Two teams have officially clinched playoff berths for the 2025 playoffs. The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams both clinched on Sunday evening further guaranteeing themselves another week of competition. 12 teams have already been eliminated; leaving nine teams from each conference fighting for the remaining six spots.
Thursday Night Football of the Week 16 NFL season might feature the Game of the Year with the Los Angeles Rams (11-3) traveling to the Seattle Seahawks (11-3) with the NFC West division hanging in the balance. Matthew Stafford is 6-0 as the Rams starting quarterback when facing the Seahawks. But this will be the toughest matchup yet. Who wins? Here are my Week 16 NFL picks.
Week 15 picks: 9-7, Cumulative picks: 139-83-1* (.626)
Week 16 Matchups & Predictions
(Thursday) Los Angeles Rams @ Seattle Seahawks, 8:15 PM EST
Quick turnaround. After dropping 41 points on the Detroit Lions, the Rams will travel to Seattle with the NFC West crown at stake. Davante Adams will be unlikely to play because of a hamstring injury. It’s a significant loss to their redzone offense. However, Matthew Stafford has not lost to the Seahawks when he has started as the Rams quarterback. And Stafford in the months of December, January, and February as a Ram is: 21-4. Those losses were 2021 to 49ers (OT), 2023 to Ravens (OT), 2023 playoffs to Lions, and 2024 playoffs to Eagles.
Pick: Rams win 26-21
(Saturday) Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders, 5:00 PM EST
I thought that the Eagles would lose the division to the Cowboys but the Cowboys don’t seem interested in taking advantage of the slipping Eagles. So, Philadelphia should get into the playoffs without much turbulence the rest of the way, especially considering they play Washington twice to end the year.
Pick: Eagles win 28-16
(Saturday) Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears, 8:20 PM EST
The mood in Green Bay is probably a lot like the weather there. Micah Parsons tore his ACL and Christian Watson broke his collarbone. The Packers should get into the playoffs but they will be limping in. The Bears meanwhile should be able to take advantage.
Pick: Bears 27-20
New York Jets @ New Orleans Saints, 3:00 PM EST
The Saints have beaten the Panthers and Buccaneers in the past two weeks, suggesting they could be more competitive in 2026.
If the Saints can manage a few more wins and the Falcons lose the rest of the way, the Falcons could finish 4th in the NFC South.
Pick: Saints win 21-20
Buffalo Bills @ Cleveland Browns, 1:00 PM EST
Something tells me that this game could be a trap game for Buffalo after pulling off an exciting win in Foxborough. At the same time, the Bills could see that the AFC East crown is within sight.
Pick: Bills win 34-24
Kansas City Chiefs @ Tennessee Titans, 1:00 PM EST
Props to the Chiefs for their success over the last decade. It may be a few years before Mahomes and Co. bring the Lombardi trophy back to Kansas City as they have a number of needs to upgrade their roster. They need a running back, wide receiver(s), tight end, offensive line, and defensive line in order to regain the top spot in the competitive AFC West.
With the air being let out of the balloon, this game seems like ripe for the Titans to pull off an upset.
Pick: Titans 20-17
Los Angeles Chargers @ Dallas Cowboys, 1:00 PM EST
The Chargers have shown they can win close games when their offense hasn’t put up points. The Cowboys are too inconsistent in their performance week-to-week.
Pick: Chargers win 34-30
Minnesota Vikings @ New York Giants, 1:00 PM EST
The Giants continue to lose games that they should win. Story of 2025 for them. Meanwhile, the Vikings are getting better play from JJ McCarthy over the last two weeks.
Pick: Vikings win 25-18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM EST
The NFC South crown won’t be decided by this game as these two teams will face each other again in Week 18. But the Panthers will have to play Seattle in Week 17 so this game is monumental.
Pick: Panthers win 26-20 (OT)
Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins, 1:00 PM EST
Joe Burrow making questionable comments last week came at a really bad time. And the quarterback should take a lot of heat for that because he responded by scoring 0 points in a must-win game at home… Not to mention that it was the second straight week in which he threw a pick 6.
Pick: Dolphins win 34-27
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Broncos, 4:05 PM EST
I think this game should get flexed. The AFC South leader versus the AFC West leader. Trevor Lawrence had a huge performance in Week 15 but Denver’s defense will be a tough solve.
Pick: Broncos win 27-16
Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 PM EST
Battle of the birds. Bijan Robinson should have a field day against a porous Cardinals run defense. This result won’t bode well for Rams fans…
Pick: Falcons win 27-21
Las Vegas Raiders @ Houston Texans, 4:25 PM EST
I really don’t see why Houston couldn’t emerge as the AFC Super Bowl representative. Their defense is that good. And Tank Dell has returned from injury. I think its feasible that Las Vegas gets shut out for a second straight week.
Pick: Texans win 27-0
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Detroit Lions, 4:25 PM EST
The Lions playoff hopes took a significant hit with their loss to the Rams. But they aren’t dead in the water. I foresee them staying alive for at least two more weeks.
Pick: Lions win 41-31
(Sunday Night Football) New England Patriots @ Baltimore Ravens, 8:20 PM EST
This used to be a common matchup in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Vrabel’s got the better roster and will try to set the run early to ease the pressure on Drake Maye.
Pick: Patriots win 24-20
(Monday Night Football) San Francisco 49ers @ Indianapolis Colts, 8:15 PM EST
Phillip Rivers took the Seahawks to the wire. Now we get Rivers on prime time. The San Francisco defense is not like Seattle’s. I’ll bet on Uncle Phil this time.
Pick: Colts win 29-24
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