NFL Week 16 Predictions: Picks for Every Game

The schedule is very different in Week 16.  The NFL moved most of the games to Saturday with Christmas Day falling on Sunday this year.

There are quite a few good games on the schedule this week, with the best one being the Monday Night Football Game between the Falcons and Saints. 

Click through to see a pick for each Week 16 game.

Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are riding high after getting their first win of the season against the Titans last week.  That feeling will not last long with the Houston Texans coming to town this weekend. 

Houston will take advantage of a terrible Indianapolis defense in this matchup.  Arian Foster is licking his chops at the thought of running against a Colts front that is giving up 138.7 yards per game on the ground.

The Indianapolis offense will not be able to get anything going against a Texans defense that only gives up 277.9 total yards per game.

Texans 27 Colts 10

Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills

The Tim Tebow train came crashing down to earth last week when the Broncos lost to the Patriots.  This week's game provides a much easier challenge.  The Bills are terrible against the run, giving up 139.5 yards per game on the ground.  Tebow and Willis McGahee should both have big games rushing.

Buffalo is just desperate for a win.  They have not won a game since before Halloween.  C.J. Spiller has been good for the Bills since Fred Jackson went to IR.  They will need him to have a big game in this one to have a chance.

Broncos 20 Bills 17

Arizona Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Bengals

The Cardinals and Bengals are playing a Week 16 game that has playoff implications for both teams.  You could have won a lot of money if you made that bet before the season started.

Arizona will have trouble moving the ball in this game against a stout Bengals defense.  It would be one thing if Beanie Wells was 100 percent healthy, but even his coach admitted this week that he is not completely healthy.

Andy Dalton should have a pretty big day against a Cardinals secondary that is ranked 22nd in the league against the pass.  It looks like Dalton will have A.J. Green at his disposal this week.

Bengals 35 Cardinals 17

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tennessee Titans

The Titans' playoff hopes are on the line in this one.  That should give them all of the motivation they need to get a win over a bad team—or not, because that was the same exact storyline they had before losing to the Colts by two touchdowns last week.

The Jaguars beat the Titans back in Week 1.  Maurice Jones-Drew had a big game in that one.  Tennessee has gotten better against the run since that game, but you can bet MJD will find some holes to run through.

The Titans will hope a broken-down Matt Hasselbeck can make enough throws against a banged-up Jacksonville secondary.

Titans 24 Jaguars 10

Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots

Matt Moore is going to need to have a really big game in this one for the Dolphins to have a chance.  The Patriots are going to score their points.  The only way to beat them is to score with them.

The only way to score with New England is to move the ball through the air.  The Patriots are giving up 296.7 yards per game through the air.  It is too bad that throwing the ball is not Miami's strength.

The Dolphins also have their problems against the pass.  They rank 25th in passing yards allowed.  Look for Tom Brady to have a big day.

Patriots 38 Dolphins 20

New York Giants vs. New York Jets

This is one of the best games of the weekend.  Both teams are fighting to stay in the playoff picture in their respective conferences.

The Giants' defense has not been good against the run.  You can expect the Jets to come out with a heavy dose of Shonn Greene.  That gives them a good chance to control the clock and keep the ball out of Mark Sanchez's hands.

It could be a tough day on offense for the Giants.  Their bread-and-butter is throwing the football.  The Jets only allow 205.1 yards per game, seventh best in the league.

Jets 21 Giants 20

Oakland Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs pulled off the most surprising victory of the 2011 season last week when they knocked off the Packers.  It looks like they should have gone to Kyle Orton a whole lot sooner than they did.

Romeo Crennel obviously has the team buying what he is selling.  Look for his defense to give Carson Palmer a lot of trouble this week. 

Oakland should be able to get some yards on the ground, as Kansas City is giving up 130.4 rushing yards per game.

The Chiefs have a lot of momentum and are playing this game at home against one of their most hated rivals.

Chiefs 21 Raiders 17

St. Louis Rams vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

For the Rams, the 2011 season cannot end soon enough.  Having to make a Week 16 trip to Pittsburgh is not a pleasant thing with the Steelers coming off a tough loss.

This is the NFL, so anything is possible, but St. Louis has virtually no chance at winning this game.  They cannot throw the ball at all right now, and the Steelers are not giving up yards when they only have to focus on the run.

Look for Rashard Mendenhall to have a big day in this one against a Rams defense that gives up 153.4 yards per game on the ground.  The Steelers will look to lean on Mendenhall to help out an injured Ben Roethlisberger.

Steelers 31 Rams 10

Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins

If an NFL game is going on, but no one watches it, did it actually happen?  The ratings for this game might be the worst of any game this season.

The winner of this game will be the team that runs the football better.  Adrian Peterson will be close to 100 percent in this one.  He could find some big holes against the Redskins' front.

Roy Helu has become Mike Shanahan's go-to running back this season, which obviously means he will not be next year, after he is drafted high in every fantasy football league next season.  He will get a heavy dose of carries in this one because Rex Grossman is terrible.

Vikings 17 Redskins 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers

Raheem Morris needs to find a way to get his team motivated to win this one if he wants to keep his job.  He might be out regardless of how this one turns out, but a win could not hurt.

The only problem for Morris here is that the Panthers are better than the Buccaneers.  Tampa's defense is 30th in the league this season in yards allowed.  Look for Cam Newton to have one of his best games of the season in this one.

The Buccaneers will give LeGarrette Blount a healthy amount of carries in this one because Carolina is bad against the run.  They will also need Blount to control the clock and keep Newton off the field.

Panthers 35 Buccaneers 20

Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens

You should be really excited about your chances in your fantasy football championship game if you have Ray Rice on your team.  He has a great matchup this week against the Browns.  Cleveland is giving up 145.4 yards per game on the ground.

The Browns are another team than cannot wait for the season to be over.  They got off to a pretty good start, but have lost seven of their last eight.  It is hard to imagine a scenario in which they are able to even keep this game close.

Ravens 31 Browns 6

San Diego Chargers vs. Detroit Lions

This game will be a fun one to watch.  Both of these teams are ranked in the Top 10 in total offense.  There will be some points scored.

Neither team is great on defense, but they are both pretty good against the pass.  That sets up better for the Chargers because they have a better rushing attack with Ryan Matthews and Mike Tolbert.  They will try to give those guys a heavy dose of carries to keep Megatron on the sideline.

The team that turns the ball over the fewest times in this game will win.  Philip Rivers has gotten better over the last few weeks, but he has been a turnover machine this season.

Lions 31 Chargers 30

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys

Here is another game that is going to be fun to watch.  It is obvious that the Eagles have not lived up their preseason expectations this season, but they actually still have a chance to get in the playoffs.  If nothing else, they would like nothing better than to knock the Cowboys out.

The Philadelphia defense has gotten a lot better as the season has gone along.  They have moved all the way up to No. 10 in total defense.  They will present quite the challenge for Tony Romo and company.

The Eagles want to run the ball on offense.  That will not be easy against the Cowboys, who are only giving up 98.1 yards per game on the ground.  This game will be won by Michael Vick's arm.

Eagles 28 Cowboys 24

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

The San Francisco 49ers continue to be the biggest surprise of the 2011 NFL season. 

This week they are facing another surprise team in the Seattle Seahawks.  Seattle has won five of their last six games and are still barely alive for a playoff berth.

The 49ers will go ahead and kill those playoff hopes for Seattle this week.  The 49ers are only allowing 71.5 yards per game on the ground.  They will be able to make the Seahawks one-dimensional and that spells disaster in Seattle.

San Francisco will do what they do here.  Their defense will give their offense a couple of easy scoring opportunities on the way to an easy win.

49ers 24 Seahawks 10

Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers

A few weeks back, this game looked like a headliner.  Of course, that was when the Packers were undefeated and the Bears had Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

Now the Bears look like one of the worst teams in the league.  There is a good chance that the Packers will jump out to an early lead in this one and start to sit some of their starters down to rest them for the playoffs.

Chicago is expected to start Josh McCown in this one.  The good news is that he cannot be any worse than Caleb Hanie has been.  The bad news is that he is not good, either.

Packers 38 Bears 20

Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

This is the game of the week.  The Falcons still have an outside chance at winning the NFC South, but they will need to win both of their remaining games and have the Saints lose both of theirs.

Drew Brees is quietly putting together one of the best seasons in the history of the NFL.  He is on pace to beat Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a season.  He is at his best in big games, so you can expect him to play well in this one.

The Falcons will look to give the Saints a heavy dose of Michael Turner.  New Orleans is 13th in the league against the run.  The best shot the Falcons have to win this game is to slow it down and get Turner 30-plus carries.

Saints 24 Falcons 21