Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season was one of the craziest we’ve seen in quite some time. And maybe crazy doesn’t even begin to really effectively describe it. As far as NFL picks and predictions go, it was another fruitful week at least in terms of projecting winners. Coming off the heels of another strong week in Week 14, we were 12-4 in straight-up picks in Week 15 including our big upset projection of the week which was the Jaguars over the Cowboys in a shootout.
Now, it’s Week 16 already and Christmas week in the NFL, which means a loaded schedule and four days of football from Thursday to Monday. Who is winning this week as we approach the NFL playoffs? Without further ado, let’s make our NFL picks and predictions for Week 16. Happy holidays to you all!
2022 NFL picks and predictions for Week 16 schedule
Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8) at New York Jets (7-7)
Thursday, December 22, 8:15 PM ET
The Jacksonville Jaguars are quickly becoming the Detroit Lions of the AFC. Although early on in the season a lot of people jumped on the Jaguars’ bandwagon, it felt like the team was kind of reverting back to its old ways despite showing some promise with Doug Pederson at the helm and Trevor Lawrence under center.
After dropping to 4-8 against the aforementioned Lions just a couple of weeks ago, hope seemed lost for this Jaguars team but Trevor Lawrence has really turned things on in the past couple of months. Since throwing a game-ending interception against the Denver Broncos in London just before Halloween, Lawrence has been among the best of the best in the NFL.
Trevor Lawrence over the past 6 games: 157-of-223, 1,680 passing yards, 14 TD, 1 INT.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 19, 2022
The Jaguars are just one game out in the NFC South and control their path to a division title. pic.twitter.com/36G078UeWt
His latest was a brilliant comeback against the Dallas Cowboys, which was capped off by a historic performance from safety Rayshawn Jenkins. Jenkins became the NFL’s first player to record 18 tackles and two interceptions in the same game. His second interception was a game-ending pick-six off Dak Prescott in overtime. The Jaguars aren’t just an interesting 6-8 team. They are keeping playoff hopes alive.
As the Titans have floundered, the Jaguars find themselves just one game out of the NFC South. The NFL playoffs would be much better if Trevor Lawrence were in them. Can they keep rolling this week on the road against the Jets?
The Jets’ defense is consistently slept on it seems like, and although this team has lost three in a row and four of its last five, Robert Saleh and his defense at least have this team in one-score games weekly.
The Week 16 NFL schedule couldn’t be off to a more interesting start here and for NFL picks purposes, I would say this game is somewhat of a toss-up. But in the end, I’m taking Trevor Lawrence over Zach Wilson.
Prediction: Jaguars win 23-16