NFL Predictions Week 16: Last-Minute Picks and Advice for Sunday's Schedule

Turns out the NFL still scheduled some football for Sunday.

Continuing its invasion through the entire week, the league hosted games on Thursday and Saturday night, going so far as to test fans' hunger for gridiron action with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans.

After watching those games on short rest, everyone can now kick back for Sunday's usual batch of competition. Let's take a look at three pivotal showdowns bearing substantial playoff implications.

Matchup	Odds*	Predicted Winner	Pick ATS
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears	DET -9.5	DET	DET
Minnesota Vikings at Miami Dolphins	MIA -7	MIA	MIN
Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans	BAL -5	BAL	BAL
Cleveland Browns at Carolina Panthers	CAR -4	CAR	CAR
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints	NO -7.5	NO	ATL
Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	GB -13	GB	GB
Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -2.5	KC	KC
New England Patriots at New York Jets	NE -11.5	NE	NE
New York Giants at St. Louis Rams	STL -7	STL	NYG
Buffalo Bills at Oakland Raiders	BUF -7	BUF	BUF
Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys	DAL -3.5	DAL	DAL
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals	SEA -9	SEA	SEA
Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals (Mon.)	DEN -3.5	DEN	DEN

Top Week 16 Matchups

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

When the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons clashed to begin the season, neither could stop the other during a 37-34 shootout settled in overtime. The NFC South foes combined for 1,040 total yards inside the Georgia Dome, foreboding grueling defensive seasons for both teams.

Aside from the domed venue shifting, nothing has changed 15 weeks later. The NFL's two worst defenses take the field, each lined up against a top-10 offense. Points will be scored between the two sub-.500 franchises battling for a playoff spot.

For the Falcons to keep up, they'll need a healthy Julio Jones, who missed last week's contest due to a hip injury. The team has officially listed the star wide receiver as questionable.

Even if he does line up, an Atlanta secondary yielding 292.5 passing yards per game won't hold up against Drew Brees, who has fired a dozen touchdowns over the past four slates. In what some consider a down year, the 35-year-old wields 4,358 passing yards on a 70.0 completion percentage.

Odds Shark lists New Orleans as a 7.5-point favorite, but this one could boil down to which team has the ball last. Since the Saints fare better in total offense and defense, they get the slim upper hand.

Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys

DeMarco Murray's broken hand has stolen the Week 16 headlines, but the Indianapolis Colts are dealing with a possible massive absence of their own.

To the surprise of many expecting the overworked running back to miss some time, ESPN's Ed Werder said Murray will probably suit up on Sunday afternoon.

T.Y. Hilton, on the other hand, may not be as fortunate. Mike Chappell of RTV6 didn't speak fondly of his chances.

The 25-year-old has emerged as Andrew Luck's go-to target this season, securing 82 catches for 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns while compiling at least 50 yards in all but two games. Facing a tough litmus test at Dallas, Indianapolis can't afford to enter at partial strength.

The Colts have trounced losing teams, going 5-0 with a 21.8-point victory margin. Against winning clubs, however, they're an uglier 2-4, and they've outscored 7-7 opponents by 13 combined points through three triumphs. 

After barely surviving against the free-failling Cleveland Browns before mustering little offense against the subpar Houston Texans secondary, look for the Colts to get exposed in Texas. Even if Murray can't lead the way, backup Joseph Randle is averaging 7.0 yards per carry, while Tony Romo guns for his third straight three-touchdown game.

Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers are both teams that competitors don't want to see in the postseason, yet both are impossible to trust.

Pittsburgh boasts the offensive firepower to make another deep run, but this is the same team that lost to the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers while nearly suffering the same fate to the Tennessee Titans.

Don't laugh, Kansas City fans. Your beloved group did lose to the Titans, along with awarding the Oakland Raiders their first win of 2014. Yet Jamaal Charles and a fierce defense would make Andy Reid's club a pesky out.

Nobody doubts that Ben Roethlisberger sports a hearty advantage over Alex Smith, but the matchups lessen the gap between the two passers. While Roethlisberger has a tough day ahead of him against Kansas City's No. 2 passing defense, Smith gets Pittsburgh's No. 25-ranked unit.

The Chiefs have never allowed 30 or more points in a game this season, and these are not your older sibling's Steelers. A low-scoring showdown is no longer their portal to victory.

Despite losing three of their last four, Kansas City remains No. 6 in Football Outsiders' Defensive-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA). This is the perfect opportunity to remind everyone of its prowess.