First off, Merry Christmas everyone!
Due to Christmas falling on Sunday this year, the NFL decided to have the majority of the games take place on Saturday, Christmas Eve. That said, it’s still football season, so the league couldn’t leave fans hanging on the final Sunday of the year!
As a result, fans will be treated to a pair of major rivalry games today, both of which will consist of major AFC playoff implications. That will be followed up with the Finale of 2016’s Monday Night Football season, in a game between the NFC’s top seeded Dallas Cowboys, and the NFC North leading Detroit Lions. All three games hold a bevy of intrigue, so here are my predictions for the three Week 16 games left to play.
Baltimore Ravens (8-6) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5) (4:20/3:20c, NFL Network)
The first game of Christmas will pit a game between two teams that, for the better part of two decades, has been a truly epic and must-watch rivalry. What’s better than having these two teams playing on Christmas Day, in a game that means the world to both teams?
The Ravens need a win today in enemy territory in order to maintain any playoff hopes. The Dolphins win over the Bills yesterday eliminated the Ravens from playoff contention and now, they need to win today to keep their playoff hopes alive.
While the offense has been sporadic this season, due to up-and-down play from quarterack Joe Flacco, a receiving core of Steve Smith, Mike Wallace and others that has been hit or miss, and a running game led by Terrance West and Kenneth Dixon that has also been inconsistent, the defense has been good to great all season. The unit is amongst the best in the league, and will really need to flex it’s muscles if it hopes to be on the winning side today.
As for the Steelers, it’s really simple: win, and you clinch the division. Lose, and your playoff hopes are still alive, but it gets much more chaotic. The defense for the team has been pretty solid of late, but the offense is really explosive if/when it lives up to expectations. Ben Roethlisberger can still go at a high level, Antonio Brown is still amongst the best receivers in the league, and running back Le’Veon Bell is, alongside David Johnson, the best dual threat running back in the league. While the team’s other weapons are either hurt or suspended for the most part, when the three B’s of the team are playing their A-game, they’re virtually unstoppable.
The game itself will be an interesting chess match. It should be vastly different from the first meeting of the season, in which an injured Ben Roethlisberger led a whimsical offensive squad to a near last-minute comeback, in what wound up being a 21-14 loss in Baltimore. Most of the game was hard to watch, and the Ravens were up 21-0 late, before the Steelers made it close. This time, Ben is healthy, and the game is in Pittsburgh. Both defenses will have their moments, and while the Steelers won’t necessarily look great, I see them prevailing in what should be a tough, gritty, throwback game that’s fitting of this epic rivalry.
Prediction: Ravens 20, Steelers 24
Denver Broncos (8-6) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) (8:20/7:20c, NBC)
In the nightcap, a pair of AFC West rivals will go head to head in a rematch of a classic game from a month ago, when the Chiefs battle the defending Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos in Arrowhead tonight. The Chiefs will clinch a playoff berth with a win, while the Broncos need a win to keep any playoff hopes alive. If the Broncos lose, they’re done.
The Chiefs lost a tough game against a gritty Tennessee Titans squad in the final second last week, but made a lot of mistakes in that game. That’s the kind of game the Broncos will try to play, and the chiefs, who tend to be in a lot of close games, will likely comply. The running game for the Chiefs, sans Jamaal Charles, has been far from great. The passing game, however, with the emergence of Tyreek Hill and the return of Jeremy Maclin, alongside stud tight end Travis Kelce, has the potential to be explosive. The defense is still great, although the absence of all pro linebacker Justin Houston is tough.
For the Broncos, the defense is still great, and the offense is still loaded with a few weapons like receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. However, quarterback Trevor Seimian is far from great, and the o-line still leaves a lot to be desired. All that was incredibly apparent in the team’s 16-3 loss against the New England Patriots last week, and if the offense plays that way today, their chances of victory aren’t very bright.
I see the game bwing one that’s the Chiefs to lose. Their offensive line is better, the offense is playing better, and despite injuries, the defense is still terrific. The Broncos will need to rely on their defense to carry them, and while the unit can do that, I see the Chiefs pulling away for a W tonight, thereby eliminating the champs from playoff contention.
Prediction: Broncos 17, Chiefs 27
Monday Night Football (8:30/7:30c, ESPN)
Detroit Lions (9-5) vs. Dallas Cowboys (12-2)
The final Monday night game of the year looked to be a dandy just a week ago. Now, there’s questions as to what exactly it means.
For the Cowboys, it means nothing from a playoff perspective. On one had, they’ve clinched everything, including the NFC’s top seed, their division, first round bye, etc. Still, they can’t give all their players three weeks off, so while the starters will play, there are questions as to how much, how long, and as to if the game plan will be vanilla or stacked.
How much will rookie quarterback Dak Prescott be asked to do. How big a load will superstar rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, who’s just 98 yards away from 2000 yards of total offense, have to deal with. Will longtime qb Tony Romo play at all? How many reps will the defensive starters and star-studded o-line get? What about Dez Bryant? So many questions, all that will be answered during the game.
For the Lions, win or lose, it all comes down to next week’s showdown in Detroit, against the longtime rival Green Bay Packers. Sure if they win both tomorrow and next week, the Lions could clinch a bye. But, if they lose next week, then regardless of what happens tomorrow, there’s still a chance they’ll miss the playoffs. So how much should the Lions care about this game? A win keeps Wild Card playoff hopes alive in case they lose next week, but not much more. And with quarterback Matthew Stafford partially hurt, a running game that’s up and down and a defense that could use some rest prior to playing the red-hot Cowboys next week, it’s fair to ask what should be expected of the Lions tomorrow night.
In the end, I’ll just have to assume that the game plan for both teams will be relatively vanilla, and the main players will play most of, if not the entire game. That favors the Cowboys, and I say they’ll win what could be a really fun way to cap off the the Monday Night Football season.
Prediction: Detroit Lions 23, Dallas Cowboys 30.
Shan Panjwani's No Holds Barred Sports Blog 