NFL Week 16 Predictions: Can't-Miss Picks and Complete Matchup Guide

Gear up NFL fans because we have an entire shop full of Week 16 picks to satisfy your holiday spirit.

After all, football during this time of year is one simple gift we all can enjoy. Mix in score predictions with the spread, postseason implications and this weekend's action is filled with intensity.

Just take Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys.

Big D hosts Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Big Easy is still alive for the playoff berth and the Cowboys must win for their own postseason opportunity.

Will Romo and Co. falter again in December? Can Brees lead New Orleans to a potential postseason berth after an 0-4 start?

In short, much remains to be settled, which makes picking Week 16 even more fun.

Let's check it out.

Note: All spreads are courtesy of FootballLocks.com. Also, since the lines may change be sure to check back prior to each game's kickoff.

Atlanta Falcons (-3.5) at Detroit Lions

Can't Miss Pick

After the Detroit Lions gave up 38 points to the Arizona Cardinals, it's reasonable to suspect that the Atlanta Falcons will echo that on Saturday.

Now yes, part of that was attributed to Matthew Stafford being turnover-prone.

Well, the Falcons present a secondary capable of making plays and getting Matt Ryan additional possessions. Atlanta is also playing to claim the NFC's No. 1 seed, so anticipate the Dirty Birds coming out with some extra motivation.

Although the Lions possess the explosive passing game to match that of Atlanta, Detroit's defense is simply not capable of shutting down the Falcons offense. Factor in the impact of turnovers and Week 16 will kick off with a dominant performance from Atlanta.

Falcons against the spread

Atlanta 31, Detroit 14

San Diego Chargers at New York Jets (-2.5)

According to the New York Jets' official Twitter feed:

"

#EA Greg McElroy has been named the Jets starting QB for Sunday’s game with the San Diego Chargers.

— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 18, 2012"

This comes as no surprise considering Mark Sanchez's dismal outing against the Tennessee Titans.

The San Diego Chargers, however, are not at a favorable advantage because of it. The Bolts still lack a ground game and even worse according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune:

"

The Chargers running back suffered two broken clavicles in about four months, the first to his right shoulder on Aug. 9 in his first preseason carry and the second Sunday to his left shoulder during a loss to the Panthers. He had surgery Monday and is expected to recover well in time for the start of the team’s voluntary offseason workouts in April.

"

At least the Jets still have Shonn Greene.

Jets against the spread

New York 13, San Diego 9

Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers (-12.5)

Can't Miss Pick

The Green Bay Packers are still alive to earn a postseason bye. As a result, expect the Packers to bring their A-game against the Tennessee Titans.

For one, the Titans lack defensively. They have limited their opponents to less than 20 points only three times this season. And no, beating the Jets doesn't hold much weight.

Secondly, Tennessee's offense doesn't present a strong passing game for a high-powered attack. Green Bay's pass rush and opportunistic coverage will force plenty of turnovers. Chris Johnson remains Tennessee's best option to move the ball, so the Packers will need to isolate him defensively.

Regardless of his impact, the Titans defense won't slow down Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay routs Tennessee at home.

Packers against the spread

Green Bay 28, Tennessee 3

Oakland Raiders at Carolina Panthers (-8)

Watch out, because the Carolina Panthers are pulling another late season surge.

Logging upset wins over the Falcons and Washington Redskins, Carolina feels like a lock victory against the Oakland Raiders.

Still, the Cats have also played down to opponents in 2011, which has cost them some close games. Oakland on the other hand, lacks across the board defensively and the offense fails to produce points.

Here, at least one offense knows how to score and that's the Panthers.

Panthers against the spread

Carolina 30, Oakland 13

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins (-4.5)

Even though the Buffalo Bills struggle immensely at stopping the run, the Miami Dolphins aren't completely dominant at running the rock.

Well, the difference here will be the ground game.

C.J. Spiller is a competitive advantage for Buffalo in helping set up the passing game. Miami is suspect in coverage and the Dolphins offense is not explosive enough to push the pace. The end result is Spiller's impact keeping the Bills balanced enough to slow down the Miami pass rush.

In short, ball control and defense.

Bills and the points

Buffalo 16, Miami 10

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (-3.5)

The Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of the biggest games of Week 16.

Both are fighting for an AFC Wild Card and victory here is imperative.

If there's one distinct contrast between each team, it's the pass rush. Cincinnati has recorded 43 sacks on the season and Pittsburgh has only 27. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked four times in Week 15 and the Bengals will bring the pain on Sunday.

Factor in Cincy's potential passing game and the Steelers will be kept off balance throughout.

Bengals and the points

Cincinnati 20, Pittsburgh 16

New England Patriots (-14.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Can't Miss Pick

It's inconceivable to figure out how the Jacksonville Jaguars can beat the New England Patriots.

Jacksonville ranks near the bottom in virtually every defensive category and doesn't provide consistency from the offense to compensate accordingly. So, it's not surprising to see the Jags average only 15.6 points per game.

Hosting Tom Brady and the Patriots, New England will score 21 before the half. With a defense capable of shutting down the run and forcing turnovers, Jacksonville gets walloped by a Super Bowl contender.

Patriots against the spread

New England 42, Jacksonville 7

Indianapolis Colts (-7) at Kansas City Chiefs

The Indianapolis Colt may be 9-5, but they also allow an average of 4.8 yards per rushing attempt.

Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs averages 4.9 per rushing attempt.

As you can see, this is the lone matchup for K.C. to pull the Week 16 upset. Therefore, Andrew Luck and the Colts offense must constantly attack downfield and really push the tempo.

Despite the Chiefs' ability to run, they lack a passing game to put up 30-plus points. Not to mention, Kansas City's defense has given up 25 touchdown passes on the year.

Colts against the spread

Indianapolis 23, Kansas City 10

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys (-3)

The New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys will be a rather high-scoring affair.

Each offense possesses the explosive prowess to get the opposing defense on its heels.

Dallas has an advantage because of a stronger pass rush, plus Drew Brees has been quite interception-prone this season. Nevertheless, we've also seen Tony Romo's turnover capabilities, which have cost the Cowboys as well.

The Saints defense will give up plenty of yards and points, but they possess the ability to force turnovers. And all Brees needs is one or two more additional possessions.

Factor the Saints fielding a better rushing attack in averaging 4.5 yards per rush—Cowboys get only 3.5 per attempt—and NOLA gets a seventh win.

Saints and the points

New Orleans 31, Dallas 27

Washington Redskins (-6.5) at Philadelphia Eagles

Can't Miss Pick

In Week 11, the Washington Redskins wrecked the Philadelphia Eagles, 31-6.

As for the Week 16 contest, a lot is surrounding quarterback Robert Griffin III. Per Rich Campbell of the Washington Times:

"

Quarterback Robert Griffin III moved fine at Redskins practice Thursday morning, a day after he tested his mildly sprained right knee at full speed in live reps Wednesday.

Griffin, during the brief period of practice open to media practiced handoffs, planted on his injured right leg and threw a variety of passes, as he did last Wednesday and last week.

"

Regardless of which rookie quarterback is under center, though, the Redskins will win. Kirk Cousins has proved his potential all season when given opportunities and the Eagles remain in dire straits.

It won't be a blowout like the previous meeting, but rather convincing nonetheless.

Redskins against the spread

Washington 35, Philadelphia 17

St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one team that has disappointed as of late.

After beginning 6-4, Tampa rides a four-game losing streak.

On the contrary, the St. Louis Rams fail to play consistently outside the NFC West: Only two non-divisional wins.

In this NFC contest, we'll see a running back dual between Doug Martin and Steven Jackson. Each can help set up the pass, so the byproduct comes from the stronger pass defense.

The Buccaneers are the better passing offense, but St. Louis locks down more effectively in coverage and applies more quarterback pressure.

Rams and the points

St. Louis 14, Buccaneers 10

Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans (-7.5)

This is quite a matchup.

The Houston Texans field the No. 5 ranked rushing defense and Adrian Peterson is the NFL's best running back.

So, something has got give, right?

The advantage for Houston resides in the Minnesota Vikings' lack of a passing game. Christian Ponder has one standout target in tight end Kyle Rudolph and there is no explosiveness to challenge the Texans downfield.

As a result, Wade Phillips will stack the box to shut Peterson down. Certainly, that is  easier said than done, but preventing Peterson from controlling the game tempo will get Houston's offense on the field.

Minnesota has been vulnerable to the stronger offenses this season, which proves costly again in Week 16.

Texans against the spread

Houston 27, Minnesota 17

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos (-13)

Can't Miss Pick

The question here is: How will the Cleveland Browns move the ball against the Denver Broncos defense?

Cleveland does present a balanced attack because Trent Richardson can be efficient on the ground to take pressure away from Brandon Weeden. And Weeden has a strong enough arm to make every throw.

Denver's defense, however, will be the toughest Cleveland has seen in 2012. The Broncos can apply pressure and stuff the run quite well, which generates turnovers to give Peyton Manning more possessions.

In turn, Cleveland's defense gets put in a bind. For as stellar as the Browns are at rushing the passer, Cleveland is still suspect in coverage and at defending the run.

Had Denver not been so explosive offensively it would be a closer call. Obviously with Manning at the helm, this is not case.

Broncos against the spread

Denver 34, Cleveland 16

New York Giants (-2.5) at Baltimore Ravens

Two teams in desperate need of a win, the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens, face a crucial situation.

Both are on the verge of losing their respective division titles, so anticipate each side to break open the playbook.

Uncharacteristically, though, Eli Manning and Big Blue are not dominating on the road as we've seen from recent seasons. Interestingly enough, the Ravens are struggling defensively—even when healthy—and have dropped three consecutive.

The victor in this matchup comes from the stronger pass rush. Naturally, it's typical to say New York. But Baltimore has improved in this regard as the year has progressed. The Giants by contrast, struggle up front and the Ravens become more balanced offensively.

Ravens against the spread

Baltimore 24, New York 17

Chicago Bears (-5.5) at Arizona Cardinals

Week 15 proved the Arizona Cardinals' potential when the quarterback is given some pass protection.

Entering Week 16 with some confidence, Arizona hosts the Chicago Bears who are still alive for the postseason after squandering away the division.

The Cardinals still must prove more consistency in their ground game, however. Chicago may be suspect against the run, but remains capable of forcing numerous turnovers any given week: And we know how Arizona can be turnover-happy.

Chicago, when possessing the rock, must establish a strong rushing attack. The Cards field a solid secondary and the Bears aren't the most effective passing offense. As long as Matt Forte slams on the ground to shorten the game, Arizona won't take produce enough from its limited number of offensive possessions.

Cardinals and the points

Chicago 21, Arizona 17

San Francisco 49ers (-1) at Seattle Seahawks

Take a good look at the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks and we see two identical teams.

The philosophy is run the ball and play defense.

However, each offense pits a quarterback under center that is fully capable of airing it out all game long. So, how can one side gain a competitive advantage since it's a mirrored matchup?

Well for one, San Francisco gives up a mere 3.6 yards per rushing attempt. By comparison, Seattle allows 4.5.

This is literally the greatest disparity between the 49ers and Seahawks. The defenses are virtually equal in terms of a pass rush, forcing turnovers and locking down in coverage. The offenses move well on the ground and throw with supreme efficiency when needed.

It's a surreal matchup of sorts simply because of how alike each are to one another. Still, it comes down to controlling the trenches and the 'Niners are slightly better up front.

49ers against the spread

San Francisco 16, Seattle 13

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