LAST WEEK’S RECORD:(15-1)

FRIDAY’S RECORD:(1-1)

THURSDAY’S RECORD:(10-7)

MONDAY NIGHT RECORD:(13-5)

SEASON RECORD:(149-75)

NFL WEEK 16 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

DENVER BRONCOS(9-5) AT LA CHARGERS(8-6)

The Broncos come in as the hotter team in this match up. The Chargers have lost two straight games and gave 40 points to the Buccaneers. Both the Broncos and Chargers have benefited from easy schedules this year. Both teams come in with 1-5 records against winning teams. They have feasted on the bottom of the barrel of the NFL. I like the way Bo Nix has been playing this year. These are two former Oregon University QB’s going at it as Justin Herbert will be looking to go ducky over Nix. I like the Broncos defense in this one. I think Jim Harbaugh will have his troops fired up. I like Sean Payton on the chess board to get by this Chargers defense as the Broncos win a close one.

OUR PICK: BRONCOS

SATURDAY NFL FOOTBALL

HOUSTON TEXANS(9-5) AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS(13-1)

Are we all buying Patrick Mahomes is hobbled by a high sprain ankle? The Texans clinched a very weak AFC South division last week. Mahomes did come out of that game in Cleveland in the 4th quarter after he rolled his ankle. We have been down this road before with Mahomes who you think may be slowed down by some ailment and then he makes some crazy pass play that wins the game. The Texans are struggling even though they are winning games at the same time. The Chiefs want home field advantage and a first round bye in the playoffs. The Texans can get a higher seed with winning the games left and hope other division leaders lose out. The Chiefs have been so lucky this season. One play. One penalty falls their way. They are at home. The defense will suddenly start playing lights out as it is this time of the season. Mahomes won’t have a big day at the office. He will be very effective in another close call.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

PITTSBURGH STEELERS(10-4) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS(9-5)

This is a heavyweight fight that is slated for a Saturday affair. The winner of this game may in fact take the AFC North. The Steelers won the first match up only weeks ago. For Lamar Jackson this is the team that gives him fits. He has lost the last 4-5 games when he has faced these Steelers. It’s like Mike Tomlin is Lex Luther hanging the kryptonite around the neck of Jackson. Can Russell Wilson do it again against these Ravens? The Steelers should have their cry baby, their number one wide receiver, back after two weeks MIA. The Steelers did not impress me last week when they played the Eagles. The Ravens rolled the G-Men. This will be another close game fought all the way to the end. I like Jackson flipping the script in this one to split the series for the season with a nail biter win.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

NEW YORK GIANTS(2-12) AT ATLANTA FALCONS(7-7)

Some experts scoffed at the Falcons for selecting Michael Penix Jr. from Washington University 8th in the NFL draft after signing Captain Kirk Cousins to a huge deal right before the April draft. The Giants have lost nine straight games. The Falcons finally broke a long losing streak themselves as they saw their control of the division evaporate into thin air with the Buccaneers win streak. The Falcons just got by the hapless Raiders on Monday night. It is time to bench the veteran QB who has thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes in the last several weeks. Who’s on first for the Giants? That means ‘who’s the QB?’ The Giants will go back to Drew Lock after Tommy DeVito was knocked out of the game versus the Ravens last week. The Falcons have an easy schedule remaining and they need a spark right now which Penix Jr. could do. All the quarterbacks selected in the first round last season have done well for the most part. Penix Jr. will have a strong running game behind him. He is mobile unlike Cousins. He is also playing the Giants defense which is a nice learning curve.

OUR PICK: FALCONS

ARIZONA CARDINALS(7-7) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS(3-11)

The Cardinals have to be rejoicing playing the likes of the Patriots and Panthers in back to back weeks. Arizona was perched on top of the division until they had a reality sandwich which the birds could not fly well in the red zone against better teams in a 4 week span. Another Panthers loss this season would clinch the fifth time in six seasons they have won 5 games or fewer. Soft Cam Newton may like that on his podcast. Before 2019 the Panthers only suffered three seasons with 5 or fewer wins. The Panthers arrived in the NFL in 1995. The Panthers have played well lately and should give the Cardinals a stronger game than the Patriots did last week in a Arizona blow out. The Cardinals are still alive but barely for the playoff hunt. I can see Kyler Murray sewing this one up in the win column on the road.

OUR PICK: CARDINALS

DETROIT LIONS(12-2) AT CHICAGO BEARS(4-10)

The Lions suffered their first loss since early September last week versus the Bills. The Bears looked better under the new interim head coach Thomas Brown in their second game versus the Vikings. That is not saying anything good either about this bad Bears team, a thing I had to point out. The Lions will be without half of their two-headed monster at the running back position as David Montgomery suffered a torn MCL in the knee. The Lions have a ton of injuries. The Eagles are now tied with the Lions for the best conference record. The Vikings have the same record as the Lions in the division, but Detroit holds the tie breaker with a win against them earlier in the season. That next match up is slated for January 5th. The Bears are that first rebound girlfriend after a long relationship. The Lions need to wham bam and thank you ma’am, get back in the win column, and live to fight another week.

OUR PICK: LIONS

TENNESSEE TITANS(3-11) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS(6-8)

I guess we know why Will Levis fell to the second round in the NFL draft. The Colts gave the Broncos a game most of the way last Sunday but suffered a loss that officially eliminated them from the playoff hunt. The Titans are pulling the plus on Levis and will seek a new QB in next year’s draft for Tennessee. Now they will give the car keys over to veteran QB Mason Rudolf which gives the Titans a better chance to win. The Titans have screwed me all year. The Colts and Titans know each other well as this game could go either way. I like Anthony Richardson who has played better lately making a few plays along with riding the legs of Jonathan Taylor in a home victory.

OUR PICK: COLTS

LA RAMS(8-6) AT NEW YORK JETS(4-10)

Could this be the last match up we see of Aaron Rodgers versus Matthew Stafford? Both QB’s called their home in the NFC North for many years square off being QB’s for other teams towards the end of their careers. Rodgers owned many of the opponents or maybe all of them going head to head back when he was the Packers QB. Lifetime Rodgers is 13-4 versus Stafford. Rogers is two touchdown passes away to hit the 500 mark which only 4 others have done in NFL history. Do you get sucked in because Rodgers has done better and pulled out a victory against a bad Jaguars team? The Rams can make NFL history if they make the playoffs this season. They will be the only team in NFL history being 3 games under the .500 mark at some point of the season and making it to the post-season tournament. The Rams have won three straight. The Rams are the better team here. The Rams will get their points off the Jets’ one time stout defense from either the run or pass or both. The Rams defense should be able to contain Rodgers long enough for the Rams to build a nice enough lead to close this one out as they are seeking the NFC West division title.

OUR PICK: RAMS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES(12-2) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS(9-5)

The Eagles may be the top team in the NFC as they are a runaway train right now as winners of ten straight. The Commanders have won two straight games and just held off the Saints comeback in the last few ticks of the clock of regulation. The Commanders have struggled with winning teams before the two game win streak. I think the Eagles defense will shut down Jayden Daniels’ number one threat, Scary Terry McLaurin.

The young defensive backs the Eagles have are very impressive. The pressure will be too much for rookie QB Daniels finding another outlet. The Eagles are a machine with their beast Saquon Barkley who can get you with either the run or passing game and makes Jalen Hurts so much better and this Eagles team very very dangerous. The Commanders are a team on the rise. They are not ready to tangle with the big dogs.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

CLEVELAND BROWNS(3-11) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS(6-8)

The Bengals playoff hopes are hanging by a loose thread. The Browns will turn to Dorian Thompson-Robinson as their starting QB. Thompson-Robinson filled in last week for another multiple interception game by the crab man, Jameis Winston. Last season Thompson-Robinson went 1-2 as the Browns starter right before they inserted Joe Flacco who leads Cleveland to the post-season. The Bengals defense is not very good so the Browns could generate some points even with a guy who’s only completing 44% of his passes this season. The Bengals Joe Cool Burrow will have to avoid Myles Garrett who has sacked him the most in his NFL career with nine of them. The Bengals will have a field day on offense and the Browns don’t have enough ammo to keep up with the Joe’s.

OUR PICK: BENGALS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS(12-2) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS(8-6)

Seattle has been one of the streakiest teams in the NFL this season. The Vikings have been red hot winning seven games in a row. The Seahawks did not look good against the visiting Packers last Sunday night. Can the Vikings get a road victory in Seattle? It is possible as Seattle is 3-5 at home this season. Last time Seahawks lost six games at home you have to go back to 2008 when they finished 2-6. Before the Packers lost, the Seahawks were in cruise mode as they swept the Cardinals and won a road game against the Jets. The Vikings Sam Darnold has been streaky but he right now is slinging the football well all over the field. The Seahawks QB Geno Smith is hobbled by an injury, so will he be able to go is the big question. I have to go Vikings because they are the hotter team and they have finally caught the Lions and need this one to stay in striking distance with a rematch lingering on January 5th.

OUR PICK: VIKINGS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS(3-11) AT BUFFALO BILLS(11-3)

Do you remember Jim Plunkett as he won a Superbowl with the silver and black Raiders? Plunkett started his career in New England. The Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye has a chance to tie a rookie record if he can throw a touchdown pass versus the Bills to make it 7 games in a row, he had one of those. The Bills came off a monster victory on the road versus the Lions where they scored 48 points. The Bills have beaten the two best teams in the league this season, the Chiefs and now the Lions. This will be back to back games where Josh Allen and that Bills offense put up 40 or more points. Can the Patriots produce to take advantage of a Bills defense that has given up back to back games of 40 or more points? The Bills need this game to stay in striking distance of the Chiefs for the number one seed in the AFC. I like the Bills offense to keep rolling as it will be a cold one in Buffalo. I can see the Bills defense cleaning up their act and holding the Patriots to a reasonable amount of points. I like the Bills in this one at home in the cold climate in which they should be able to put away a pretty bad team in the Patriots.

OUR PICK: BILLS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS(3-11) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS(2-12)

The Jaguars and Raiders have sunk this low in the toilet bowl game of the year. The winner gets nothing. The loser may get the top pick of the year. If the Raiders lose their next three games they will tie their worst losing streak of 13 games that happened back in 1962. The Jaguars scored some points last week, but the Jets flew away with the victory at the end. Mac Jones is 1-3 as the Jaguars starter and has 4 touchdown passes compared to 7 interceptions in the 4 starts. Jones is 19-27 in his career going back to his Patriots days as a starter in the NFL. The Raiders will get back Aiden O’Connell who was the emergency QB last week in Desmond Ridder’s flop on Monday night versus the Falcons. O’Connell is 0-4 as the Raiders starter and he is 5-9 in his NFL career as the man behind center. I think the Raiders will get the upset in this one and their defense will pull it out. I think O’Connell could have a nice afternoon as well against this Jaguars defense. This one tossing a coin may be better figuring out the winner than sorting out the dumpster fire in any data you read about each team.

OUR PICK: RAIDERS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS(6-8) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS(6-8)

Usually I would say the Dolphins do very well against teams under .500. The Dolphins lost last week which knocked them out of the playoff hunt and I think will pretty much knock the wind out of them for the season. The 49ers have a slim shot at the playoffs. Their defense has been playing better and close to the unit that got them to the Superbowl as they held the Rams to 12 points last week after LA put up 44 on the Bills. I will say the 49ers were the only loss I had last week and ruined my perfect week in all the picks for week 15. The last time Brock Purdy played the Dolphins, he had a big game. The 49ers will unleash their running game on a poor Dolphins rushing defense that will set the tone in this one.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS(8-6) AT DALLAS COWBOYS(6-8)

The networks always have to stick us with a Dallas game. Almost every week we have to digest the horrific Cowboys they stuff down our throats. The Buccaneers have won 4 straight. Can you bet against Baker Mayfield right now the way he is playing? He lit up the Chargers defense putting 40 points on the score board. The Cowboys have been better lately as they come off a win last week over the Panthers. The Cowboys really don’t play well at home. Mayfield will have a big game as they know the Falcons have it easy down the stretch. The Buccaneers need every win they can get and they will notch this one.

OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS(5-9) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS(10-4)

The Saints are without Derek Carr. The Packers went to Seattle and crushed the Seahawks pretty much, on a primetime game. Spencer Rattler did well in a relief appearance for the Saints last week versus the Commanders. The Saints tried to step on the Commanders throat in the last seconds going for the win with a two point conversion. They were denied. Since Darren Rizzi has taken over, the Saints have played tough. Two stats jumped at me in this match up. The Packers average 6.6 yards after the catch which is good for third overall in the NFL. Meanwhile the Saints defense allows 6.2 yards after the catch which is the 3rd highest in the league. The Packers are at home. Saints play in the dome. This one should be easy pickings.

OUR PICK: PACKERS