DTTWSB Week 16 NFL Picks

Tis the season for NFL football. I'd like to wish all my followers a very Merry Christmas. We have some great match ups on tap this week. I'm thinking we'll know who is in the playoffs by the end of the day Saturday. Last week I went 9-7 with my picks which brought my season record to an egregious 138-86. I have no chance to catch the ESPN experts so I'm just hoping I can ace every single post season pick. I'm feeling good about my picks this week, but we'll see what happens. Happy Holiday everyone! Here are my picks for the week.

Giants at Jets: Jets

The Battle of New York is a huge one this Saturday! Neither team can afford to lose if they want to make the playoffs. There has been some trash talk going back and forth between the two teams which should make for a physical and intense ball game. With all that said, I like the Jets to hold serve at home and win this game. The biggest reason why is because the Jets will be able to run the ball all over the Giants to slow down their pass rushers. That should setup their play action passing game which Mark Sanchez excels in. The Giants are just emotionally worn out by their coach Tom Coughlin. This will be a close game but I'm going with the J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets!

Chargers at Lions: Chargers

In what should be a high scoring affair, I like the Chargers to beat the Lions to try to keep their playoff hopes alive. December has been a kind month to the Chargers and I expect them to keep up their momentum. Last week they destroyed one of the best teams in the league. On the other side, the Lions are coming off a big win as well. They're most likely going to be in the playoffs and from there who knows what's going to happen. One thing that San Diego will be able to do is move the ball all over the field on the Lions defense. Philip Rivers is on fire right now which why he'll lead his Chargers to victory.

49ers at Seahawks: 49ers

Quietly the Seattle Seahawks have strung together some very quality wins. Mathematically they still have a shot at the playoffs but they need a lot of help. Due to the fact that this is a divisional rivalry, I think this is going to be a close game. With that said I like the 49ers to squeak out a tough win. The 49ers like to run the ball and they do it very well, but that actually plays into Seattle's hand because the Seahawks have tremendous run defense. I could see this game being a defensive battle that comes down to a few possesions, so the question we must ask is which quarterback do you trust? I have more faith in Alex Smith than Tarvaris Jackson. That's why I'm going with the Niners.

Falcons at Saints: Saints

For the second straight week, we have a fantastic Monday Night Football game. It's going to be an electric atmosphere in the Superdome the day after Christmas. There's something about the Saints when they play in front of their home fans. I expect them to play with their hair on fire as the rival Falcons come to town. This game will be competitive for the first three quarters and then the Saints will pull away late. I just feel that New Orleans has way too much offense and the Falcons defense isn't really impressive if you ask me. They don't have an elite pass rusher, which you need if you want to beat the Saints. Atlanta is going to end up abandoning the run and getting pass happy and that's not their game. Expect to see the Saints defense to force some turnovers in this one. I like the Saints to take this one and the division.

***Upset Special***
Eagles at Cowboys: Cowboys

What you're seeing is not a typo. For my upset special, I like the Dallas Cowboys to win at home and beat the red hot Philadelphia Eagles. You may think this isn't an upset, but if you see who all the experts are picking you'll understand where I'm coming from. Everyone is expecting to see Tony Romo choke and the Dallas Cowboys to fall flat on their faces. As of late, Tony Romo has been hot and I expect to see that on Saturday. The Cowboys offense will be able to move the ball up and down the field on the Eagles offense if they don't fall behind like they did in Week 8. My concern with this pick is how the Cowboys defense matches up with the Eagles offense. If the Cowboys want to win they have to slow down LeSean McCoy because he's the one that makes the Eagles offense go. In what will be a very close game I like the Cowboys to edge out the Eagles and win the NFC East.

The rest of the week's picks:

Texans at Colts: Texans
Broncos at Bills: Broncos
Cardinals at Bengals: Cardinals
Jaguars at Titans: Titans
Raiders at Chiefs: Chiefs
Dolphins at Patriots: Patriots
Rams at Steelers: Steelers
Vikings at Redskins: Redskins
Buccaneers at Panthers: Panthers
Browns at Ravens: Ravens
Bears at Packers: Packers