Excited for the holidays? Got the winter blues? Panicked about shopping?
Whatever the case, the NFL is trying to do its part to augment, distract or supplement ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’ And that means a Thursday matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams with massive ramifications for the wild-card portion of the NFC playoff field … and possibly the NFC South. Saturday serves up two more games (Cincinnati Bengals-Pittsburgh Steelers, and Buffalo Bills-Los Angeles Chargers), the former another affair sure to impact postseason seeding and the latter featuring the Bills – arguably the AFC’s hottest team despite technically residing in ninth place overall in the conference.
A Christmas Eve Sunday is loaded with stocking stuffers, most notably the Dallas Cowboys’ visit to the Miami Dolphins, each club trying to lock down its division and possibly home-field advantage … amid whispers they’re paper reindeer. Christmas Day itself will arrive with three sizable presents under the tree – Las Vegas Raiders-Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants-Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens-San Francisco 49ers in prime time in what legitimately could be a Super Bowl 58 preview.
So see the fam, finish up that wrapping, then grab some eggnog and settle in for kickoff. Happy holidays. (And this is how our experts see the weekend unfolding …)
NFL Week 16 game picks
(Odds provided by BetMGM. Access more BetMGM odds here.)
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
Week 16 NFL game-by-game predictions, picks, odds
New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles RamsCincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh SteelersBuffalo Bills at Los Angeles ChargersIndianapolis Colts at Atlanta FalconsGreen Bay Packers at Carolina PanthersCleveland Browns at Houston TexansDetroit Lions at Minnesota VikingsWashington Commanders at New York JetsSeattle Seahawks at Tennessee TitansJacksonville Jaguars at Tampa Bay BuccaneersArizona Cardinals at Chicago BearsDallas Cowboys at Miami DolphinsNew England Patriots at Denver BroncosLas Vegas Raiders at Kansas City ChiefsNew York Giants at Philadelphia EaglesBaltimore Ravens at San Francisco 49ers
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.