NFL Week 16 Picks: Final Overview of Consensus Picks

Week 16 marks your final chance to earn some extra spending money for the holiday season courtesy of Las Vegas oddsmakers, so make your wagers count.

With only 13 games remaining through Sunday and Monday, your betting choices are a little more limited than usual, so a little extra preparation is in order. After all, this week didn't exactly get off to a predictable start, as the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Washington Redskins and the San Diego Chargers narrowly kept their playoff hopes alive with an overtime win against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

Receiving some analysis from one person always helps when looking to gain an edge on an impending matchup, but receiving the consensus of a group people is even better. With that in mind, let's attempt to get your holiday season off to a good start by looking at the public's picks for Week 16.

Matchup	Spread	Consensus Pick
Kansas City at Pittsburgh	PIT -2.5	Steelers, 57%
Detroit at Chicago	DET -8	Lions, 63%
New England at NY Jets	NE -10.5	Patriots, 59%
Cleveland at Carolina	CAR -4	Panthers, 55%
Atlanta at New Orleans	NO -7.5	Falcons, 54%
Minnesota at Miami	MIA -7	Vikings, 65%
Green Bay at Tampa Bay	GB -11.5	Packers, 60%
Baltimore at Houston	BAL -4.5	Ravens, 63%
NY Giants at St. Louis	STL -6	Rams, 54%
Indianapolis at Dallas	DAL -3.5	Colts, 54%
Buffalo at Oakland	BUF -6.5	Bills, 54%
Seattle at Arizona	SEA -9	Even
Denver at Cincinnati	DEN -3	Broncos, 64%

All game odds and consensus percentages courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of December 20.

Public-Consensus Analysis

Minnesota Vikings (65 percent) at Miami Dolphins (-7)

It's uncanny how evenly these two teams match up against each other, making this game an unlikely candidate to garner 65 percent of the public's wagers in favor of the Vikings. After all, Miami is a very good team that has simply had a very difficult stretch of games.

The similarities between these teams includes each having a young playmaker break out in recent weeks. The Vikings have been getting some great production from Charles Johnson, who continues to be a big-play threat. Jarvis Landry has been a revelation for the Dolphins, racking up 672 receiving yards and eight touchdowns this season.

However, this game will be decided in the trenches. Both offensive lines have been below average this season, as Miami has allowed 38 sacks and Minnesota has allowed 44. Each has a stout defensive front, with the Dolphins accumulating 34 sacks this year and the Vikings gaining 38. With both quarterbacks potentially finding trouble, running backs take center stage here.

Due to injuries, Minnesota will be relying heavily on Matt Asiata. He's a great short-yardage back but is only averaging 3.3 yards per carry this season. Miami's Lamar Miller has been fantastic this season, and he comes into the game averaging 4.7 yards per rush. This gives the Dolphins the upper hand, but their slightly better running game won't be enough to cover the spread.

Prediction: Dolphins 23, Vikings 20

Denver Broncos (64 percent) at Cincinnati Bengals (+3)

A total of 64 percent of the public is riding Denver here, meaning they're really counting on Cincinnati's prime-time struggles to continue.

The Bengals are just 2-9 in prime-time contests (including playoffs) since quarterback Andy Dalton took the reins in 2011. Making matters worse, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has a career 8-0 record against Cincinnati.

The Bengals have won four of their last five games, capping off that stretch with a very impressive 30-0 defeat of the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. However, this team's had it's fair share of struggles.

In Week 13, Dalton threw three picks in a one-point victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One week later, the Pittsburgh Steelers put up 25 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 42-21 drubbing of the Bengals.

The Broncos are riding a four-game winning streak coming into Week 16, but they haven't been quite as dominant of late, scoring 24 and 22 points in their last two games respectively. Manning doesn't appear to be 100 percent going into Monday's contest, either, and he is listed as questionable with a thigh injury.

With Dalton struggling in prime time and Manning ailing, this is another game that could be decided on the ground. While Jeremy Hill has been stellar for the Bengals and C.J. Anderson has been great for the Broncos, Denver's second-ranked run defense gives it a big advantage over Cincinnati and its 24th-ranked run defense.

This will be a close one, but the Broncos will cover.

Prediction: Broncos 24, Bengals 20

Baltimore Ravens (63 percent) at Houston Texans (+4.5)

Here's a spread most of the public should be behind, because this matchup is highly in favor of the Ravens.

Baltimore has a well-rounded offense due to the emergence of running back Justin Forsett. He's been brilliant this season, racking up 1,128 yards and eight touchdowns on an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Though quarterback Joe Flacco hasn't been overly consistent, he'll have his full arsenal of weapons at his disposal, as wide receiver Torrey Smith wasn't listed on the team's injury report for the first time in several weeks.

On the defensive side of the ball is the Ravens only weakness: pass defense. While Baltimore is ranked third in the league against the run, it ranks 30th against the pass, allowing an average of 259.9 yards per game through the air. The lack of ability to contain opposing aerial attacks has doomed the Ravens several times this season.

That probably won't be the case in Week 16, as the Texans must rely on Case Keenum at quarterback after losing both Ryan Mallett and Ryan Fitzpatrick for the season. Keenum was only re-signed earlier this week and he may not be 100 percent confident with the new scheme instilled by head coach Bill O'Brien and Co.

While Arian Foster is an extremely good running back, he'll have difficulty finding room to maneuver against Baltimore's stout front seven. Houston's best chance of keeping up will be through the air, and that's not likely at all because of the team's quarterback situation. The Ravens are the easy bet here.

Prediction: Ravens 30, Texans 17