Week 16 Game Picks
26 Dec. 2021 1:00 p.m. ET Game
Giants @ Eagles
Since week 8, Philadelphia has averaged 29.3 PPG, 214.4 rush YPG, with a 51.6 3rd down pct. Meanwhile, the Giants are once again at the bottom of the league’s rankings and they’ll have to finish out their abysmal season without QB Daniel Jones. It’s worth noting that New York is 2-7 in games without Jones starting since he was drafted.
Score: 27-14, Eagles Win.
Bills @ Patriots
The AFC East is on the line as the Patriots and Bills meet for the second and final regular-season matchup of the year. New England took command of the No. 1 seed in the AFC not too long ago but has dropped to the No. 3 seed. Meanwhile, Buffalo is on the verge of getting knocked out of the playoff picture with a loss, however, a win would move them to a top-4 seed in the conference and the Patriots to the 5th or 6th seed.
Unlike the last time these two teams clashed, the weather should permit Josh Allen to throw the ball at will and let Bill Belichick call on Mac Jones to toss the pigskin more than three times…
QB Stats 2021
Allen is 2-4 against the Patriots and a big reason for that is because of Belichick. The future Hall of Famer is 6-0 as Patriots head coach in divisional games where both teams entered within 1 game of the division lead in Week 13 or later. He knows how to win at the right time and nothing can discredit that.
Although Buffalo has the ability to put points up on the board, New England’s weakness on defense is the run game, something the Bills shy away from calling. Buffalo has scored 16 points or fewer four times this season, all of them resulting in a loss. It’s tough to see this team come into Foxboro and steal one as the team has been inconsistent all year, mainly dominating teams below .500.
Score: 21-16, Patriots Win.
Bucs @ Panthers
Tampa Bay is on the wrong side of history heading into this matchup. After sweeping the Panthers in 2020 for the first time since 2016, the franchise has not won 3 straight against Carolina since 2002. On top of that Cam Newton and Tom Brady have played one another twice with Newton on the winning side of both those matchups.
This time around though, the Buccaneers should bounce back. It’s the home stretch of the season and although the team will be without running back Leonard Fournette, wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, Brady and Bruce Arians will figure something out offensively to ultimately win the game. After all, Carolina has lost nine of their last 11 games.
Score: 24-20, Bucs Win.
Chargers @ Texans
The Chargers are 6-1 when allowing 24 points or fewer this season and the Texans have scored 25+ points twice this season (both vs. Jaguars). Los Angeles’ defense has looked faulty allowing 21+ points and 300+ total yards in 10 straight games, so Texans’ rookie QB Davis Mills should see a somewhat favorable matchup. Ultimately though, the Chargers are too good to fall in what looks like a trap game as the playoff picture takes shape.
Score: 28-17, Chargers Win.
Rams @ Vikings
In a pivotal NFC conference matchup, the Rams find themselves on the favorable half of this contest. After going 0-3 in November, Sean McVay and the Rams have gone 3-0 in the month of December and getting back on track at the right time. The Vikings’ secondary has been faulty at times which gives room for Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham Jr., and Van Jefferson to go to work.
Norm Hall | Credit: Getty Images
It’s worth noting that Matthew Stafford is 9-0 this season in games with a 100+ passer rating. He will see a familiar foe in Kirk Cousins who went 5-0 against Stafford during their time as NFC North rivals. However, Cousins is 0-4 in his career vs teams that entered a game with 10+ wins (Rams are 10-4). On top of that, the Rams welcome back CB Jalen Ramsey who should see a fair share of time on Vikings WR Justin Jefferson…
The NFC West looks like it’s up for grabs and best believe Los Angeles will look to move up in seeding while denting the Vikings’ playoff hopes.
Score: 28-24, Rams Wins.
Ravens @ Bengals
The Ravens had a shot to win this game until being down to their third-string QB. Tyler Huntley is out due to COVID and Lamar Jackson remains unavailable with a sprained ankle leaving Josh Johnson in place to start with the AFC North on the line. The Bengals have had an up and down season but they seem to be trending in the right direction especially with rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase getting back in the mix. It seems too good to be true for the Bengals but this a lopsided contest that could get ugly for Baltimore very fast.
Score: 30-20, Bengals Win.
Lions @ Falcons
Both these NFC squads are well out of the playoff picture but it would be fun to see another Lions win because why not? The Falcons are 0-5 at home in Atlanta this season and since week 10 the team has averaged 13.8 PPG while allowing 27.3 PPG.
Score: 27-24, Lions Win.
Jaguars @ Jets
The No. 1 and No. 2 pick in Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson battle it out which makes this matchup just a tad intriguing. But this game is going to be a toss-up and Lawrence has 0 passing touchdowns 6 of his last 7 games which makes for a favorable matchup against a Robert Saleh defense. New York should take this at home.
