Week 16 of the 2024 NFL Season begins in just two days, so let's roll out our weekly picks and score predictions. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers get us started in Week 16. They were actually flexed into Thursday Night Football, which tells you the NFL did not originally think either team was going to be all that good.
The Broncos are 9-5 after their fourth win in a row, and the Chargers are a solid 8-6 after being blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If Denver wins this game, they will clinch a playoff spot, so this could end up being a very entertaining one.
There is a ton of other action as well, and with all of the bye weeks being done, we've got a full slate of action the rest of the way. Let's make our picks and score predictions for the upcoming games.
2024 NFL picks and score predictions for Week 16 games
Thursday Night Football
Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers, 8:15 PM
The Denver Broncos are now 9-5 on the season after their huge victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15. In a game where the Broncos just did not figure themselves out until the second half, they really poured it on in the fourth quarter and ended up winning by 18 points. It does say a lot about a team that they can start as slow as they did and still blowout an opponent.
Denver is a real team; they are getting production from their defense, as they've scored three defensive touchdowns over the last two games, and while the offense is still growing, no one can deny the fight that they have. Bo Nix is not scared and will keep slinging in despite throwing interceptions. The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot with a win here.
The Los Angeles Chargers get this game at home and are coming off of a blowout loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what some may think was a shocking result. The Bucs put a 40-burger on the top Chargers defense, and it'll be interesting to see if LA is able to find some answers in time for this game.
Being that the Denver Broncos offense has struggled over the last two weeks against two bad defenses, I am not sure they'll be able to get it going against the LA Chargers, but with how the Broncos defense has played in recent weeks, specifically being able to notch some defensive touchdowns, this could be a low-scoring but dramatic game.
Let's pick the Chargers to win by three points.
Prediction: Chargers win 20-17
Saturday
Houston Texans @ Kansas City Chiefs, 1:00 PM
Now this could be a game worth paying a ton of attention to. The Houston Texans are 9-5 on the season and have clinched the AFC South for a second year in a row. With their win and the Indianapolis Colts loss versus the Denver Broncos, Houston wins the division and will get to host a playoff game.
They can still climb the AFC standings a bit and do still have a lot to play for. However, this team just doesn't feel like a true contender; the offensive line in Houston is not good, and CJ Stroud isn't nearly as efficient this year as he was in 2023. It's likely that Houston is actually one-and-done in the postseason.
And they then may have a huge offseason ahead in fixing that offensive line. The Kansas City Chiefs come into this game having beaten the Cleveland Browns in Week 15, but Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury that could keep him out of the lineup for a bit. It'll be interesting to see how KC approaches this game. Surely Mahomes is wanting to play, but the Chiefs medical staff may keep him out.
With the game being in Arrowhead, it'll be close even if Carson Wentz starts for the Chiefs, and my gosh, Wentz has played some great ball in previous seasons. We are clearly way past Wentz' prime in the NFL, but this isn't some random backup quarterback.
I think the Houston Texans are going to go into Arrowhead and beat the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. Houston is the better team on paper, and I have a feeling that Patrick Mahomes isn't going to play in this one. This could be the Kansas City Chiefs second loss of the season, which makes them vulnerable down the stretch to lose the no. 1 seed in the AFC.
Prediction: Texans win 23-16
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens, 4:30 PM
Oh boy, this could be a fun game. The Pittsburgh Steelers lost in Week 15, and the Baltimore Ravens won, so this game can really make or break the AFC North for the Ravens. If the Steelers were to win this game, they'd go to 11-4 on the season, and the Ravens would fall to 9-6. The math works out for the Steelers in this scenario, as they would clinch the AFC North and be guaranteed a top-4 seed in the playoffs and at least one home playoff game.
However, if the Ravens win this game, both teams then go to 10-5, and it would end up being quite the crazy finish. For the Steelers, they sent Justin Fields to the bench in favor of Russell Wilson in what was a controversial decision at first, but I am not sure a single Steelers fan would have any issue with the move that Mike Tomlin made. Wilson has largely played well for the Steelers this year and has probably earned a short-term contract extension with the team.
The ceiling with Wilson is obvious, so they aren't going to win a Super Bowl or anything, but I guess they can remain as a good team until Wilson truly falls off of a cliff, which is getting close.
The Baltimore Ravens took apart the New York Giants in Week 15, and that wasn't a game they were too concerned with. Baltimore has to win this game if they hope to keep their AFC North hopes alive, and with this game being in Baltimore, I tend to believe that their first matchup back on November 17th and their coming matchup here in Week 16 will look a bit different.
Lamar Jackson is playing at an MVP level for the Baltimore Ravens, and him being at home is going to be enough for this team to get the victory, which would make the AFC a lot more interesting. I will take the Ravens here in a classic AFC North, low-scoring dogfight.
Prediction: Ravens win 20-17
Sunday Games
New York Giants @ Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 PM
You just have to feel for New York Giants fans. This franchise is in the worst possible situation, and even though they may pick first overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, it may not mean that one of the top QBs in Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward ends up being the guy for them. This QB class it not projected to be very good, so the Giants may just have to hope that one of them can figure it out.
This all went downhill as soon as the Giants paid Daniel Jones on that four-year, $160 million deal. It was a huge mistake at the time and is still a huge mistake now. What were they thinking? Until they get the QB position right, the Giants will be irrelevant. We've seen names like Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito, and Tim Boyle take snaps for this team under center. It's truly horrific.
On the other sideline, the Atlanta Falcons may actually have one extra QB if you think about it. The team signed Kirk Cousins in free agency and then took Michael Penix Jr in the 2024 NFL Draft at pick eight. Them taking Penix may have saved their rear ends, as Kirk Cousins has not looked good over the last month. I am typing this right before the Falcons play on Monday Night Football, so Kirk Cousins could rebound against a bad Las Vegas Raiders team, but he may not.
Even with the Falcons dealing with some iffy QB play, they are the better team from top to bottom. It would be a huge upset if they managed to lose this game, and they are still very much in the mix in the NFC South. This losing streak that they are on does not keep them out of the postseason at all. I would take the Falcons in this game, and I am not sure that is controversial or anything. The better team does win most weeks.
Prediction: Falcons win 24-14
Let's continue picking and predicting our Week 16 games. An AFC East battle is up next!
New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills, 1:00 PM
The Buffalo Bills are coming off of a huge win in Detroit against the Lions in Week 15. Heck, that may have been one of the more impressive wins we'll see by any team this season. Buffalo was able to maintain a lead for the entire game and just did not let the Lions truly get back into it. For Detroit, they are dealing with a ton of injuries, and their quest to make the Super Bowl may actually be over. The team is severely banged up.
Now back to Buffalo for a second - this team is now 11-3 on the season and are still two games behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC playoff standings. Being that Buffalo did beat KC earlier this year, all the teams would have to do is to finish with the same record. In that case, the Bills would earn the top seed, or the better seed over KC. The Bills do not control their own destiny for that top seed in the AFC, so they are going to play desperately in this one.
The New England Patriots and Drake Maye come to town, and the Patriots are in a clear spot right now. The team took Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and most of us knew that this team was not going to be very good in 2024. Well, guess what? They aren't very good!
Unless some wild upset happens, the Patriots aren't going to win this game. I do believe that they have something there with Drake Maye, so Pats fans should at least take some comfort in knowing that they may have a QB on their hands for the next 12 years, but this is not a game that the Pats are ready to win at the moment. Buffalo wins comfortably.
Prediction: Bills win 38-13
Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears, 1:00 PM
Now this game could be quite interesting if you ask me. The Detroit Lions are coming off of a pretty awful loss against the Buffalo Bills, and it's been their defense that has not only let up a bit, but has also been snake-bitten by injuries this year. The Lions defense is a shell of themselves from Week 1, and in the NFL, injuries do not care what team they impact. It's a part of the game, and it is a bit unfortunate, but here we are.
Detroit is still 12-2 on the season, so they do have a ton of cushion and are in the playoffs. They could lose their final three games and it would not change them being in the playoffs. Anyway, the Lions defense has gotten to a point where this could be a bad unit, simply because of all the injuries they have dealt with. We'll have to see if the Jared Goff-led offense can pick up the pace a bit down the stretch.
The Chicago Bears come into this game amidst a ton of dysfunction with their team this year. A ton of late-game collapses has this team having fired former head coach Matt Eberflus, and when you look at the amount of talent that this team has, there is no reason they should have the record that they do.
Well, this game is in Chicago, and being that the Bears should have at least tied the game when the two teams last met on Thanksgiving, I am actually going to pick the Bears to win this one. Chicago isn't an awful team, and I kind of like the Bears to hold it down at home. They still have a lot to play for with rookie QB Caleb Williams, and with this being a divisional matchup, it'll still be quite close in my opinion.
Bears win this one!
Prediction: Bears win 23-21
Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM
Can we please stop talking about the Cincinnati Bengals? Please? Why do people think this team is going to make some magical playoff push down the stretch? They can score points with the best of them, but their defense can't stop a nosebleed. They are 6-8 for a reason, and even if they had an average defense, this team would be 9-5 or even 10-4, which tells you just how bad their defense has been this year.
To be fair, Joe Burrow has played out of his mind, and I am not sure there has been a better QB in football this year. Unfortunately for Burrow, he's likely not playing in late-January and surely not going to win the MVP. Again, even if their defense was just average, this team would be atop the Super Bowl contention window, but here we are.
The Bengals have this game at home, and they will need to keep winning to stay in the playoff chase. They truly can't afford another loss, and if the Denver Broncos were to beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football, the Broncos would clinch a playoff spot, so there would be one less spot for the Bengals.
The Browns come into this game having lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 and are in the middle of yet another lost season. There isn't a ton to like with the Browns this year, and they may be forced to bring Deshaun Watson back in 2025, which is just something I could not stomach as a Browns fan.
I do not believe Cleveland has what it takes to pull off the upset here. Joe Burrow and the Bengals will take advantage of playing yet another bad team and will win here in Week 16, again putting up a ton of points.
Prediction: Bengals win 35-17
Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 PM
The Indianapolis Colts had a chance to notch a huge win in Denver against the Broncos, and for a while there, it looked very encouraging for the Colts, but too many self-inflicted wounds left the door open for the Broncos to take advantage and win the game. That loss was huge for the Colts, and they're now in an even more of an uphill climb to make the postseason, but this team is not a playoff team.
They just aren't good enough to make the playoffs; QB Anthony Richardson is just bad at playing QB in the NFL, and I have no idea how he still has people defending him. He's horrific, truly. Anyway, the Colts do tend to stay in games for the most part, and the Tennessee Titans are no good to begin with, so this could go the Colts way.
But Indy being 6-8 coming into this game is not what they wanted.
The Tennessee Titans are even worse and could be staring down yet another QB decision coming in the 2025 NFL Offseason. The only issue with that is the 2025 NFL Draft does not appear to have a very good QB class, so this could be a huge disaster for the Titans.
I just do not see a ton of appeal with this team; it's two bad teams with bad quarterbacks. That's really what this game is all about, and it may come down to who makes the least mistakes, and surprisingly, I like the Indianapolis Colts to make the least mistakes at home.
The Broncos winning on Thursday Night Football would clinch them a playoff spot, so there would be one less spot for the Colts to potentially play for. They would still have a chance at the postseason, but their odds are quite low. The Colts should still win this game.
Prediction: Colts win 24-21
Los Angeles Rams @ New York Jets, 1:00 PM
The Los Angeles Rams are coming, folks. This team started the 2024 NFL Season with a 1-4 record, but they were also decimated by injuries, and it had nothing to do with their talent or coaching. Well, the Rams are lot healthier now and are also 8-6 on the season. With the Seattle Seahawks losing in Week 15, the Rams are now in first place in the NFC West and would get to host a playoff game.
The one team I would not want to face in the playoffs would be a team quarterbacked by Matthew Stafford and coached by Sean McVay. LA has gone 7-2 over their last nine games since beginning the year 1-4, so you know this team is doing this legitimately. The Rams are facing off against the New York Jets here in Week 16, and this game actually doesn't mean a whole lot for either team.
If the Rams were to lose this game and not even play their starters, they could still win their final two games and win the NFC West. Their final two games are divisional matchups, and now that they have a better record than the Cardinals and have already beaten the Seattle Seahawks once this year, LA is in a great spot.
It would not shock me if the Rams tried to get out to an early lead and perhaps pulled some of their starters in this one to prep for Weeks 17 and 18.
The New York Jets have had virtually nothing go right for them in the 2024 NFL Season, and they could be headed toward a rebuild, but Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are still on that sideline, and I actually want to get a bit frisky with this prediction. Let's predict the New York Jets to hold it down at home and upset the LA Rams in a low-scoring game.
Prediction: Jets win 23-20
Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders, 1:00 PM
The Philadelphia Eagles have now won 10 games in a row, and with the Detroit Lions having lost in Week 15, the Eagles have the first seed in the NFC right there in front of them for the taking. Philly has figured themselves out during this winning streak, and they now feel a lot like the 2022 team that just dominated opponents. The Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers quite handily in Week 15, which was a very impressive win.
They are now in Washington to play the Commanders, a team that is 9-5 on the season after a close win against the New Orleans Saints coming out of their bye week. Weeks ago, I would have told you that the Commanders were the better team, but Washington did lose three of four coming into Week 15, and the Eagles win streak has also changed things quite a bit.
At this point, I have to wonder if the Eagles are again primed to make a Super Bowl run this season. The San Francisco 49ers won't be in their way, and I am not sure the Detroit Lions are healthy enough.
As for the Commanders, this team is already way ahead of schedule with rookie QB Jayden Daniels, so them even getting into the playoffs is a cherry on top of the unexpected cake they were given here in 2024. The Eagles are the better team, and while I do believe Washington can keep this game close for the most part, Philly is going to pull away in the end and win their 11th game in a row, which would improve them to 13-2 on the season, a flat-out outstanding record.
The Eagles have their eyes on something bigger and are going to take care of business against the Washington Commanders.
Prediction: Eagles win 28-20
Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM
The Arizona Cardinals are still clinging to life in the NFC playoff picture. At 7-7, they are just one game behind the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks for that 8-6 record, and what makes this very interesting is that the Cardinals did beat the LA Rams weeks ago, so as of now, they do have a slight advantage. I tried to tell people that the Cardinals would be better than people thought in 2024, and here we are.
Sure, they aren't a great team, but this team won just four games in all of 2023 and are probably going to double their 2023 win total here in Week 16 of the 2024 season. The Cardinals are on the right track, but this team simply needs more talent on the roster, and I don't think they have any other major issue besides an overall lack of talent. Let's not overthink this with the Cards.
The Carolina Panthers come into this game with not a ton going for them; it's another lost season for Carolina, but Bryce Young has played reasonably well over the last month or so. Right now, the momentum seems to be favoring Young returning as the Panthers starting QB in the 2025 NFL Season. For better or worse, that's what it seems like now.
But in this game, the Arizona Cardinals are going to beat the Carolina Panthers. It's an away game for Arizona, so they do have the challenge of playing away from home, but I do not anticipate this game giving them a ton of troubles.
Expect the Cardinals to win this game, and I really do not believe this is an upset game to have your eye on. There are some other matchups on the Week 16 slate that may lend themselves to an upset possibility. Take the Cardinals in this one.
Prediction: Cardinals win 24-13
Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 PM
This could be quite the game if you ask me. The Minnesota Vikings played on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears and will then travel to Seattle to face the desperate Seahawks in Week 16. The Seahawks took a pretty ugly loss in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers, and it's clear that this team isn't any sort of threat to make a postseason run.
With the Seahawks and LA Rams now both 8-6, the Rams are in first place since they beat the Seahawks earlier in the season, and with the way things are looking now, it's not likely that Seattle is able to recapture the NFC West lead. The Rams actually also beat the Vikings earlier this year, and while this is a home game for the Seahawks, this is not going to end pretty.
The Vikings are, simply put, an excellent football team, and Sam Darnold is a legitimate QB. It'll be interesting to see what the Vikes do with Darnold, as he's slated to be a free agent in 2025. If you ask me, I am not sure how they could just go to JJ McCarthy in 2025. I mean, I understand the reason why they took McCarthy, but they surely did not expect Darnold to play this well.
Either way, that doesn't matter at the moment. The Vikings are the better team from top to bottom and should have no issue picking apart the Seahawks. It'll be interesting to see if Geno Smith ends up playing, as he suffered some type of knee injury in their Week 15 loss.
The Seahawks postseason odds will take another huge hit here in Week 16 as the Minnesota Vikings come to town and blow the doors off of them. Give me the Vikings in a very lopsided victory.
Prediction: Vikings win 28-10
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 PM
Oh. Oh no. The NFL schedule-makers surely had no idea this game was going to end up looking like it does now, did they? In what could be the most irrelevant and single-worst game of the 2024 NFL Season, the Jacksonville Jaguars are in Las Vegas to play the Raiders. Yuck. I mean, where do we even begin here?
The Jaguars probably had high hopes in the 2024 NFL Season. This team was quite good in 2022, and while they collapsed down the stretch in 2023, they still managed to go 9-8. I was actually quite high on the Jags coming into the season and thought this team was a threat to win double-digit games, but I just seems like Doug Pederson is not a capable head coach in the NFL anymore, which is a shame.
Jacksonville also lost QB Trevor Lawrence for the rest of the season, so it's been Mac Jones taking over since then. As for the Las Vegas Raiders, they are in a similar situation; they lost starting QB Gardner Minshew to a broken collarbone and have since turned to Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder.
It's been a horrifically ugly season for each team, but the Jags are clearly a lot closer to being viable again than the Raiders are. The Raiders may end up taking Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, so they could at least have that going for them, I guess.
Man, it's even hard for me to think of what to say about this game. Both teams are bad, but I think the Jaguars are less-bad, if that makes sense. They should have a coaching and QB advantage coming into this game, and even though it is in Las Vegas, I expect the Jaguars will be able to do enough to make something happen here. Jags win!
Prediction: Jaguars win 17-13
San Francisco 49ers @ Miami Dolphins, 4:25 PM
This could be a fun game, and on paper, before the season began, I think a lot of us probably circled this game as one that could be for the ages. Well, now approaching Week 16 of the 2024 NFL Season, and it's clear that both teams have been disappointments.
Let's start with the San Francisco 49ers.
This team made the Super Bowl in 2023 and lost in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs. They again brought back their main foundation of players including Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and others. And unfortunately for them, many of their stud players have been bitten by the injury bug this year.
It's been one of those years for San Fran, and it seems to happen to them from time to time. They're 6-8 on the season and just not a good football team. It might be the beginning of the end for this current era of 49ers football, as they will have some tough decisions to make this coming offseason.
The Miami Dolphins are in a similar boat; Tua Tagovailoa missed some time earlier in the season due to a concussion, and it's been too-little-too-late for the Dolphins. They dropped a must-win game against the Houston Texans in Week 15. And it was another big game that Tagovailoa did not show up for.
These were supposed to be two of the more entertaining teams in football, but here we are. Given their current states, I would feel quite safe picking the Miami Dolphins in this one, as they are still an explosive team at times. The offense is still very good on occassion, and the 49ers just lack any sort of juice if you ask me.
The Dolphins still cling to a hair of life in the AFC playoff picture and get the win against the 49ers here in Week 16.
Prediction: 49ers win 27-24
Now, on to our Sunday and Monday Night Football games to close out Week 16.
Sunday Night Football
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 PM
This was slated to be quite the matchup before the season began, but injuries suck, so here we are. The Dallas Cowboys never seemed to consistently find their footing this season and are very much out of it. They're 6-8 on the season and don't have much going for them. Stud cornerback Trevon Diggs needs another knee surgery, and Dak Prescott has been out for a while.
They did get deals done with CeeDee Lamb and Prescott, but they seemed to come it very late, so Dallas likely paid more than they needed to for each deal. And if you ask me, I am not sure the team should have extended either player. This team needs quite a bit, so perhaps a true rebuild should be what this team considers in 2025 and beyond.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now 8-6 on the season and are in first place in the NFC South. They just keep winning games have now overtaken the Atlanta Falcons in the division. We could again see Baker Mayfield and the Bucs hosting a playoff game. And for what it's worth, Mike Evans is inching closer to having yet another 1,000-yard season, which would give him 11 in a row since his career started back in 2014.
This game is in Dallas, so I guess it could help out the Cowboys a bit, but the Buccaneers are fighting for quite a bit, and I am not sure the Cowboys have what it takes to pull off the upset. Nothing fancy with this prediction; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will go into Jerry World and take care of business against Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bucs would move to 9-6 on the season and get that much closer to winning the NFC South for a second time in two years in the Baker Mayfield era.
Prediction: Buccaneers win 31-17
Monday Night Football
New Orleans Saints @ Green Bay Packers, 8:15 PM
The Green Bay Packers have to be loving this matchup on Monday Night Football. Heck, they should use this game as practice for the final two games and for the playoffs. In a year where the New Orleans Saints started 2-0 and looked like a top-5 team in football, they have since endured brutal injuries and have turned into one of the more dysfunctional teams in football.
There just is not a lot to like about the Saints; this team needs to hit the reset button in a big way, and it'll be interesting if GM Mickey Loomis will even do that, or if he'll even be in New Orleans to do it. The Saints are a bad football team playing a backup QB and who fired their head coach weeks ago. It's not a good situation overall. I feel bad for their fans, honestly.
And on the other sideline, we have the Packers, who get to play this game at home. The Packers are now 10-4 on the season and are still in the mix for the NFC North division title, and with how banged up the Detroit Lions are, you just never know what could happen down the final stretch. This would be a must-win game for the Packers if they hope to win the division.
On paper, the game isn't going to be close, either. We just saw the Packers go into Seattle, a very tough place to play, and win by double-digits. I have no doubt that they won't allow the lowly New Orleans Saints to come into their house and get the victory.
The Green Bay Packers will win this game, and it may be yet another blowout in Week 16. The Packers should improve to 11-4 on the season with this win.