NFL Predictions Week 16: Vegas Odds, Spreads and Picks for All Games

If you're someone who likes to stay up on the Vegas odds, there's a lot to interest you in this week's point spreads.

Week 16 of the NFL season gives us our biggest NFL point spread of the season (as well as the last three years) and plenty of other juicy lines. They should come in handy whether you're preparing to put some money on the matchups or just like knowing how much your team is favored by.

Let's jump into previewing the matchups for Week 16, review the point spreads and then make some picks for the penultimate week of NFL regular-season action.  

Date	Away	Home	Point Spead	Pick
Thursday	NYG	PHI	NYG -3	Giants
Saturday	MIA	BUF	BUF -3.5	Bills
Saturday	NYJ	NE	NE -16.5	Patriots
Saturday	TEN	JAC	TEN -3.5	Titans
Saturday	MIN	GB	GB -6.5	Packers
Saturday	SD	CLE	SD -6.5	Chargers
Saturday	WAS	CHI	WAS -4	Bears
Saturday	ATL	CAR	ATL -3.5	Falcons
Saturday	IND	OAK	OAK -3.5	Raiders
Saturday	TB	NO	NO -3.5	Saints
Saturday	ARI	SEA	SEA -6.5	Seahawks
Saturday	SF	LA	LA -3	Rams
Saturday	CIN	HOU	HOU -3.5	Texans
Sunday	BAL	PIT	PIT -3.5	Steelers
Sunday	DEN	KC	KC -3.5	Chiefs
Monday	DET	DAL	DAL -7	Cowboys

Safe Bet: New England Patriots (-16.5)

Have you ever seen a 16.5-point spread? According to CBSSports.com, it's the largest point spread in any NFL game in three years.

Needless to say, Vegas expects the Patriots to face little opposition when they take on the New York Jets in Week 16.

This is the kind of spread that is just begging you to take the underdog. After all, can New England really outscore New York by more than two touchdowns?

But that's exactly what Vegas wants you to do.

When you run the numbers, it's more than possible that New England trounces the Jets by that many points. 

The Patriots are currently averaging 26.1 points per game, the sixth-most in the league. Meanwhile, the Jets offense is the league's third-worst scoring unit, scraping together only 17.3 points per game. 

Sure, the Patriots are only scoring about nine more points per game than the Jets. But can they really tack another 7.5 points on top of that?

Their defense suggests they can.

The Bill Belichick-era Patriots have always featured a robust offense, but in 2016, their defense has been their secret weapon.

The Patriots actually have the league's best defense when it comes to scoring, limiting opponents to just 16.6 points per game. 

Big Gamble: Green Bay Packers (-6.5)

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers are red-hot, having won four games in a row as they fight for their playoff lives. 

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings have struggled since opening the season with five straight wins. They've lost seven of their last nine and got blown out by the Indianapolis Colts, 34-6, in Week 15. 

However, if there's any semblance of the team that defeated the Packers 17-14 in Week 2 left in this Vikings team, they'll try to call it back in Week 16 when they take on their NFC North foes.

With their loss to the Colts on Sunday, the Vikings officially dropped to third place in the division, below the Packers. As Eric Rosenthal of Page2Sports points out, that takes the division title off the table.

But if Minnesota can win out, it can remain in contention for a wild-card spot. 

Plus, while a win is a win, Green Bay's wins have not been pretty at all. The Packers needed four quarters to put away the lowly Chicago Bears in Week 15, barely eking out a three-point victory. Mike McCarthy's Packers have had a bad habit of letting teams claw their way back in the second half this season. 

The Packers have also not blown many teams out. Five of their matchups this season have been decided by five points or fewer. Yes, the Packers are fighting to stay in the postseason race, but expecting this injury-riddled team to defeat the Vikings by almost a touchdown might be too much. 

You're better off taking Green Bay straight-up this week than by 6.5 points. 

NFL Odds via OddsShark and current as of Dec. 19.