Mattie T’s Week 16 NFL Predictions

Merry Christmas to all! Since the Saints are no longer perfect, it’s up to Jim Caldwell to determine whether Indianapolis wants to chase NFL History…

Week 15: 7-9

Overall: 139-85 (.620)

San Diego at Tennessee.

Should be a great Christmas Day matchup, with a red hot Charger team going up against the Titans, who desperately need a win to stay alive in the AFC playoff hunt.

With the #2 seed totally wrapped up, it is unsure on how long Norv Turner will play his starters for.

Jeff Fisher’s team should keep it close, but i think the losses of Keith Bulluck & David Thornton at linebacker will be too much to overcome.

San Diego in a nailbiter, as they will almost eliminate Tennessee from playoff contention.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans.

Saints have got to be steaming mad after a mistake-filled performance during their Week 15 loss to Dallas.

Tampa Bay on the other hand will try to win back-to-back games for the first time in over a year.

Drew Brees did something rare during New Orleans’ 38-7 win in Week 11, as he had a rating of 100 or higher despite throwing for under 200 yards since December 2nd, 2007 which was also against the Buccaneers.

Saints win here to lock up homefield advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs.

Buffalo at Atlanta.

Falcons won’t be making the playoffs even after their last-minute win over the Jets, but they’ll still have a chance to finish over .500 back-to-back for the first time ever in franchise history.

Buffalo’s the perfect opponent to do it against, as they haven’t won consecutive games on the road in just about two months.

Matt Ryan’s still banged up, but Jason Snelling & Jerious Norwood should find plenty of running room against a poor Bills run defense.

Atlanta in a blowout at the Georgia Dome.

Houston at Miami.

Such a tough game to pick with both teams fighting for their playoff lives, but Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson should put on a show on his homecoming to Miami after catching a season-high 11 receptions for 193 yards during the team’s 16-13 win over St. Louis in Week 15.

The Dolphins’ valiant comeback effort was wasted against Tennessee, as Chad Henne threw a key interception which set up Rob Bironas’ game-winning field goal.

On experience alone, i’d have to go with Matt Schaub here as Houston wins to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Seattle at Green Bay.

Packers came oh-so-close to winning their 6th straight, but Mike Wallace caught a tiptope pass as time expired to give Pittsburgh a huge win.

Green Bay should bounce back nicely against a Seattle team that’s struggled on the road all season, which means another big game for Aaron Rodgers.

Despite taking a league-high 49 sacks, Rodgers also ranks 4th in the NFL in passing yards (3,962), 3rd in touchdown passes (28), 5th in yards per game (283) & 4th in quarterback rating (102.4).

Packers in a Lambeau laugher.

Carolina at N.Y. Giants.

Absolutely must-win for Carolina, but they might have to do it without DeAngelo Williams (ankle), who’s 8th in the NFL in rushing with 1,117 & one of only four NFC running backs who’s averaging 5 yards or more per carry.

The Giants might’ve really built themselves some major confidence following their 45-12 thrashing over the Redskins, which is their first blowout win since Win 5 against Oakland.

Picking New York to win here.

Oakland at Cleveland.

What can Jerome Harrison do for an encore after his franchise-record setting game?

Going up against the Raiders’ 28th ranked run defense, Harrison could have a chance to earn his way into the starting lineup for 2010 & impress new president Mike Holmgren.

Derek Anderson will also get a chance to play after Brady Quinn was knocked out of their Week 15 win over Kansas City with a foot injury, which will end his season.

Cleveland in a close one here.

Jacksonville at New England.

Fred Taylor’s back after a 10-game absence & will have a chance to knock his former team out of the playoffs.

Patriots can simply clinch with a win on Sunday, while the Jaguars need a win to stay alive.

Tom Brady will be up for the challenge, as he’s averaging 303.9 yards per game at home season with 13 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions for a 103.4 rating.

Jacksonville has yet to beat a winning team on the road this season, which won’t happen here. New England wins to clinch the AFC East.

Kansas City at Cincinnati.

It will surely be an emotional scene at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, as the Bengals will play their first home game since the death of Chris Henry.

Larry Johnson gets to face his former team for the 1st time & showed some life last week despite getting just 4 carries, as he ripped off 8.8 yards per run during Cincinnati’s 27-24 loss to San Diego.

Johnson & Cedric Benson should have plenty of room to run wild against a defense that just got ripped by unknown Jerome Harrison.

Bengals win here to get themselves re-focused for their playoff run.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh.

Absolutely huge game for Pittsburgh, as Mike Wallace’s game-winning touchdown against Green Bay keeps the Steelers alive for the playoffs.

Ray Rice has had a huge breakout season for Baltimore, but the 2nd year man from Rutgers is averaging just 67.8 yards per game on the road.

Joe Flacco has also been erractic on the road this season, as he’s completed just 58.4% of his passes for 221 yards per game with 7 touchdowns & 7 interceptions for a 75.2 rating.

Look for Pittsburgh to play with more urgency, which will squeak them past Baltimore in a close & physical game.

St. Louis at Arizona.

Despite the Cardinals clinching their 2nd straight NFC West title, Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t plan on resting his starters on Sunday even against a woeful Rams team.

Kurt Warner will shoot for his 5th straight win against his former St. Louis club, as he had to leave their Week 11 win with a concussion.

A loss by the Rams would assure them a better chance of getting the #1 overall pick for 2010, so i look for Arizona to rest their starters after halftime during a blowout win.

Detroit at San Francisco.

San Francisco might not be playoff bound, but they can still finish strong as they face a hapless Detroit team at home on Sunday.

Frank Gore could run wild against the Lions’ 24th ranked run defense, which could take pressure off Alex Smith, who’s been ineffective in his past 2 games.

Drew Stanton is prepared to make his first NFL start for Detroit, as Matthew Stafford was placed on IR with a right knee injury.

49ers in a big win at home here.

Denver at Philadelphia.

Denver’s in a bit of trouble after being upset by Oakland in Week 15, as they’ll have to face Philadelphia plus Brian Westbrook, who will return on Sunday after missing the past 5 games (all wins) with a concussion.

More importantly, the Eagles have a chance to break the 2004 team’s record for most points in a season, which is very impressive considering they did it with an All-Pro receiver by the name of Terrell Owens.

DeSean Jackson might be the most explosive player in the league not named Chris Johnson, as he’s had SEVEN different games this season with receptions of 50 yards or more.

That’s a huge problem that Josh McDaniels’ team will try to solve all afternoon to figure out. By the time it’s all said & done though, Philadelphia prevails for another big win.

N.Y. Jets at Indianapolis.

All indications appear as if the Colts’ healthy starters will play, as the Colts stand as the NFL’s only unbeaten team following New Orleans’ Week 15 loss to Dallas.

A great matchup to watch will be Darrelle Revis on Reggie Wayne, as Revis has blanketed top-notch wideouts such as Andre Johnsonolt , Randy Moss, Marques Colston & Steve Smith among others.

With Pierre Garcon banged up, i think this is a game Austin Collie could really explode in a game which New York will focus on slowing down both Wayne & Dallas Clark, who are Peyton Manning’s favorite two targets.

Colts in a squeaker here, which sets up a big regular-season finale next Sunday in Buffalo.

Dallas at Washington.

Cowboys have to be ridin’ high after their huge Week 15 upset win over New Orleans & now gets to face a Washington team that absolutely got dismantled on Monday night.

Tony Romo hasn’t thrown an interception in 4 weeks, while he’s posted four-straight games with a rating of 100 or higher for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

Washington’s been eerily bad against their fellow NFC East counterparts this season (0-5), so look for Dallas to add to their misery with a blowout win in prime-time.

Minnesota at Chicago.

The Vikings’ recent slip on defense looks to change on Monday night, as they’ll face Jay Cutler & his league-leading 25 interceptions.

Cutler’s had to do most of the work by himself this season considering that Matt Forte’s only rushed for 100 yards or more just once (Week 4 at Detroit).

Favre’s last game with an rating of 100 or more came in Week 12 against Chicago, as he’ll look to shake off three straight subpar performances in a tune-up for the playoffs.

The Bears will keep it close, but sackmaster Jared Allen will find a way to force a key fumble from Cutler as the Vikings notch out a close win.