Pick results for week 16.
Unanimous picks (8-5)
Correctly picked:
Rams @ Cardinals
Lions @ 49ers
Seahawks @ Packers
Cowboys @ Redskins
Chiefs @ Bengals
Jaguars @ Patriots
Broncos @ Eagles
Bills @ Falcons
Not so much:
- Texans @ Dolphins
- In the first half, the Dolphins defense had a major breakdown: the Texans had five drives, and scored on every one of them. The Dolphins were able to shut out the Texans in the second half, but their offense just wasn't able to dig out of the hole the first half had left them in.
- Buccaneers @ Saints
- Something has gone wrong with the Saints offense. They scored at least 30 points in 8 of their first 13 games, and never less than 24. Now, for the second week in a row, they've only made it to 17 points. That's bad news for a team that's only held their opponents under 17 points 3 times.
- Panthers @ Giants
- The Giants just failed on both sides of the ball. The Panthers scored on their first four drives. While the Giants didn't score until late in the third quarter, and by then the Panthers had things well in hand.
- Jets @ Colts
- The Colts started pulling their starters towards the end of the third quarter. Manning's replacement, Curtis Painter, was a one-man disaster: a fumble returned for a TD, an interception, and 4 completions on 11 throws helped give the Jets 19 unanswered points.
- Vikings @ Bears
- The Vikings' offensive funk continued for the first two quarters of this game. The only first-half drive they had that showed any promise ended in a fumble. The Vikings offense finally got going in the second half, but several long kick returns and a career game by receiver Devin Aromashodu kept the Bears in the game until a critical late fumble recovery gave them the chance to win.
Split Picks (APR 1-2, SRS 1-2, Line 2-1)
- Chargers (ARP, SRS) @ Titans (Line)
- One of the by-products of the Colts and Saints long unbeaten streaks is that the Chargers have managed to win 10 games in a row and clinch the AFC's #2 seed more or less under the radar. At this point, they've got to be favorites to advance to the AFC Championship game, and perhaps the Super Bowl as well.
- Raiders (APR, SRS) @ Browns (Line)
- For the second week in a row, Jerome Harrison is a big part of the reason the Browns come up with a win: 148 yards rushing. Throw in three interceptiosn from Charlie Frye, and that's about all it took for the Browns to get their third win in a row.
- Ravens (APR, SRS) @ Steelers (Line)
- The Ravens had 11 penalties for 113 yards. A couple really costly ones was a block in the back on an interception return that nullified a touchdown (the Ravens settled for a field goal), and a holding call that nullified a McGahee touchdown run (the Ravens punted on that drive). Those two alone represent an 11-point swing in favor of the Steelers.
Standings:
This Week Overall % APR 9-7143-8163.8% SRS 9-7143-8163.8% Line 10-6152-7267.9% Unanimous 8-5116-4572.0%
New power rankings, and Week 17 picks to come.
