Athlon's experts predict winners for every game, including Pittsburgh taking on New Orleans down in the Big Easy
It's Week 16 in the NFL regular season and with just two games remaining still more than half of the playoff spots are up for grabs. The picture in the NFC is clearer as Chicago joined New Orleans and the Los Angeles Rams as division champions with last Sunday's victory over Green Bay. Over in the AFC, the only two teams that have punched their postseason ticket thus far are Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers (11-3) not only clinched a playoff spot they also added intrigue to the AFC West race with their last-second win over the Chiefs this past Thursday. Next up for Los Angeles is a home date on Saturday against Baltimore. The Ravens (8-6) are currently leading the pack for the second wild-card spot and are breathing down the neck of the Steelers in the AFC North.
Pittsburgh (8-5-1) picked up a huge win at home against New England but has arguably a bigger challenge this Sunday in taking on New Orleans down in the Big Easy. The Saints (12-2) are coming off of a gritty 12-9 win on Monday night in Carolina. A win over the Steelers and New Orleans will secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Meanwhile, a victory by Pittsburgh could mean the Steelers clinch a playoff spot or even the AFC North title, depending on the outcome of several other games.
Elsewhere, both the Patriots (9-5) and Cowboys (8-6) can clinch their divisions with wins (or a tie in the Patriots' case) on Sunday or by getting a little help from other teams. New England is at home against Buffalo while Dallas will host Tampa Bay. Houston (10-4) also can get into the clinching act with a win or tie in Philadelphia and also could secure a first-round bye should the Texans win and Patriots lose.
As for the rest, three teams (Baltimore, Indianapolis, Tennessee) are tied at 8-6 with Miami (7-7) and Cleveland (6-7-1) still mathematically in the hunt for the second wild-card spot in the AFC. None of these teams play each other but at this point, it's basically a must-win situation for all involved.
The NFC wild-card picture isn't much clearer. Seattle (8-6) is in the driver's seat for one of the two spots, although the Seahawks have a tough task ahead in taking on Kansas City in what should be an entertaining "Sunday Night Football" matchup. Minnesota (7-6-1) is next in line with Philadelphia and Washington (both 7-7) still hanging around. The Vikings are in Detroit to face the 5-9 Lions while the Eagles host the Texans, and the Redskins pay a visit to Music City to play the Titans.
So which teams will come out on top in every NFL game in Week 16? Athlon's own Rob Doster (AthlonDoster) and John Gworek (JohnGworek), along with AthlonSports.com contributor Bryan Fischer (BryanDFischer), predict the winners for every game this week:
NFL Week 16 Predictions
|
Rob Doster |
Bryan |
John Gworek |
|
|
Tennessee (Sat.) |
 |
|
|
|
Los Angeles Chargers (Sat.) |
 |
|
|
|
Cincinnati at Cleveland |
 |
|
|
|
Tampa Bay at Dallas |
 |
|
|
|
Minnesota at Detroit |
 |
|
|
|
New York Giants at Indianapolis |
 |
|
|
|
Jacksonville at Miami |
 |
|
|
|
Buffalo at New England |
 |
|
|
|
Green Bay at New York Jets |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Atlanta at Carolina |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Denver at Oakland (MNF) |
 |
|
|
| Week 15* | 11-5 | 10-6 | 8-8 |
| Season* | 132-77 | 137-72 | 138-71 |
*Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland in Week 1 and Minnesota vs. Green Bay in Week 2 both ended in ties.
