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With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, Week 16 is truly make or break for teams across the league. The Ravens will be trying to take down a true contender in the Chargers to end Baltimore’s playoff drought. The Beatdown readers have a slim lead in our season-long prediction competition, so be sure to cast your vote in this week’s polls!
Current standings:
- Readers (139-83)
- Kyle A. (138-84)
- Frank and Vas (137-85)
- Jake (135-87)
- Sage (134-88)
- Logan (132-90)
- Kyle B. (130-92)
- Zach (128-94)
- Dustin (126-96)
An analysis of the Baltimore Beatdown staff picks
Consensus winners
The Colts continue their wild card push with a win over the Giants (IND -9.5)
Andrew Luck’s comeback includes a 5-2 home record and a push for the final AFC playoff spot. With the Giants out of contention for the postseason, Indianapolis will look to continue their dominance over the NFC East after shutting out Dallas last week.
The Dolphins rebound by beating the mediocre Jaguars (MIA -3.5)
This offseason could be an interesting one for Ryan Tannehill, as speculation has even linked Baltimore’s Joe Flacco as potential candidate to take over under center in Miami Beach. While last week derailed their wild card hopes, the Dolphins should still have an easy day against a Jacksonville team that is one of, if not the most, disappointing teams in 2018 after making it to the AFC championship last year.
The Browns stay hot against the Bengals (CLE -8.5)
The future is finally bright in Cleveland. Baker Mayfield’s rookie campaign has exceed expectations, and the Bengals are a patchwork team of too many second stringers at key positions. The Browns blossoming young core should have a field day this week.
The Cowboys bounce back when they face the Buccaneers (DAL -7.0)
Last week, Dallas failed to debunk the doubt that has swirled around this franchise, getting embarrassed by Indianapolis in a game that could have locked up the division. Now having to keep the defending Super Bowl Champions at bay, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott will be motivated to produced against a 5-9 Tampa Bay team that has the leagues 28th ranked defense.
The Vikings defeat the Lions (MIN -6.0)
Kirk Cousin’s first season as the (Guaranteed) 84 Million Dollar Man has not gone smoothly, but Minnesota still controls their own postseason destiny. As the last NFC team in, the Vikings will look to give themselves some breathing room against a Detroit team that is averaging 2.8 less points per game.
The Patriots stop their losing streak with a victory over the Bills (NE -13.5)
The Earth might stop rotating if New England drops three in a row. While the Patriots 17th ranked rushing defense will be challenged by Josh Allen’s scrambling abilities and the Bills have the league’s stingiest passing defense, look for Tom Brady and company to right the ship in time for a playoff push.
The Bears win their third straight by defeating the 49ers (CHI -4.0)
With the city of Chicago riding high off their first NFC North title since 2010, the 49ers draft stock will be improved when the Bears third ranked defense comes to San Francisco. Chicago’s Kyle Fuller is tied with Xavien Howard to lead the league in interceptions (seven), with teammate Eddie Jackson just one pick behind.
The Rams recover against the lowly Cardinals (LAR -14.5)
Did the Rams peak too early? A win over Arizona will not answer that question, but it will at least have them trending back in the win column. Jared Goff has struggled in his last two games, posting a 19.1 passer rating against the Bears and a 75.9 against Philadelphia, both far below his 98.6 season average. He’s thrown five picks and no touchdowns in that time frame, so look for him to regain some confidence in Week 16.
‘Lone wolf’ picks
Kyle B. is the only writer who has faith in the Ravens (LAC -4.0)
With postseason-like pressure on the road, all but one writer predicts Baltimore to fall short. With Lamar Jackson facing his first top 10 defense in prime time, it seems like the perfect storm for a rookie to succumb to the emotions of the moment. Can the Ravens statistically dominant defense finally develop a clutch gene and make the critical stops the offense will need to stay in the game?
Logan is alone in picking the Steelers over the Saints (NO -6.0) and the Raiders over the Broncos (DEN -3.0)
A win over New England placed Pittsburgh firmly in the driver seat for the AFC North, and the Saints have been winning real ugly lately. An upset over New Orleans would go miles in building the Steelers confidence for the postseason. With Denver out of the hunt, their matchup with the Raiders has little intrigue.
Zach goes against the consensus in predicting the Redskins to upset the Titans (TEN -10.0)
With Tennessee chasing the Ravens, Zach hopes the Redskins skeleton crew can provide some help by ending the Titan’s three-game winning streak.
All writers’ picks can be found in the table below.
NFL Picks Week 16
| Games | Kyle A. | Frank | Vasilis | Jake | Sage | Logan | Kyle B. | Zach | Dustin | BB Readers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | Kyle A. | Frank | Vasilis | Jake | Sage | Logan | Kyle B. | Zach | Dustin | BB Readers |
| Ravens at Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Chargers | Ravens | Chargers | Chargers | Vote |
| Redskins at Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Titans | Redskins | Titans | Vote |
| Giants at Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Colts | Vote |
| Texans at Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Eagles | Texans | Texans | Eagles | Texans | Texans | Eagles | Vote |
| Jaguars at Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Dolphins | Vote |
| Packers at Jets | Packers | Packers | Jets | Jets | Packers | Packers | Jets | Packers | Packers | Vote |
| Bengals at Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Browns | Vote |
| Buccaneers at Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Vote |
| Vikings at Lions | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vikings | Vote |
| Bills at Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Vote |
| Falcons at Panthers | Falcons | Falcons | Falcons | Panthers | Falcons | Falcons | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Vote |
| Bears at 49ers | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Bears | Vote |
| Rams at Cardinals | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Rams | Vote |
| Steelers at Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Steelers | Saints | Saints | Saints | Vote |
| Chiefs at Seahawks | Seahawks | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Seahawks | Seahawks | Chiefs | Chiefs | Vote |
| Broncos at Raiders | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Raiders | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Vote |
| Week 15 Record | 8-8 | 9-7 | 9-7 | 7-9 | 7-9 | 9-7 | 9-7 | 8-8 | 7-9 | 7-9 |
| Season Record | 138-84 | 137-85 | 137-85 | 135-87 | 134-88 | 132-90 | 130-92 | 128-94 | 126-96 | 139-83 |
Vote in the polls below for the winner of each Week 16 matchup: