NFL Week 16 Preview

Carolina Panthers @ NY Giants
Spread: Giants, -7
o/u: 42.5
Carolina's Matt Moore has been improving since replacing Jake Delhomme at QB. That doesn't mean his performances have been particularly good. Now he has to take on a strong Giants pass rush in the cold and wind of Giants Stadium. With DeAngelo Williams still doubtful, things won't be getting better for him. Though not really a cold weather team either, the Giants at least know what to expect from their home stadium.
Pick: Giants 31 - Panthers 17

Kansas City Chiefs @ Cincinnati Bengals
Spread: Bengals, -13.5
o/u: 40.5
The Bengals just need to win to lock up the AFC North. Against KC, that may not be as easy as it was early in the season. Though they haven't won since Week 11, they've played tough and kept scores close. The Bengals haven't exactly been playing up to expectations lately, either. They got beat up by Minnesota two weeks ago, and their defense let them down late in a close loss to San Diego. Kansas City might not be a push-over, but the Bengals should do enough against the leagues 31st ranked rush defense to win the game.
Pick: Bengals 28 - Chiefs 16

Buffalo Bills @ Atlanta Falcons
Spread: Falcons, -9
o/u: 41
If the Falcons proved anything last week, it's this: Even an injured Matt Ryan and Michael Turner can beat a team that misses three field goals. Now they're back home for a Bills team that misses pretty much everything. The only thing worse than their offense is their rush defense, which is second worst in the league. Even if Turner doesn't see time this week, Jason Snelling should have plenty of yards in a win.
Pick: Falcons 28 - Bills 14

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers
Spread: Packers, -14
o/u: 41.5
Lost in last week's 37-36 loss to Pittsburgh is how well the Packers played against the defending Super Bowl Champions. Aaron Rodgers threw for 383 yards and 3 TDs, was only sacked once, and the offense never turned the ball over. If they can play at that level against the Seahawks at home this week, this game won't even be close.
Pick: Packers 35 - Seahawks 10

Houston Texans @ Miami Dolphins
Spread: Dolphins, -3
o/u: 45
Houston is currently 7-7, and a win here would not only be a big step towards the playoffs, but a big step towards the teams first winning season. No matter who wins, the losing team is out of playoff contention. The Texans run defense is good but not great, and rookie LB Brian Cushing is questionable with a foot injury. Even without Ronnie Brown, the Dolphins have kept their running game their #1 priority, and they'll use it often to win this one.
Pick: Dolphins 27 - Texans 21

Baltimore Ravens @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Spread: Steelers. -2.5
o/u: 42
The Ravens have what the Steelers want: A playoff berth. A win wouldn't give the Steelers the slot, but it would help their chances. Coming off last weeks wins, both teams seem to have some kind of momentum behind them. With their win coming with a last second TD pass that gave Ben Roethlisberger a franchise record 503 yards, the Steelers look like they have enough to carry them to another win.
Pick: Steelers 21 - Ravens 17

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New England Patriots
Spread: Patriots, -8
o/u: 43.5
Jacksonville is yet another in a long line of AFC teams on the edge of making the playoffs. They need to go through New England just to have a shot at making it in. Both teams have been inconsistent this year, but many of the Pat's early-season issues have been corrected. The Jags still have many issues to work out, mostly on offense. Even when their offense is working, the defense seems to give up just enough points to lose. You can bet that Bill Belichick can exploit whatever the Jags did wrong against the 49ers and Dolphins in the last four weeks and exploit it however he can.
Pick: Patriots 28 - Jaguars 17

Oakland Raiders @ Cleveland Browns
Spread: Borwns, -3.5
o/u: 38
It's the battle of "What happened to that guy?" as Oakland's Charlie Frye takes on Cleveland's Derek Anderson. Neither has played well in their careers, and due to injuries and benchings in front of them, both will be under center this week. The Browns had a record setting day last week, and put up 41 points in a win over KC. I have to believe that was an aberration, though. To believe anything else would mean the Browns are secretly a good team, and they aren't. The Raiders are also terrible, but not as terrible as the Browns. Of course, no one knows how the backups will play, so picking this game is basically a coin flip.
Pick: Raiders 17 - Browns 10

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Spread: Saints, -14
o/u: 49.5
Coming off their first loss of the season, the Saints have luck on their side in facing cellar dweller Tampa. The Saints still have homefield advantage to play for, so don't look for them to let up until they have a good lead. Tampa doesn't really have anything the Saints should be afraid of, and this should be a fairly easy win.
Pick: Saints 35 - Buccaneers 20

NY Jets @ Indianapolis Colts
Spread: Colts, -5.5
o/u: 40.5
The Jets will be playing for their postseason lives while the Colts don't have anything to play for but the perfect season. Colts DE Dwight Freeny mentioned this week that players will most likely be limited this week, which is good for the Jets. They were the team that beat the last undefeated team last season, and they could do it again here. With the Colts rush defense being their main weakness, the Jets should be able to exploit it early, and pull out a win late.
Pick: Jets 24 - Colts 20

St Louis Rams @ Arizona Cardinals
Spread: Cardinals, -14
o/u: 43.5
The Cardinals have been wildly inconsistent, but they've already clinched their division and they play the lowly Rams. The Cards are playing for playoff seeding, while the Rams are shooting for the first pick in the draft. Steven Jackson might not give up a win easily, but the rest of the team probably will.
Pick: Cardinals 28 - Rams 10

Detroit Lions @ San Francisco 49ers
Spread: 49ers, -13
o/u: 41.5
The Lions will give someone named Drew Stanton the start this week, as every fan in attendance will have a chance to play QB if he screws up or gets injured. Against the 49ers defense, both are possibilities. And with both teams eliminated from the playoffs, they're just playing for pride. The 49ers have more pride than the Lions, unfortunately.
Pick: 49ers 24 - Lions 13

Denver Broncos @ Philadelphia Eagles
Spread: Eagles, -7
o/u: 41.5
The Eagles have Brian Westbrook back this week and need to win to make sure they keep their NFC East lead. The Broncos need to win just to keep their Wild Card berth. Early in the season, this looked like it might have been a close game that the Eagles would probably win. This week, it looks like a big win for the Eagles.
Pick: Eagles 31 - Broncos 20

Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins
Spread: Cowboys, -7
o/u: 42
This is the only game of the weekend where the away team is the favorite. If you saw last week's Giants-Redskins game, you'll know why. They Redskins look like they've just given up. They look like they want the season to be over, so they rolled over for the Giants. Don't expect them to do any more favors for the Giants, who need the Cowboys to lose to make the playoffs. This week, its all about losing to the Cowboys.
Pick: Cowboys 38 - Redskins 13