Our NFL picks against the spread are back for Week 16 as the league prepares for the continuation of the late-season slate.
Week 15 saw the Jacksonville Jaguars pull off a season-defining home win against the Dallas Cowboys after falling down 27-10 in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings came away with the largest comeback in NFL history in a win over the Indianapolis Colts.
In this latest edition, we will focus on four games (listed below) that offer up NFL picks against the spread for Week 16 that are worth your while.
Also Read: Everything you need to know about the NFL Sunday Ticket
| Game | Time (ET) | TV |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (+1.5) @ New York Jets | 8:15 PM (Thursday) | Amazon Prime |
| Buffalo Bills @ Chicago Bears (+8.5) | 1:00 PM (Saturday) | CBS |
| Philadelphia Eagles (+4.5) @ Dallas Cowboys | 4:25 PM (Saturday) | FOX |
| Las Vegas Raiders (+2.5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers | 8:15 PM (Saturday) | NFL Network |
Jacksonville Jaguars stay hot with win over the Jets in Jersey
Fresh off coming back from a 27-10 deficit to defeat the Dallas Cowboys, these Jaguars control their own destiny in the AFC South race. With news that Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill is out for the season, there’s added incentive to keep thing going.
The backdrop here is Trevor Lawrence’s performances over the past several weeks. The sophomore quarterback has thrown 14 touchdowns against one interception in Jacksonville’s past six games. It’s not a coincidence that they are 4-2 during that span.
Despite being in playoff contention, there’s certainly a different aura around the Jets heading into Thursday night’s game on Amazon Prime.
They have lost three consecutive games and four of six. Zach Wilson is being forced to start with Mike White injured. We all know the backstory there. On a short week, we don’t expect New York to be prepared for what the the Jags will offer Thursday evening. Take the road team to win outright.
Related: Sportsnaut’s Week 16 NFL power rankings
Chicago Bears hang with Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field
On the surface, this would seem to be a blowout waiting to happen. Buffalo has won five consecutive games and looks to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Chicago finds itself at 3-11 and pretty much fighting for a higher pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
This is just on the surface. That’s also why they play the games. Heading into this Christmas Eve matchup, seven of the Bears’ 11 losses on the season have come by one score. That includes narrow recent defeats at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles (five points), Detroit Lions (one point) and Miami Dolphins (three points). The common denominator here has been the utterly ridiculous performances of Justin Fields.
Despite winning five consecutive games, Buffalo has been involved in close matchups during that span. In fact, four of its five wins during that span have come by one score. On the road this season, Josh Allen and Co. are outscoring their opponents by an average of less than six points per game. You can do the math from there.
NFL picks lock: Philadelphia Eagles cover against the Dallas Cowboys
Whether Jalen Hurts is able to go in this one for Philadelphia remains to be seen. It’s looking more and more like the NFL MVP candidate will have to sit this one out with a shoulder injury he suffered last week.
In no way does this mean that the 13-1 Eagles are dead in the water as they look to clinch the NFC East against their division rivals. Gardner Minshew (41 career TD’s, 12 INT) might be the best backup in the NFL. It’s also not like Philadelphia lacks the skill talent to help him with the likes of running back Miles Sanders as well as wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
As for Dallas, it is coming off a ho-hum two-game stretch in which the team barely defeated the one-win Houston Texans in Week 14 before losing to the aforementioned Jaguars last Sunday. We fully expect an Eagles defense that has four players with at least 8.5 sacks to put pressure on Dak Prescott. If so, the mistake-prone quarterback (seven interceptions past four games) will struggle. At the very least, this should enable the Eagles to cover.
Related: Sportsnaut’s NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Las Vegas Raiders stay alive with win over the Pittsburgh Steelers
Things will be lively in the Steel City Christmas Eve as Pittsburgh pays homage to late-great franchise legend Franco Harris. From a football perspective, it’s going to add another layer to this long-time rivalry.
On the field, Pittsburgh is slated to start a quarterback in Kenny Pickett who has thrown four touchdowns against eight interceptions on the season. We fully expect Vegas’ pass-rush combo of Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones to do damage against him.
Both the Raiders and Steelers find themselves at 6-8 on the season. Each team is battling for its playoff lives here. With the Raiders mere days from pulling off one of the craziest wins in modern NFL history, we expect that momentum to continue.
For the purpose of full disclosure, here’s how we’ve done with our NFL picks against the spread over the past five weeks.
- NFL picks against the spread Week 15 (3-1)
- NFL picks against the spread Week 14 (3-1)
- NFL picks against the spread Week 13 (3-1)
- NFL picks against the spread Week 12 (3-1)
- NFL picks against the spread Week 11 (3-1)