Pats Pulpit Week 16 NFL Picks

My picks for week 16 of the 2012 NFL season:

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions: Detroit is better than their record reflects, but Atlanta is still the better overall team. Coming off a blowout win over the Giants, Atlanta wraps up the #1 seed in Detroit on Sunday. The Pick: Falcons 27 Detroit 20

Oakland Raiders at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers played such bad football early on, that people are tending to overlook the fact that they're playing pretty good football lately. Not sure what the Raiders identity is, or what they're trying to do. 14 games into a season, that's not a good thing. The Pick: Panthers 24 Raiders 17

New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have had a shift in their identity, and are suddenly more focused and determined than I've seen them in years. Still, for some reason, I see the Saints being a significant challenge. The Pick: Saints 28 Cowboys 27

Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers: Coming off a nine-win season, it's been a real disappointing year for the Titans hasn't it? The Packers meanwhile, are in the hunt for a first round bye, which is really quite amazing considering their inconsistent start to the season. The Pick: Packers 38 Titans 17

Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans: Minnesota, at 8-6, is a feel good story and I'd love to see them make the playoffs. Unfortunately, with games against the Texans and Packers to close the season, I don't see that happening. The Pick: Texans 30 Vikings 20

New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars: Chad Henne has been a spark for the Jaguars' offense. But considering how bad their offense still is, that's not saying much. The Patriots are going to be angry and hungry coming off the loss to the 49ers, so I really don't see this one being very close. The Pick: Patriots 38 Jaguars 13

Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs: You know me - I'd love to see the Chiefs win so that Romeo Crennel could have a chance to keep his job. But unfortunately, that's just not going to happen. The Pick: Colts 30 Chiefs 10

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins: Believe it or not, the Dolphins are still alive in the playoff hunt. The need a lot of things to happen to make the playoffs, including beating New England in week 17 on the road, but it's really not impossible. Not probable, but not impossible. Any chance they have, however, begins by beating the Bills in week 16. The Pick: Dolphins 24 Bills 20

San Diego Chargers at New York Jets: Ah... the clash of two teams everyone thought could make the playoffs, but thought they would underachieve, and then ended up underachieving. I'll take the Chargers, although it could go either way. The Pick: Chargers 23 Jets 16

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: People thought I was a crazy person when I said the Redskins could give the Giants a run for their money early on in the season. Now, they'll have a chance to move within a game of the playoffs with RGIII returning against the struggling Eagles. The Pick: Redskins 34 Eagles 20

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: Yeah, it's going to be quite the tough test for the Bengals going on the road to take on the Steelers in what can pretty much be seen as a playoff game for both teams. However, they've been playing really excellent football lately, and they can't be taken lightly. In fact, they would scare me as a potential wild card match-up for the Patriots. The Pick: Bengals 24 Steelers 19

St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Rams have surprised many, and still technically remain alive in the playoff hunt. Tampa Bay, after rolling off four straight wins to get to 6-4, have dropped their last four. They're in desperate need of a win, and I think they finally get one here. The Pick: Buccaneers 20 Rams 13

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos: Hey, you never know. But yeah, probably not. The Pick: Broncos 27 Browns 14

Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals: Yeah, Chicago has kind of imploded lately. But with games to go against the Cardinals and Lions, they could conceivably win out. Conceivably. The Pick: Bears 21 Cardinals 10

New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens and Giants are two teams that just a few weeks ago, looked like perennial contenders. The Ravens, unlike the Giants, have already clinched a playoff spot. That means the Giants are going to be hungrier, as a loss and wins by the Cowboys and Redskins would virtually end their season. The Pick: Giants 31 Ravens 24

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks: San Francisco is the better football team, but Seattle is very difficult to beat on the road. This should be a great one, but I see Russell Wilson and the Seahawks squeaking one out to keep themselves alive for the division title. The Pick: Seahawks 26 49ers 23