NFL Week 16 Picks: Quick Predictions for the Week's Marquee Matchups

The sad but true reality is that there are just two weeks left in the NFL's regular season, which means that most teams' years are nearly done.

At least the last two weeks of the season feature some compelling matchups.

Here are four of the best for Week 16 and my predictions for their respective outcomes.

New York Giants at New York Jets

The New York Giants are the away team on their home field this week, as they take on the New York Jets in their shared stadium.

Both teams are angling for playoff berths, each on the edge of a Wild Card entrance into this year's playoffs.

While they're in separate conferences, this game is a must-win for both teams, and it should be interesting how it plays out.

The Jets have been up and down all season long, with winning streaks broken up by losing streaks, while the Giants have been their typical selves—dominant in the first half of the season and weak in the second.

Though both teams have a lot on the line, look for the Jets to best the Giants 21-17.

San Diego Chargers at Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions, too, are angling for a playoff spot, and the San Diego Chargers aren't quite out of that discussion, either.

Considering how both teams looked last week—dominant, dynamic and ready for January—this is anybody's game, at first glance.

Both the Lions and the Chargers are on winning streaks, the Lions having won their last two and the Chargers their last three.

Weeks 6-12 proved the most difficult for both squads, with the Lions winning just two games during that time and the Chargers losing all of theirs.

Turning things around isn't easy to do, but these two teams have done it—at least to an extent. Now it's up to one of them to keep the momentum going in hopes of reaching the playoffs.

Though the Chargers are surging and do have elite-level talent on their roster, the Lions have been more consistent this season and should notch the home win in what's likely to be a close-scoring shootout.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

It wasn't all that long ago that it seemed that the Philadelphia Eagles were done, that they had no chance of salvaging their season, let alone making the playoffs.

But oh, how things change, especially in the unstable NFC East.

The Dallas Cowboys have sole control of the division at the moment, but with the Eagles up next and the New York Giants to follow, Philadelphia could easily end the year as the only East team with a playoff berth.

All the Eagles have to do is run the table, while the Cowboys need to lose both of their remaining games and the Giants need to lose to the New York Jets this week but beat the Cowboys the next week. If that happens, Philadelphia wins the division.

That's a lot of pressure on a team that's been as inconsistent as the Eagles have been this season, but Dallas hasn't been very consistent, either.

This is a hard game to predict because of that, but I'm giving the win to Dallas, because they're the home team and overall have fewer question marks marring both their offense and defense.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

While it seems to be a foregone conclusion that the Atlanta Falcons will earn themselves an NFC Wild Card playoff spot, there are still ways that they don't see the postseason, starting with a loss this week against the dominant New Orleans Saints.

The Saints are 11-3 and are led by the most productive and (arguably) talented quarterback of the 2011 season, Drew Brees, while the Falcons are a strong team in their own right.

The teams' first meeting in Week 10 ended as a 26-23 overtime win in the Saints' favor.

This week's game should be similarly as close with the same outcome—a New Orleans victory. It's just too hard to stop Brees and his high-powered offense, but the Falcons, with a solid offense of their own, can come close to matching them.

Though the Falcons should remain in control of a Wild Card postseason berth, they won't defeat their divisional rivals on Monday night.