NFL Predictions Week 16: Top Underdog Picks, Vegas Odds and Score Predictions

Six NFL playoff spots remain up for grabs before the penultimate weekend, but not every Week 16 matchup bears major significance. 

Three showdowns feature a pair of eliminated squads, and a few others appear too lopsided to fear the contenders' chances. Until the Arizona Cardinals face the Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals close the week versus the Denver Broncos, there aren't potential playoff previews to digest.

Then there are games meaning more than they should. Two NFC East teams that would already be out of the wild-card hunt are grappling for first place on Saturday night. In the AFC, a five-win team actually remains mathematically alive.

Both those bouts are looking good for the road underdogs. Let's examine them after running through Week 16's odds, courtesy of Odds Shark, and predictions.  

Away	Home	Spread	Prediction
San Diego Chargers	Oakland Raiders	OAK -5	28-24 OAK
Washington Redskins	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI -3	27-24 WAS
Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons	CAR -7.5	31-20 CAR
Dallas Cowboys	Buffalo Bills	BUF -7	20-13 BUF
San Francisco 49ers	Detroit Lions	DET -10	27-17 DET
Cleveland Browns	Kansas City Chiefs	KC -13.5	30-13 KC
Indianapolis Colts	Miami Dolphins	N/A	20-17 MIA
New England Patriots	New York Jets	NE -3	27-21 NE
Chicago Bears	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB -3	24-23 TB
Houston Texans	Tennessee Titans	N/A	16-13 HOU
Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	PIT -11.5	35-17 PIT
Jacksonville Jaguars	New Orleans Saints	NO -3.5	34-31 JAX
Green Bay Packers	Arizona Cardinals	ARI -4.5	31-26 ARI
St. Louis Rams	Seattle Seahawks	SEA -14.5	24-13 SEA
New York Giants	Minnesota Vikings	MIN -5.5	27-20 MIN
Cincinnati Bengals	Denver Broncos	DEN -3.5	23-17 DEN

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

All four NFC East teams have treated the division title like a penny sitting on a crowded sidewalk. On Saturday night, the Washington Redskins can rise above .500 and wrap up the division by beating the Philadelphia Eagles. 

They optimized an advantageous Week 15 schedule, besting the Buffalo Bills as the Eagles lost to the Cardinals and the New York Giants' late rally against the Carolina Panthers fell short. With the offense clicking, Washington suddenly looks better than a team about to win a crummy division by default.

Since a Week 8 bye, the club is 5-3, including road losses to the Panthers and New England Patriots. During that stretch, it has produced 24.9 points per game. Kirk Cousins is posting a league-best 69.7 completion percentage this season, and he now has a prolific deep threat in DeSean Jackson.

The 29-year-old wide receiver has invigorated a mundane offense, registering 429 receiving yards and four touchdowns over the last five games. The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg highlighted Cousins' progress with the big-play wideout in tow:

Jackson can now seek vengeance against his old team, which ranks No. 24 in passing defense and relinquishes 89.2 yards per game to No. 1 wide receivers, per Football Outsiders. After Sunday's 35-25 win over Buffalo, he expressed optimism in the offense sustaining its progress to CSN Mid-Atlantic's Rich Tandler:

"

You know with Kirk, he’s a young quarterback. This is his first full year of him being a starter in this league, so he has a lot that he’s trying to accomplish and he has a lot coming at him. Defenses are showing different looks and all that. I think the more and more we play together and the more snaps we take together, I think we’ll see more days like this.

"

Washington has only won one road game, Week 14's 24-21 triumph over the Chicago Bears. Philadelphia, however, has surrendered 178 points over the past five games. Sam Bradford enjoyed his best game of the year during Week 4's 23-20 loss to Washington, but the Eagles need big gains on the ground or on special teams to strive.

By Vegas logic, the Eagles are instead due the three-point edge because of the venue change. Yet it took a rare strong showing from Bradford to keep up against Washington sans Jackson. The edge remains in Washington's favor.

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The New Orleans Saints are not capable of stopping the other team from moving the football forward. Turns out this is an important trait for defenses to possess. 

In a game where Calvin Johnson's fantasy investors spent hours cursing at the TV, the Detroit Lions decimated the Saints without any resistance. They generated 7.8 yards per play during a 35-27 victory. Matthew Stafford completed 22 of his 25 passes, and the NFL's worst rushing offense entering Week 15 generated 150 yards on the ground.

Nevertheless, the 5-9 Saints allowing 30.9 points per game were initially favored since they're playing at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell debunked the once-potent Superdome advantage:

New Orleans typically kicks its offense into high gear at home, and that's still the case. Drew Brees has completed 70.4 percent of his passes and tossed 20 touchdowns through six home games. Unfortunately, the other guys also enjoy the cushy confines of a dome.

The Times-Picayune's Jeff Duncan noted the Saints' defensive futility at home:

The lone victory was a 52-49 win over the Giants, the only team to allow more total yards this season. So the Big Easy provides an edge when Brees throws seven touchdowns. This will prove difficult with a torn plantar fascia he wants to play through, as reported on Tuesday by ESPN's Ed Werder:

Jacksonville's No. 12 passing offense is well-equipped to stop an adversary allowing a 116.5 quarterback rating. Blake Bortles has averaged 299.5 passing yards over the last four games, and he has three big targets in Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Julius Thomas.

This matchup will play out like Monday night. If he plays, Brees will move the ball and crack the end zone, but not enough to overcome an incompetent defense. For what it's worth, the Jaguars can still win the AFC South, and they trail two teams down to their third-string quarterbacks.