{"id":361440,"date":"2025-12-21T00:19:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-21T00:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/361440\/"},"modified":"2025-12-21T00:19:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T00:19:09","slug":"nfl-week-16-predictions-expert-picks-for-steelers-vs-lions-and-more-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/361440\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Week 16 predictions: Expert picks for Steelers vs. Lions and more games"},"content":{"rendered":"

Week 15 in the NFL<\/a> was a rough week for many. Not only did we see several stars go down with injuries, such as Patrick Mahomes<\/a>, Micah Parsons<\/a> and Davante Adams<\/a>, but we also witnessed a couple of notable teams be eliminated from playoff contention, such as the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> and\u00a0Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Week 16 features some incredible matchups. The fate of the NFC South is on the line with the\u00a0Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> vs. Carolina Panthers<\/a>, the New England Patriots<\/a> look to rebound from their loss to the Buffalo Bills<\/a> against Lamar Jackson<\/a> and the Baltimore Ravens<\/a>, and the Denver Broncos<\/a>\u00a0aim to maintain the No. 1 seed in the AFC versus the Jaguars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Which teams should you pick this weekend, and which should you fade? CBS Sports writers Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin are here to break down the biggest games of the weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For clarity, lines for these matchups are as of Thursday morning at DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) at Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n

Dajani (Buccaneers -3):\u00a0You never know what you’re going to get with the Panthers. Bryce Young<\/a> could throw for 400 yards in an upset victory or look completely helpless. The Buccaneers are on a horrific skid, having lost five out of their past six games.<\/p>\n

However, I’m going to take Tampa Bay here for two reasons: One, I think the Bucs are simply the better team. Carolina has a -3.8 points per game differential this season, which ranks worst in the NFL among teams .500 or better. Plus, this Carolina defense just allowed the New Orleans Saints<\/a> to rack up 337 yards and struggled to get Tyler Shough<\/a> and Co. off the field. Two, Baker Mayfield<\/a> has his full cast of playmakers back with\u00a0Bucky Irving<\/a>, Mike Evans<\/a>, Chris Godwin<\/a> and Jalen McMillan<\/a>.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Buccaneers 26, Panthers 20<\/p>\n

Dubin (Buccaneers -3):\u00a0I’m riding with the Bucs for mostly the same reasons as Dajani. I trust Tampa’s offense more with the reintroduction of Baker Mayfield’s playmakers. The Panthers can run the ball decently, but nobody really runs it on the Bucs. You have to beat them through the air. And I just don’t think Bryce Young is consistent enough for me to bet on that happening.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Buccaneers 24, Panthers 17<\/p>\n

Dajani (Chargers +1.5):\u00a0The Cowboys printed money for several weeks, including when they upset the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> and Chiefs in the span of five days. Then, they were blown out by the Detroit Lions<\/a> and upset by J.J. McCarthy<\/a> and the Vikings<\/a>. It’s tough to gauge where this team is with their backs up against the wall, especially with them facing a stout Chargers team. L.A. is actually allowing just 242.3 total yards per game and 17.3 points per game during this 6-1 stretch. Give me the underdog.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Chargers 30, Cowboys 24<\/p>\n

Dubin (Chargers +1.5):\u00a0Why exactly is Dallas favored here? The defense has taken a significant step backward since that first game post-trade deadline against the Raiders<\/a>. It’s basically the same unit it was before the deadline. The offense can obviously move the ball against pretty much anyone, but the Chargers aren’t just anyone. As Dajani mentioned, they’re shutting down just about everybody in recent weeks.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Chargers 27, Cowboys 23<\/p>\n

Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos (-3.5)<\/p>\n

Dajani (Jaguars +3.5):\u00a0The most underrated storyline in the NFL over the past couple weeks has been the reemergence of Trevor Lawrence<\/a>. He accounted for 381 total yards and six touchdowns against the New York Jets<\/a> last week, and before you say, “So? It was the Jets,” I thought Lawrence played one of his best games of the season the week prior against the Indianapolis Colts<\/a> in a rainstorm. He’s playing with confidence and has found a rhythm when it comes to throwing the ball down the field.<\/p>\n

Jakobi Meyers<\/a> has been a big part of this turnaround, as Lawrence actually leads the NFL in yards per attempt since Jacksonville made that trade. I mean, the Jaguars are averaging 33.3 points per contest in the six games since the trade deadline. That ranks second in the NFL behind the mighty Rams<\/a>. The elite Broncos defense hasn’t allowed many quarterbacks to look good this season, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say the Broncos’ 11-game win streak ends this week.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Jaguars 27, Broncos 23<\/p>\n

Dubin (Broncos -3.5):\u00a0I’m very excited to see whether Trevor Lawrence can keep up his recent run of production, against a quality defense. I’ve been reluctant to buy into the Broncos all year and they just keep proving me wrong by winning games in spots I expect them to lose. Now that I’m finally in, they’ll probably prove me wrong again and lose here. Especially because I’ve also been reluctant to buy in on the Jaguars and am remaining so here because of concerns that this run they’ve been on has mostly come against some poor opponents.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Broncos 20, Jaguars 16<\/p>\n

Dajani (Lions -6.5):\u00a0The Steelers are feeling good following their blowout victory over the Miami Dolphins<\/a>, but good luck outscoring the Lions. This unit leads the NFL with 30.6 points per game and averages 91.8 more yards per game than Pittsburgh.\u00a0Aaron Rodgers<\/a>‘ offense ranks last in the NFL in time of possession (27:26) and offensive plays run per game (55.7).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, this Steelers pass defense ranks bottom six in the NFL, so Jared Goff<\/a> could have a field day. The Lions are desperate for a win, as they would be eliminated from playoff contention with a loss.\u00a0Prediction: Lions 30, Steelers 20<\/p>\n

Dubin (Lions -6.5):\u00a0I feel the same way about this game as Dajani does. I just don’t think the Steelers can score enough to keep up with the Lions — even against an injury-ravaged Detroit defense. You can run on the Steelers, as we have seen in recent weeks, and this feels like a game where Jahmyr Gibbs<\/a> gets back on track in a big way after he struggled to run the ball against the Rams last week. Unless an offensive explosion comes out of nowhere for Pittsburgh, I like the Lions to win big.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Lions 31, Steelers 17<\/p>\n

New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens (-3) (SNF)<\/p>\n

Dajani (Patriots +3):\u00a0I wasn’t incredibly impressed by the Ravens’ win over the hapless Bengals. Sad boy Joe Burrow<\/a> played the second-worst game of his NFL career in front of his home fans as he potentially mulls either retirement or a trade request<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the Patriots blew a 21-0 lead to Buffalo, it was about time they found the loss column. It had been almost three months since their last loss, and now they have the opportunity to reset, refocus and rebound. The Patriots are 6-1 SU and ATS in their last seven road games, while Drake Maye<\/a> is 3-0 SU and ATS in prime-time games. On the flip side, the Ravens are 5-9 ATS on the year, which is tied for the worst mark in the NFL.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Patriots 28, Ravens 21<\/p>\n

Dubin (Ravens -3):\u00a0I’m sort of wondering why the Ravens are even favored in this game considering the context of these two teams’ seasons, and that has me thinking Vegas knows something about the matchup that we don’t. Baltimore’s defense has played better since recovering from the early-season injuries, and it may be tough for Drake Maye and Co. to have a huge game here. Couple that with New England’s own backslide against the run defensively, and I’m going with what I think is maybe an upset but the fine folks at DraftKings apparently do not.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Ravens 24, Patriots 20<\/p>\n

Dajani (49ers -5.5):\u00a0Grandpa Rivers did a pretty solid job in his return to the field last week against Seattle. It’s almost embarrassing that the Seahawks<\/a> needed a game-winning field goal to win. I imagine Lucas Oil Stadium is going to be rocking for this prime-time matchup, but the difference in this game is going to be the 49ers offense vs. the Colts defense.<\/p>\n

The versatile Christian McCaffrey<\/a> has been one of the best players in the entire NFL this season, George Kittle<\/a> has crossed 65 yards receiving in five straight games, Jauan Jennings<\/a> caught two touchdowns last week and Brock Purdy<\/a> has found a rhythm. With the number under a touchdown, I have to roll with the 49ers.\u00a0Prediction:\u00a049ers 24, Colts 16<\/p>\n

Dubin (49ers -5.5):\u00a0Count me among those that did not actually think that Philip Rivers<\/a>‘ return to the field was at all impressive. He looked like a 44-year-old grandfather who can’t really throw the ball. Seemingly everyone can throw on the 49ers, so maybe he gets going here, but I doubt it. On the other side of the ball, I think San Francisco can get something going against the Indianapolis defense. Even potentially without Ricky Pearsall<\/a>, there are just too many weapons for them to get shut down, especially if Sauce Gardner<\/a> is not going to be out there.\u00a0Prediction: 49ers 27, Colts 16<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Week 15 in the NFL was a rough week for many. Not only did we see several stars…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[626,1276,64,63,6576,631,6583,5351,39607,1261,1268,1257,1248,20789,20797,9841,1252,1238,1234,20793,1256,3055,5374,19977,1243,1246,1282,1237,28657,23912,62468,6585,17597,629,1240,628,1250,3052,1263,1233,1245,21176,1239,1231,1249,1235,593,196954,196953,196951,196956,196950,196952,196955,6584,1260,188077,1241,9029,1269,1262,35197,1254,85,1247,6578,1271],"class_list":["post-361440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-brock-purdy","tag-bryce-young","tag-bucky-irving","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-caleb-williams","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-chicago-bears","tag-chris-godwin","tag-christian-mccaffrey","tag-christian-watson","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-davante-adams","tag-denver-broncos","tag-detroit-lions","tag-drake-maye","tag-george-kittle","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-j-j-mccarthy","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-jahmyr-gibbs","tag-jakobi-meyers","tag-jalen-mcmillan","tag-jared-goff","tag-jauan-jennings","tag-joe-burrow","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-lamar-jackson","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-micah-parsons","tag-mike-evans","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-best-bets-week-16","tag-nfl-betting-odds-week-16","tag-nfl-expert-picks-week-16","tag-nfl-upset-picks-week-16","tag-nfl-week-16-picks","tag-nfl-week-16-predictions","tag-nfl-week-16-spreads","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-philadelphia-eagles","tag-philip-rivers","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-ricky-pearsall","tag-sam-darnold","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-sauce-gardner","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-sports","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-trevor-lawrence","tag-tyler-shough"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}