NFL Week 16 Picks: Matchups Guide, Advice and Early Score Predictions

Week 15 ended with a somewhat surprising 26-15 Carolina Panthers victory over the Washington Redskins. That game wasn't the only surprise of the week, either.

The suddenly surging Tennessee Titans managed to knock off the Kansas City Chiefs, allowing the Oakland Raiders to regain the AFC West lead and the No. 2 seed in the conference. The Houston Texans, meanwhile, came back to win against the Jacksonville Jaguars but benched quarterback Brock Osweiler in the process.

What sort of surprises await in Week 16? Well, that's what we're going to try to determine here. We'll be examining the entire Week 16 schedule, along with the latest odds from our friends over at OddsShark.

We will also make our own game predictions, using factors like past performances, matchups and team health as guidelines. Then, we'll take a look at some of the most important games of the week.

NFL Week 16

Game	Line	Prediction
NY Giants at Philadelphia	NYG -2.5	28-24 NYG
Minnesota at Green Bay	GB -6.5	31-28 GB
Tennessee at Jacksonville	TEN -4.5	25-20 TEN
Washington at Chicago	WAS -3.5	30-25 WAS
Miami at Buffalo	BUF -3.5	30-24 BUF
San Diego at Cleveland	SD -6	31-20 SD
Atlanta at Carolina	ATL -3.5	30-27 ATL
NY Jets at New England	NE -16.5	38-20 NE
Indianapolis at Oakland	OAK -3.5	31-30 OAK
Tampa Bay at New Orleans	NO -3	27-24 NO
Arizona at Seattle	SEA -8.5	20-18 SEA
San Francisco at Los Angeles	LA -2	20-14 LA
Cincinnati at Houston	HOU -2	28-22 HOU
Baltimore at Pittsburgh	PIT -5	22-18 PIT
Denver at Kansas City	KC -4	28-17 KC
Detroit at Dallas	DAL -7	24-29 DAL

Key Matchups

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

The game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers could have a massive impact on the NFC playoff race. The Packers desperately need a win here in order to set up a game with the Detroit Lions for the NFC North title in Week 17.

The Packers sit a game behind Detroit in the division but hold a head-to-head win over the Lions. Even if Detroit manages to beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, the Packers can still win the division in the finale.

However, the Packers must first get past the Vikings, who will naturally be looking to play the role of spoiler.

Minnesota might be able to spoil Green Bay's plans, too, if the Packers defense plays the way it did late last week. The Packers surrendered 17 fourth-quarter points to Matt Barkley and the Chicago Bears, nearly squandering a big lead and risking overtime.

If not for a well-timed big play from Aaron Rodgers, the Packers might not have been able to secure the win in overtime. A 60-yard pass to Jordy Nelson set up a game-winning field goal, but the Packers definitely cut it close.

Assuming the Vikings don't give up the way they appeared to do in last week's 34-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, this should be a terrific game. However, we'll take Rodgers and Co. to outduel Minnesota's offense, which is rated 23rd overall by Pro Football Focus.

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

The Denver Broncos will look to rebound from last week's loss to the New England Patriots against the rival Chiefs. A win would keep Denver's dwindling playoff hopes alive and would help exact revenge for this season's earlier loss to the Chiefs.

Kansas City, meanwhile, will be trying to stay alive in the AFC West race. Last week's loss to the Titans allowed the Raiders to gain control of the division. If the Chiefs and Raiders finish with identical records, though, the Chiefs can take the division.

Kansas City has beaten the Raiders twice this season.

We wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts knock off the Raiders in Week 16, so this could be a prime opportunity for the Chiefs. Oakland will be riding an emotional high after securing a playoff berth for the first time in 13 years. Indianapolis has been borderline deadly on the road this season, so the chance of a Colts win is at least legitimate.

The outcome of the Raiders game won't mean much, though, if the Chiefs cannot take care of business against Denver. It took overtime to win when the Chiefs visited Mile High earlier this year. Expect another tightly contested game at Arrowhead.

Offense will probably be the determining factor in this game. Denver couldn't find much of it against the Patriots last week. The Chiefs appeared to miss some opportunities against the Titans by relying on a conservative approach.

"I wouldn’t necessarily say that (we’re being too conservative), but when you don’t win the game, you’re going to definitely look at something like that," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

It is curious that the Chiefs only got the ball to wideout Tyreek Hill once against Tennessee, since Hill has emerged as the team's big-play threat. Kansas City will have to take more chances to get the better of the Denver defense, which is rated first overall by Pro Football Focus.

The Broncos will have to figure out how to score more than the three points they managed against New England.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

If you like rivalry games, then you probably love watching the Baltimore Ravens take on the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's usually one of the most physical games of the week when it takes place, and this week should be no different.

In a sense, this week's edition of the grudge match is the AFC North title game. 

The Steelers hold a one-game lead over Baltimore in the division, and a win would secure the crown for Pittsburgh. However, the Ravens already own a head-to-head victory over the Steelers, so a win would push the decision to Week 17.

If the Steelers and Ravens both finish with the same record, Baltimore becomes the AFC North champion.

There are a couple of reasons to favor Pittsburgh in this game. One is the fact that the game is taking place at Heinz Field. When the Ravens won earlier this year, they were playing at home.

The second factor is that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is fully healthy. He was making a return from a torn meniscus when these two teams last met, which may have had something to do with the end result.

The Steelers also have found a new receiving weapon in tight end Ladarius Green, who wasn't active for the last meeting. He adds another element to Pittsburgh's offense, which is rated ninth overall by Pro Football Focus for the season.

In six games this season, Green has produced 18 receptions for 304 yards and a touchdown. If he is able to clear the concussion protocol by Sunday, he should be a major factor.

Of course, Baltimore's defense—which is rated sixth overall by Pro Football Focus—has the talent to counter.

This should be one of the most hard-hitting and entertaining games of the entire week. With the division title on the line, it's also one of the most important games.

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