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Once again this season, the Baltimore Beatdown staff is picking the winners for each week’s slate of contests throughout the year. Results will be tracked throughout the year to see who is most accurate with their predictions.
Readers can participate by voting in the polls for each game below. Join in on the fun and chime in with your thoughts on every matchup!
Updated Standings:
- BB readers (155-69)
- Vasilis (151-73)
- Kyle (147-77)
- Spencer, Dustin, Frank (146-78)
- Peter (143-81)
- Jakob (139-85)
Consensus Selections —
The staff was in agreement on the following matchups in Week 16:
- Saints > Vikings (NO -7)
- Buccaneers > Lions (TB -9.5)
- Cardinals > 49ers (AZ -5)
- Dolphins > Raiders (MIA -3)
- Ravens > Giants (BAL -11)
- Bears > Jaguars (CHI -7.5)
- Chiefs > Falcons (KC -10.5)
- Browns > Jets (CLE -9.5)
- Texans > Bengals (HOU -8.5)
- Bills > Patriots (BUF -7)
Well over half of this week’s game saw a unanimous predicted winner, which is the highest mark of the season and reflects the nature of the NFL right now. There’s a handful of good teams and a lot of not so good teams, and Week 16 features a lot of matchups between the two — which explains why there’s so many large point spreads.
From the list above, seven predicted winners are favored by a touchdown or more over their opponent. This includes the Christmas Day matchup between the Vikings and Saints, a rematch of last year’s playoff game, and the first two Saturday games: Buccaneers vs. Lions and Cardinals vs. 49ers. Our writers like the Saints, Buccaneers, and Cardinals to prevail.
On Sunday, the staff envisions the Bears handling business against the Jaguars as a 7.5-point favorite. Chicago has won two games in a row. The Ravens and Chiefs, each favored by double digits, are also popular selections in cross-conference play. Other big favorites that were picked across the board include the Texans over the Bengals, Browns over the Jets, and Bills over the Patriots on Monday night.
The closest matchup on paper above is on Saturday night between the Dolphins and Raiders. Las Vegas’ is a three-point underdog at home with their slim playoff hopes on life support, while the Dolphins need a win to continue controlling their own destiny. The BB team thinks Miami gets it done on the road.
Lone Wolf Selections —
The following writers are alone with these predictions in Week 16:
- Spencer likes the Broncos to defeat the Chargers on the road (DEN +3)
- Dustin is taking the Titans over the Packers on SNF (TEN +3.5)
There are just two lone wolf picks this week, which has been a continuing trend during the second half of the season.
The first of the two comes from Spencer, who sees the Broncos upsetting the Chargers on Sunday afternoon. Los Angeles has won two games in a row by virtue of a game-winning field goal, while the Broncos are coming off a 29-point thrashing at the hands of Buffalo.
Second on the list is Dustin, who is the only writer who took the Titans over the Packers in the marquee game of the week. Green Bay is favored by just over a field goal at home in a battle of two of the NFL’s top scoring offenses. The Packers are looking to lock up the NFC’s No. 1 overall seed while the Titans are trying to secure a division title.