Trav’s 2023 Week 16 NFL Predictions

Week 15 is in the books and we are now down to three weeks remaining in the regular season. My record was 6-4 last week and my overall mark is now 88-51. My winning percentage dipped from 63.6 to 63.3%. With the three weeks remaining, the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys have clinched a playoff berth. In the AFC, there are 6 more spots up for grabs and we have a lot of critical games ahead. There are only 4 spots remaining in the NFC with a lot of football to be played. The Indianapolis Colts defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers was my first loss. The Colts offense put up 30 points on a great Steelers defense and the running game was amazing for the Colts. Cleveland came back to defeat the Bears after being down for most of the game.

The Bears were my pick to upset the Browns on the road and it was my second defeat. My third defeat came when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went to Lambeau Field and beat the Packers. Baker Mayfield became the first opposing quarterback to go to Lambeau and put up a perfect passer rating. My fourth and final defeat came when the Baltimore Ravens beat down the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens manhandled the Jaguars, and my thinking was that Jacksonville would put up a better showing. The Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night. This was one that was correctly picked, and it was the third consecutive loss by the Eagles. This week I’ll be predicting another 12 games with the hopes of getting more wins. Let’s get this thang started then!

We kick the week off as usual with the Thursday night game and this has major playoff implications. The 7-7 New Orleans Saints will travel west to Los Angeles to face the 7-7 Rams. The Saints have won a couple in a row, and they’re tied with the Bucs atop the NFC South. After playing three consecutive home games, the Saints hit the road for their next two. They finish the season at home against the Falcons and that could be a huge game. The Rams are one of the hottest teams in the league after winning four of their last five games. The passing and running game have been complimenting each other. The defense has made clutch plays in key situations. I’m all aboard the Rams bandwagon and see them winning this one at home. Los Angeles Win 27-20

We have a critical AFC North matchup as the Saturday evening game on NBC. We have the red-hot Cincinnati Bengals traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. The Bengals have won three games in a row. Jake Browning has looked amazing since taking over for the injured Joe Burrow. Cincinnati is one of four teams with 8-6 records fighting for two Wild Card spots. Can the Bengals make it four in a row and inch closer to a playoff berth? Pittsburgh continues to sputter out of control and their season continues to get worse. They have dropped four of five and that includes three in a row. They will turn to Mason Rudolph to start at the quarterback position. This is the final game at home this season and I’m picking them to find a way to leave with the win. Pittsburgh Win 20-19

We stay in the AFC for the Saturday night game as Buffalo travels to Los Angeles to battle the Chargers. Buffalo has been playing every game like it’s a playoff game for the last month. The Bills have won three of four and are coming off an impressive and dominating win over Dallas. Buffalo used their stout defense and great running by James Cook to turn things around. Will they make it 4 wins in 5 games? When the schedule came out, this had the potential to be a huge game. The Chargers lost Justin Herbert for the season and have dropped five of six games. Brandon Staley has also been relieved of his duties as head coach. The Chargers are just playing for pride and the Bills are looking to make the playoffs. Buffalo Win 31-17

The Indianapolis Colts will head down south to Atlanta to face the Falcons. The Colts are coming off an impressive win over Pittsburgh to keep their playoff hopes alive. Indianapolis could get some good news in the form of Jonathan Taylor. Taylor could return to the lineup after missing games with a thumb injury. Gardner Minshew has looked great, and the Colts are one of four teams with an 8-6 record. Indy is also tied with Jacksonville and Houston atop the AFC North. The Falcons have dropped two in a row and now sit a game behind Tampa and New Orleans atop the NFC South. After throwing a critical INT in their 9-7 loss, the Falcons have replaced Desmond Ridder with Taylor Heinicke again. I’m riding the Colts wave and think they will win. Indianapolis Win 24-23

We have an NFC North matchup that will determine who wins the division. The Detroit Lions will head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. The Lions hold a 3-game lead over the Vikings with only three games remaining in the season. If the Lions win, they are division champions and have their eyes set on a higher seed. If Minnesota wins, they still have a shot to win the division. Detroit travels to Dallas next week and finishes the season at home against this Vikings team. Minnesota would need to win their final three games and have the Lions lose theirs. The Lions are coming off a 42-17 blowout of the red-hot Broncos. The Vikings fell to the Bengals in a close game on the road. I’m still on the Lions bandwagon and picking them to win. Detroit Win 24-20

We head to the AFC for a matchup between a pair of playoff hopefuls. The Cleveland Browns will head to Houston to face the Texans. Joe Flacco continues to work his magic leading the Browns to consecutive victories. Cleveland sits atop of the Wild Card with a one game lead over four other teams. They control their own playoff destiny by winning and then they’re in. The defense is still one of the better ones in the league with Myles Garrett leading the charge. Houston finds themselves in a 3-way tie atop of the AFC South with Jacksonville and Indianapolis. It looks like they will be without C.J. Stroud again because he’s still in concussion protocol. Case Keenum is a viable backup, but the Texans are dealing with a lot of injuries. The Browns should walk away with their third consecutive win. Cleveland Win 20-13

We go to the state of Florida for a battle between teams that are tied atop of their division. The Jacksonville Jaguars head a little south to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers. The Jaguars have dropped three in a row and now find themselves tied with the Colts and Texans atop the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence is currently in concussion protocol and his availability isn’t known at this time. Jacksonville is a desperate team and needs this win badly. Tampa Bay has won three consecutive games and sits atop of the NFC South along with New Orleans. The Saints come into town on New Year’s Eve and that could decide the division. The Bucs want to continue their winning ways and I’m thinking they will win this one. Tampa Bay Win 31-24

We have a matchup between two Super Bowl hopefuls from both conferences. The Dallas Cowboys head down south to Miami to face the Dolphins. Dallas is still trying to capture the NFC East and possibly a top seed in the NFC. They are currently tied with the Eagles atop the division and a game behind the 49ers. They had their 5-game winning streak ended in Buffalo after being drilled by the Bills. Can they rebound from that defeat? Miami rebounded nicely from their crushing loss to the Titans last week against the Jets. They defeated their division rival 30-0 and inched closer to clinching the division. They have a tough remaining three games because they face the Ravens and Bills after this one. This is a tough one to pick and I’m thinking the Cowboys will rebound and win. Dallas Win 31-27

We have the Sunday Night game as the New England Patriots travel to Denver to face the Broncos. To say that New England’s season has been awful would be an understatement. They come into this game with a 3-11 record and in the running for the top pick. There are rumors that this will be the final season for Bill Belichick as their coach. The team is now playing for pride, so could they spoil the Broncos postseason aspirations? After winning five in a row, the Broncos have now dropped two of their last three games. Denver is two games behind the Chiefs in the division and a game out of the Wild Card. With a favorable schedule Denver could find a way to get in the playoffs but will need help. I’m picking them to defeat the Patriots on Sunday Night. Denver Win 24-13

This is the first of three games to be played on Christmas Day. The Las Vegas Raiders will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs. The Raiders are coming off that historic win over the Chargers 63-21. Las Vegas still has an outside shot at making the playoffs, but they would need to win out and have help. The win over the Chargers ended their 3-game losing streak. Could they pull off the huge upset on Christmas? The Chiefs just ended their 2-game losing streak by defeating New England last week. The big issue continues to be drops from this team and that’s something to pay attention to moving forward. Kansas City remains two games behind the Ravens and one behind Miami for the top spot. I’m picking the Chiefs to win this one. Kansas City Win 38-20

For the second Christmas Day game we have an NFC East showdown. The New York Giants will travel to Philadelphia to take on the struggling Eagles. Before the season started, my pick to win the NFC East were the New York Giants. They just had their 3-game winning streak snapped and they’re 5-9 now. Tommy DeVito has been the talk of the town as he’s been playing well for them. Can he lead this team to an upset of the Eagles on the road? Philadelphia was the top team for most of the season and they have now lost three in a row. They changed the play calling on the defensive, but the offense is being called predictable. They have enough weapons on offense where there’s no excuse for scoring 42 points in three games. I’m going with the Eagles to end their losing streak. Philadelphia Win 27-17

The final game on Christmas could be a preview of the upcoming Super Bowl. We have the 11-3 Baltimore Ravens making the cross country trip to San Francisco to face the 11-3 49ers. Both teams sit atop of their respective conferences, and both are looking to lock up homefield. The Ravens are riding a 4-game winning streak and have the top ranked rushing attack in the league. Can the top scoring defense in the league slow down the Niners offense? San Francisco comes into this game with a 6-game winning streak themselves. The offense continues to pummel opposing defenses and Christian McCaffrey is a touchdown machine. Can Brock Purdy avoid the pressure the Ravens bring to have another great contest? It’s hard to go to the 49ers home and leave with a win so I’m picking them. San Francisco Win 31-21

There we are my predictions for the 2023 Week 16 NFL season. What games intrigue you the most for the 2023 Week 16 NFL weekend? What do you think about my picks? Check out my top 5 teams in both conferences below. Leave some feedback below about anything NFL related or my 2023 Week 16 NFL predictions.