Week 16 NFL Predictions: Playoff Hopefuls Sure to Land Major Wins

Just as the powers that be planned it, the final two weeks of the NFL's regular season will have a major impact on the playoff picture.

Week 15 was littered with upsets and comeback stories sure to stick in the minds of fans for quite some time, but it was only the beginning.

Both conferences have a plethora of teams still in contention for wild-card spots. Some of those squads control their own fate the rest of the way.

A loss at this stage of the season is crippling. A few teams will keep their playoff hopes alive with big wins in Week 16 and enter the final week of the season with everything on the line.

Away	Home	Prediction
Miami Dolphins	Buffalo Bills	Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings	Cincinnati Bengals	Cincinnati Bengals
Indianapolis Colts	Kansas City Chiefs	Indianapolis Colts
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	St. Louis Rams	St. Louis Rams
Cleveland Browns	New York Jets	New York Jets
Dallas Cowboys	Washington Redskins	Dallas Cowboys
New Orleans Saints	Carolina Panthers	Carolina Panthers
Tennessee Titans	Jacksonville Jaguars	Jacksonville Jaguars
Denver Broncos	Houston Texans	Denver Broncos
New York Giants	Detroit Lions	Detroit Lions
Arizona Cardinals	Seattle Seahawks	Seattle Seahawks
Pittsburgh Steelers	Green Bay Packers	Green Bay Packers
Oakland Raiders	San Diego Chargers	San Diego Chargers
New England Patriots	Baltimore Ravens	Baltimore Ravens
Chicago Bears	Philadelphia Eagles	Philadelphia Eagles
Atlanta Falcons	San Francisco 49ers	San Francisco 49ers

Miami Dolphins Will Outlast Buffalo Bills

At 8-6, the Miami Dolphins are currently in the thick of the AFC playoff race after a thrilling win over the New England Patriots in Week 15.

Everything seemed to click at once for the Dolphins in the 24-20 upset win. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill led the team down the field for the game-winning score with just over a minute remaining. After the game, Coach Joe Philbin reflected on the thrilling rally, via the Patriots' website:

"

It was very, very important that we make something happen. We called a couple of timeouts, saved some time, and Ryan took the team down. He got good protection and good execution in the pass game. I think it was a fitting way to win this game. We got the ball I believe at the 40-yard line at the end and once again, our protection was better, the routes were good. We made a couple of nice throws.

"

Tannehill makes the Dolphins go and is a major reason the team has won three straight, as ESPN Stats & Info points out:

Tannehill and the Dolphins have a rather simple task at hand in Week 16 to keep their postseason surge alive—take down the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills, at 5-9, have little to play for at this point in the year. While Buffalo touts a top-10 pass defense, Tannehill is playing even better than last time these two sides met, when he threw for 194 yards, three scores and two interceptions back in Week 7.

A desperate team is a dangerous team. With everything on the line, Miami will triumph. 

Prediction: Dolphins 24, Bills 20

Green Bay Packers Will Stun Pittsburgh Steelers

The Green Bay Packers were the talk of the NFL in Week 15 after completing an unbelievable comeback and helping contribute to the latest epic collapse in JerryWorld.

Green Bay moved to 7-6-1 after scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to take down the Cowboys, 37-36. It was a season-saving performance led by backup quarterback Matt Flynn, who threw for 299 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, dominated the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15. Given the violence and competitiveness that rivalry typically features (not to mention Cincinnati's propensity to choke), it's hard to take too much away from the Steelers' victory.

The Steelers will not be as susceptible to Green Bay's top-10-ranked passing attack as the Cowboys were. Pittsburgh's pass defense ranks in the top 10 with an average of 222.4 passing yards allowed.

Regardless of quarterback Aaron Rodgers' status for the game, Flynn has shown the ability to lead the Packers to a win. Green Bay also has a dominant force in rookie running back Eddie Lacy (1,028 yards and eight touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry), who will easily exploit a Pittsburgh run defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league.

At Lambeau Field, Green Bay will pick up its third straight victory to keep close in the playoff and NFC North race.

Prediction: Packers 27, Steelers 20

San Diego Chargers Will Trounce Oakland Raiders

The San Diego Chargers know a thing or two about dramatic, season-defining wins. They had one in Week 12 with a 41-38 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Last week's 27-20 win over the Denver Broncos also qualifies.

With the 4-10 Oakland Raiders in Week 16, things will not be as dramatic for the 7-7 Chargers as they look to stay in the hunt for a wild card.

One of the Raiders' four wins this season did come over the Chargers back in Week 5, but things have changed since then. San Diego has gotten its act together while the Raiders remain relatively the same—mediocre at best.

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports sums up the Chargers' season in a nutshell:

San Diego has won two out of its past three, with quarterback Philip Rivers (4,048 yards and 28 touchdowns) leading a top-five passing attack. Considering the Oakland defense ranks in the bottom 10 against the pass, Rivers and the Chargers should have a field day at home on Sunday.

Oakland will try to play the spoiler, but the Chargers offense will be too much for the Raiders to handle.

Prediction: Chargers 24, Raiders 17