NFL 2025 Week 16 Prequel
Happy Hanukkah. Put the women in children to bed and go looking for dinner. College football is done. Now it is all NFL. This is when the big dogs come out.
Thursday, December 18, 2025, 8pm
Los Angele Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-1 1/2) — This is why we watch football. Both teams are 11-3. The Rams won in Los Angeles. The winner has the inside track for the Division and the Conference. The Rams have the offense and the Seahawks have the defense. Go with the defense and the home field. Seahawks cover
Saturday, December 20, 5pm
Philadelphia Eagles (-6 1/2) at Washington Commanders — The Eagles snapped a 3 game losing streak to get to 9-5. The Commanders snapped an 8 game losing streak. The eagles have everything to play for. The spread is high for a road offense struggling. Eagles win but fail to cover
8pm
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (-1 1/2) — This is why we watch football. The Bears are 10-4 and the Packers are 9-4-1. The Packers won at home two weeks ago. This is most likely for the division. On paper, the Packers are the better team. Home field does not matter in this series. Jordan Love has more weapons than Caleb Williams. Upset special, Packers win outright
Sunday, December 21, 1pm
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) at Carolina Panthers — Both teams are 7-7 and tied for the division lead. Baker Mayfield has more experience and more weapons than Bryce Young, but the Buccaneers have gone 1-5 since a 6-2 start. Home field should not matter. This is the last time to give the Buccaneers the benefit of the doubt. The Buccaneers barely survived at home in the earlier match. Buccaneers win but fail to cover
Buffalo Bills (-10 1/2) at Cleveland Browns — The 10-4 Bills got a big win at New England last week. The Browns are terrible despite having a decent defense. The Bills are on a mission. The AFC East crown is still within reach. The spread is high for a road team that might have an emotional letdown against a good defense. Bills win but fail to cover
Los Angeles Chargers at Callas Cowboys (-2 1/2) — The 10-4 Cowboys have gotten quality wins the past two weeks against Philadelphia and Kansas City, the last two Super Bowl champions and both 2024 conference champions. Now they take on a beaten down Dallas team with no defense. The Cowboys have the offense. The Chargers have the defense. Jim Harbaugh has the Chargers playing tough playoff football. Upset special, Chargers win outright
New York Jets at New Orleans Saints (-4 1/2) — Both teams are awful but Tyler Shough has given the Saints a spark in recent weeks. The Saints did get a good home win last week against Carolina. The Jets are not competitive. Saints cover
Minnesota Viking (-3) at New York Giants — Both teams are done for the year. The Vikings got a good quality win at Dallas, The Giants are wretched. jj McCarthy and Jaxson Dart have both shown flashes but not enough. Expect the Vikings to have a letdown after last week. Upset special, Giants win outright
Kansas City Chiefs (-3) at Tennessee Titans — For the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Chiefs will not be going to the playoffs. The Titans are among the worst teams in football. The Chiefs were the best, but fell off a cliff this season. Mahomes tore his ACL and has a long offseason rehab to be ready for next season. The Chiefs are psychologically battered, but they should still be able to beat the terrible Titans. Chiefs cover
Cincinnati Bengals (-4 1/2) at Miami Dolphins — Both teams are done for the year. Tua Tagovailoa has been benched. With Joe Burrow back in the saddle, the Bengals are a better team than they were for most of the year. The spread is still too high for a road team that is not very good overall. Bengals win but fail to cover
4pm
Atlanta Falcons (-3) at Arizona Cardinals — Both teams are awful but somehow the 5-9 Falcons have not been eliminated from winning their pathetic division. They have something ti play for, and Kirk Cousins and Bijan Robinson will rise to the occasion. Falcons cover
Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos (-3) — The 10-4 Jaguars take on the 12-2 Broncos. Both teams can move one step closer to clinching their respective divisions while the Broncos can get very close to clinching the conference. Trevor Lawrence and Bo Nix can both sling it, but the Broncos have the home field and the better defense. Broncos cover
Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions (-7) — Both teams are 8-6 and desperate, although the Steelers have a one game lead in their division while the Lions are two games back in theirs. The Lions are home and indoors. The Steelers like to run the ball, but if the Lions grab an early lead it could force the Steelers to abandon the run. The Lions at their best can score at will. Lions cover
Las Vegas Raiders at Houston Texans (-14 1/2) — The Raiders are awful, having lost 8 straight including a 31 point shutout drubbing last week at Philadelphia. Even without Geno Smith, the Raiders were bad. The Texans have the league’s top defense. The spread is high but the Raiders are lifeless. Texans cover
8pm
New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens (-3) — The 11-3 Patriots missed a golden chance at home to deliver the knockout blown in a loss to Buffalo. The Ravens are 7-7 and desperate, one game out of the division lead. Drake Maye is playing well. Lamar Jackson is still all world and Derrick Henry is still great. John Harbaugh and Mike Vrabel have physical teams. As great as the Patriots are, go with the desperate team looking to make the playoffs. The Ravens are 6-2 since a 1-5 start. Ravens cover
Monday, December 22, 8pm
San Francisco 49ers (-6 1/2) at Indianapolis Colts — The 10-4 49ers are looking to keep pace in their division. They are healthy. The Colts are an injured mess. 44 year old Philip Rivers came out of retirement after 5 years away. The Colts lsat a heartbreaker last week at Seattle to fall to 8-6. Their division may be out of reach but the playoffs are not. Yet the 49ers have the better defense. 49ers win but fail to cover