched spots (Green Bay, New Orleans and Houston), but the rest still have three weeks to play good football.

Lucky for us, we get to witness the 10 or 12 more teams fight for their right to play in the second season for the remaining three weeks.

Here's who I believe will win each matchup today, (and tomorrow).

Sunday December 18

Dolphins over Bills

Buffalo has taken quite the fall after starting off 2011 with a strong performance. Since starting off 5-2, the Bills have lost 6 straight and fallen to 5-8. Depressing, but maybe not quite as depressing as Miami's 0-7 start. Since then, however the 'Phins have gone 3-2.

Seahawks over Bears

Caleb Hanie isn't exactly the Jay Cutler replacement that Chicago was hoping for. In five games, Hanie has thrown just two touchdowns compared to six interceptions, 502 yards and has put up a quarterback rating of 48.6. Completing about half of his pass attempts, the Bears offense has struggled to put point up on the board (13 combined in past two games).

Texans over Panthers

Sit the starters? Psh, that's not how Houston does it. How are they going to sit their third string quarterback anyways? They may have already captured the AFC South, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily just going to fold in the regular season. It shouldn't be a problem handling the 4-9 Panthers. Let's just hope they don't lose T.J. Yates to injury, too.

Titans over Colts

At this point, I'm kind of rooting for a winless season from Indianapolis. It'd make a very interesting story, woudn't it?? I know that Peyton Manning wouldn't enjoy that too much, but at least it's something that he can't control.

Packers over Chiefs

Everyone expected last week's Green Bay matchup to be quite close, but they ended up hanging Oakland an embarrassing 46-16 loss instead. If anyone thinks this week will be any different, they have a huge surprise coming their way.

Saints over Vikings

Adrian Peterson should be back–only because he doesn't want to let his fantasy owners down though, of course. But just because AP is likely to break out with 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns doesn't mean the Vikings will upset the playoff bound Saints.

Giants over Skins

Washington is another team with a fast start who has since cooled off. In the last five weeks the Redskins have gone 1-4 while the Giants are coming off a 37-34 victory over the division-leading Dallas Cowboys (8-6 after last night's 31-15 win over Tampa Bay).

Bengals over Rams

Cincy is on a two-game losing streak, but they are fighting for their playoff hopes and must win out just to have a shot at catching New York (Jets) and Pittsburgh. At 7-6, the Bengals have struggled to beat inter-division rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh (2-3 in AFC North). Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton has a strong future though.

Lions over Raiders

Personally I'm not completely sold on Carson Palmer's return to football. But he has time to further prove himself to me, just maybe not this season. At 7-6, the Raiders are fighting for their playoff chances as well, I just don't think they'll have much success in the final three weeks. As for Detroit, they are in great position, especially after this win today.

Browns over Cardinals

One of the games with absolutely zero playoff contention. Arizona will be without quarterback Kevin Kolb, who has proven himself as one of the biggest busts in this year's free agency period. I would like to hope that Peyton Hillis can finally have a successful day against this Cardinal defense, but we'll see.

Patriots over Broncos

I'm sold on the "winning" of Tim Tebow, just not against a team of New England's capability. Tebow has managed to pull off victories against teams because his defense has kept him in the games, but against a team of New England's level I'm just not sure they can keep up with Brady and Co. for three-plus quarters. Minnesota, without Peterson, put up 32 on Denver...can they really keep the Pats to anything less than that? I highly doubt it.

Jets over Eagles

Philly is done. New York, however, are fighting to keep their one-game lead over the second Wild Card spot. So I would like to think that they are a little more motivated to win this game over the Eagles, who have checked out of this season weeks ago. Or so it seems, at least.

Ravens over Chargers

They are 3-3 on the road, but that doesn't mean much in this instance. San Diego is 2-3 over the last five games, and at 6-7 I don't see them in the playoffs. It would take a miracle. But as for Baltimore, if they win it would put them one game closer to a division title.

Monday December 20

Niners over Steelers

Whether or not Ben Roethlisberger plays, the Steelers are doomed in this one. Obviously if he does play he wont be 100%, and if he doesn't, then Charlie Batch will be the starter and Pittsburgh is likely to struggle doing anything in the passing game. Pittsburgh (10-3) is a playoff team, but they wont be clinching anything this week.

Photo credit

Caleb Hanie: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Steven Jackson: Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images

Week 14: Teams on Brink of Playoff Berths

Two teams–Green Bay and San Francisco–clinched their respective divisions with victories last weekend. This week's slate of games play a huge role in the playoff hunt.

Scenarios for Week 14:

*New Orleans can clinch the NFC South with a win and an Atlanta loss.

*Houston can clinch the AFC South with a win and a Tennessee loss.

*New England can hold a three-game lead in the AFC East with a win and a New York loss.

*Baltimore can re-gain the AFC North lead (due to tiebreaker over Pittsburgh) with a win.

*Denver can take sole possession of the AFC West with a win and an Oakland loss...and vice versa.

*Even if New York, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Oakland (all currently 7-5 and in the Wild Card hunt) pull off a victory tomorrow, the Steelers (10-3 after Thursday night's hard-fought victory over Cleveland) would still hold a strong two-game lead in the AFC Wild Card race.

*In the NFC, Detroit, Chicago and Atlanta are in a dog fight for the Wild Card spots. All sitting at 7-5, things could get interesting this weekend.

Here are my picks for tomorrow's games:

Ravens over Colts...Even without Ray Lewis on the field, Baltimore's smash-mouth defense are likely to tear Indy's offensive attack apart.

Falcons over Panthers...I'd love to see Cam Newton continue his strong case for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award, but against a playoff-hungry Falcons in town that doesn't seem likely.

Texans over Bengals...Having T.J. Yates start just his second career game against a scrappy Bengals squad scares me a little, but as long as Yates protects the football like last week his running game should do the heavy lifting.

Lions over Vikings...Even if Adrian Peterson ends up playing tomorrow, he wont be 100%. Detroit's defense–even without Ndamukong Suh on the field–can contain a banged up Peterson long enough for Matt Stafford to put up some points on Jared Allen & Co.

Bucs over Jags...Josh Freeman's shoulder seems to be slowly healing and he could suit up for Tampa Bay tomorrow. I think it's about time for them to snap that nasty six-game losing streak against a rebuilding Jaguars franchise.

Dolphins over Eagles...Vick is back for Philly but Miami (4-8) is one of the hottest teams in the league right now, winning four out of the last five weeks (the loss was a one-point defeat to Dallas on Thanksgiving). Over that span, Matt Moore has helped the offense put up 30 or more points on three different occasions.

Jets over Chiefs...Battling injury all season long, Kansas City has virtually been knocked out of playoff contention at 5-7, needing a miracle to end the season with four victories to get in the postseason. New York is trying to catch New Enland in the East and is in need of a victory here.

Saints over Titans...This loss would pretty much ruin Tennessee's chances at capturing the division title if Houston also wins (like I'm predicting). I just don't think the defense has what it takes to stop NO's Drew Brees, and Matt Hasselbeck doesn't have the firepower to keep up in a shootout.

Patriots over Skins...Inconsistent play at the quarterback position has been the Achilles heal of the Washington Redskins all season. Tom Brady is bound to have a big game against Washington's defense with targets such as Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski.

Niners over Cardinals...Alex Smith's revitalized career after five disappointing seasons in San Fran has been one of 2011's nicest surprises. Smith's campaign for 2011 Comeback Player of the Year award will continue against the Cards. If they get a big lead early on it wouldn't surprise me if coach Harbaugh sat the starters in the second half.

Broncos over Bears...I'm a believer in Tim Tebow's ability to win. He's obviously not a pocket passer, or even much of a passer at all. His accuracy is lacking and his ability to see down the field has shown weaknesses. But he's the leader Denver has been missing for years now, and they finally have a winner in Tebow.

Packers over Raiders...Carson Palmer seems to think he's going to be able to go out and keep up with Aaron Rodgers in a possible shootout. Sorry, Carson, but I don't think so. Not only is Rodgers the best signal caller in the game right now, but he also has one of the strongest supporting casts in the league.

Chargers over Bills...San Diego has suffered some heartbreaking losses over the last few weeks, and Buffalo has lost five straight games now. Both at 5-7, SD and Buffalo are both fighting for pride right now and San Diego seems the more liklier team to pull out a much-needed W.

Giants over Cowboys...The G-men have won four of their last five and the 'Boys are in their usual December free-fall–1-4 over that span. A Giants victory would put them at first place in the East with a 7-6 record...Dallas would be a close second (also 7-6, but NY owns tiebreaker).

Monday night game: Seahawks over Rams...Possibly one of the most boring primetime match-ups of the season, these two teams were fighting for the division around this time last year. This year? Seattle finds themselves at 5-7 (3-3 at home) and St. Louis at 2-10 and the very bottom of the West. Marshawn Lynch has been one of the few bright spots in Seattle, and I am suspecting an outstanding performance from him in the run game.

Photo credit

Matt Moore: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Julius Peppers: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images