Week 16 NFL Picks: Predicting Teams That Will Narrowly Escape with Wins

Take a look at the Week 16 schedule of the 2011 season. 

Lots of games with playoff implications, lots of games that should go down to the wire. 

Can you label a distinct favorite in the Jets-Giants NYC showdown? 

How about the Detroit Lions-San Diego Chargers matchup in the Motor City? 

Let's take a look at the teams that should narrowly escape with wins during a holiday weekend that should be filled with drama. 

New York Giants at New York Jets

The Giants season is on the line against the Big Apple rival Jets on Christmas Eve, and both clubs are coming off stunningly awful defeats in Week 15. 

Talk about extreme pressure in the regular season. 

While these teams are eerily similar in their unreliable ways, the Giants have more explosive tendencies than the Jets. 

I know Gang Green's secondary is ranked as one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL, but they've been exposed on occasion in 2011 and the Giants' vertical passing game will be a tough test. 

The addition of Ahmad Bradshaw is huge. 

He's the ideal compliment to Brandon Jacobs and provides a much needed spark to the league's worst running attack. 

The Jets aren't bad offensively, but Jason Pierre-Paul should cause problems in the backfield against Mark Sanchez, although the Jets' quarterback has been good in the clutch.

With both teams spending a good portion of this contest feeling each other out, I have more trust in Eli Manning and the Giants receiving corps pulling out a late, game-winning drive in the final minutes.

San Diego Chargers at Detroit Lions

Two more teams that square off in Week 15 that are extremely similar. 

Both have competent quarterbacks, huge, big-play wide receivers and defenses that can flash moments of brilliance, but rarely shut their opponent down. 

Last week's come-from-behind win over the Raiders was a huge confidence boost for the Lions, who moved one step closer to making their first appearance in the playoffs since 1999. 

The Chargers come into this game with a great deal of confidence, too. 

They've won three straight contests and blew out the Ravens at home last week. 

However, there are two reasons why I like the Lions to pull this one out and clinch a postseason spot. 

Calvin Johnson and the Chargers' offensive line. 

Can you really game plan for Megatron? Not really. Even if a safety is kept in center field to guard against the deep ball, Matthew Stafford isn't afraid to let it go down field to allow his stud receiver to go up and get the football. 

He's the main reason why the Lions have been able to comeback in so many fourth quarters this season. 

Although San Diego's line has seen great improvement with the acquisition of Jared Gaither, they'll have trouble on the interior dealing with Ndamukong Suh and Co. 

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

We're treated to consecutive weeks of intriguing Monday Night Football matchups.

The Steelers and 49ers didn't exactly live up to the hype last week, mainly because of Ben Roethlisberger's injured ankle, but is there anything better than Saints-Falcons in the Superdome in prime time? 

Not with the way Drew Brees and Matt Ryan have played of late. 

Games between these clubs seemingly always come down to the final minutes. 

Each of the last four showdowns have been decided by three points, two of which went to overtime. 

There'll be an overwhelming amount of offensive talent on the field in New Orleans for this one. 

Brees, Ryan, Roddy White, Marques Colston, Julio Jones, Jimmy Graham, Tony Gonzalez, Darren Sproles, Michael Turner—the list goes on. 

In what should be one of the most entertaining and offensively thrilling prime time games of the year, I can't bet against Brees. 

Just can't do it. 

His club is incredibly energized and they will squeak out another close one against their NFC South foe.