Trav’s 2024 Week 16 NFL Picks

Week 15 is in the books, and we head to the final three weeks of the regular season. My Week 15 picks garnered a 12-2 record, and my overall mark goes to 100-45. The winning percentage jumps from 67.2% to 68.9%. My first loss was the Thursday Night game between NFC West rivals. The Los Angeles Rams beat the 49ers 12-6. The second loss was when the Tampa Bay Bucs blew out the Los Angeles Chargers on the road. The AFC North is the only division in the AFC that’s still up for grabs. Pittsburgh and Baltimore will meet on Saturday to see who’ll lead the division heading into the final two weeks. All the divisions are still up for grabs in the NFC. The Eagles lead the Commanders by three games with the same number of games remaining.

Philadelphia travels to Washington this weekend and can clinch the division with a win. The North is a 3-team race with the Lions and Vikings tied with 12-2 records. Green Bay trails by two games with three weeks left in the season. Tampa Bay is still a game ahead of Atlanta and if they finish in a tie, the Falcons own the tiebreaker. Finally, we head to the west where all the teams have a shot at the division crown. The Rams and Seahawks are tied with Los Angeles owning the tiebreaker. Arizona trails by a game and the Niners are two behind. Almost every game except one will have some sort of playoff implication. I’ll be picking a total of 15 games this weekend. Check out Trav’s 2024 Week 16 NFL picks below.

We start things off with the Thursday Night game as usual. The Denver Broncos will head out west to Los Angeles to battle the Chargers in a big AFC West matchup. If the playoffs began today, both teams would be in. The Broncos have won four games in a row off the strength of their defense. They need to win one of their final three games to clinch a playoff berth. They finish the season in Cincinnati and at home against the Chiefs. Los Angeles has dropped three of their last four games. Despite their late-season issues, they still hold the final Wild Card spot. They have a two game lead over the Dolphins, Bengals, and Colts with three remaining games. The Chargers have two winnable games on the road in New England and Las Vegas. They should rebound in this one. Chargers Win 24-20

The Houston Texans head to Kansas City to face the Chiefs in the first of two Saturday games. Houston has clinched a playoff berth by winning the AFC South as expected. The Texans haven’t played like one of my top 5 teams from the AFC entering this season. After having a historic rookie season, C.J. Stroud has cooled off this season. Can this team find a way to go to Arrowhead and upset the Chiefs? Kansas City is two games ahead of the Bills for the top seed with three games remaining. The biggest issue in Kansas City is the health of Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes is dealing with a high ankle sprain and could miss this game. If Mahomes can’t go, the Chiefs will turn to Carson Wentz and he’s more than capable of leading this team. I’m picking Kansas City no matter who’s the QB. Chiefs Win 27-17

The second Saturday Night game will see the Pittsburgh Steelers head to Baltimore to battle the Ravens. Pittsburgh sits atop the AFC North with a one game lead over Baltimore. The Steelers beat the Ravens earlier in the season, but this game is for division supremacy. Pittsburgh is coming off a loss in Philly to the Eagles. They finish the season at home for the Chiefs and Bengals games. They have clinched a playoff berth but would love to take home the AFC North crown. Baltimore rebounded from their loss to the Eagles by blowing out the Giants. Lamar Jackson continues to put up crazy numbers this season. The Ravens defense has been the issue this year. They are allowing close to 24 points a game, which isn’t normal for this team. I’m picking Baltimore to get revenge against the Steelers in this one. Ravens Win 23-20

The New York Giants will head down south to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. New York has had a season to be remembered for all the wrong reasons. They have lost 10 games in a row and benched and eventually released Daniel Jones. Tommy DeVito was named the starter, but he was hurt so they had Drew Lock. Lock got hurt and now they turn back to DeVito. DeVito suffered a concussion; Lock is still hurt and now they turn to Tim Boyle. The Falcons are having their own issues, but they still have a shot at winning their division. Atlanta ended their four game losing streak by beating the Raiders on Monday Night. Cousins tossed another pick in that game while only throwing for 112 yards. They turn to Michael Penix Jr. and get the win. Falcons Win 31-17

We have a NFC North battle as the Detroit Lions head to Chicago to meet the Bears. Detroit is coming off just their second loss of the season. The bigger story continues to be the injuries on both sides of the ball. David Montgomery hurt his knee in the loss to Buffalo and now he’ll miss the remainder of the season. The Lions are tied with the Vikings atop the NFC North. They are also tied with the Eagles for the top seed in the NFC. Chicago comes into this game with an 8-game losing streak. Does it feel like this team has given up? They were outscored 68-25 in their last two games. Does this team have a shot at beating the Lions and ending their losing streak? I’m going with Detroit to win despite their injuries. Lions Win 31-20

We have the battle of Ohio as the Cleveland Browns head to Cincinnati to face the Bengals. Cleveland is another team that faces some interesting issues. They are 3-11 and have a lot of questions regarding their future. Jameis Winston was benched due to his poor performance last week against Kansas City. Dorian Thompson-Robinson will get the start this week as the team evaluates the QB position with Deshaun Watson being done for the season. The Bengals are still in the playoff hunt with three games remaining. They are tied with the Colts and Dolphins on the outside looking in the playoffs. They are two games behind, and the other two teams own the tiebreaker over Cincinnati. The Bengals need to win out and get some help. Cincinnati should win this game and host Denver next weekend in a critical game. Bengals Win 27-14

The Tennessee Titans will head to Indianapolis to face the Colts. The Titans are still in the running for the top pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. With Tennessee benching Will Levis, will they be looking for a quarterback in the draft? Could they make a run at one of the upcoming free agents? Could they turn the reigns over to Mason Rudolph and see what they have in him? Can he duplicate his success from a week ago? Indianapolis still has an outside shot at making the playoffs. They are a couple games behind for the final Wild Card spot in the AFC. The Colts are in position to win their final three games. They have travel to the Giants next weekend and finish the season against Jacksonville. Indianapolis should leave this game with the win. Colts Win 27-20

The Los Angeles Rams will head cross country to New York to battle the Jets. The Rams are now on a 3-game winning streak. They are tied atop the NFC West with Seattle, and they hold the tiebreaker over the Seahawks. Just like last year, the Rams are picking things up towards the end of the season. They have the Seahawks at home in their season finale and Arizona the week before. Can the Rams make it four in a row? The Jets have had a season to remember and not for the good things. New York ended their four game losing streak last weekend in Jacksonville. The Jets are now in spoiler mode, and they can do that against this Rams team. For some reason, I’m seeing this New York team pulling off the upset. Jets Win 27-24

This is the game that could settle the NFC East as the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Washington to face the Commanders. The Eagles are arguably the hottest team in the league. They are riding a 10-game winning streak and have a chance to clinch the division. Philadelphia defeated the Commanders earlier in the season. The offense can beat you on the ground or through the air. The defense has been the best over the last couple months. Washington has won two in a row after going on a three game losing streak. Washington currently holds the final Wild Card playoff spot in the NFC. They are a game ahead of Seattle and two in front of the Falcons and Cardinals. The Falcons game that was flexed to Sunday Night could be huge after they fall to Philly. Eagles Win 24-20

The Arizona Cardinals will make the cross country trip to Carolina to battle the Panthers. Arizona had their 3-game losing streak snapped last week. They remain a game behind the Seahawks and Rams in the division. They finish the season on the road against the Rams and home against San Francisco. They rewarded Budda Baker a 3-year extension after all the trade rumors over the last couple of years. Can they find a way to make the playoffs? This is the final home game of the season for Carolina. The Panthers played better, but they have still lost four games in a row. The Panthers finish their season on the road against the Bucs and Falcons. Carolina will have a say when it comes to the playoffs. Arizona wins this game on the road. Cardinals Win 24-21

The Minnesota Vikings will head to the Pacific Northwest to battle the Seattle Seahawks. The Vikings are still in the running for the division and top seed in the NFC. They are tied with Detroit atop the NFC North and tied with the Eagles. Sam Darnold and the offense is exposing opposing defenses. The defense is top 5 in scoring and this team continues to fly under the radar. Can they defeat Seattle in a tough environment? Seattle had their four game winning streak ended last week against Green Bay. In the defeat, Geno Smith went out with a knee injury. This will mark the final home game of the season for the Seahawks. Seattle is still in the midst of a playoff fight with their division. Minnesota should leave Seattle with the win. Vikings Win 31-21

The New England Patriots will travel to Buffalo to face the Bills. The Patriots come into this game with a 3-11 record and on a four game losing streak. This is the final road for the Patriots. New England is fighting for position for the upcoming NFL Draft. Drake Maye is their quarterback of the future, and they would love to play spoiler to Buffalo. Is it even possible for the Patriots to upset Buffalo on the road? Buffalo have won eight of their last nine games. They are a couple games behind the Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC. Josh Allen has all but claim the NFL MVP award due to his crazy season. Can the Bills catch Kansas City? They won’t catch Kansas City but will win this game easily. Bills Win 31-14

The San Francisco 49ers will make the long trip to Miami to battle the Dolphins. This feels like an elimination game for these teams. It seems like the only way the Niners make the playoffs is to win the division. They are currently tied with Dallas being three games behind the final Wild Card spot. The 49ers have dropped four of their last five games. San Francisco still have Detroit on their schedule and travel to Arizona in their finale. Miami is one of three 6-8 teams in the AFC. They are a couple games behind the Chargers for the final Wild Card spot. Miami has lost two of their last three games after the three game winning streak. Which team will still have playoff hopes after this game? I’m picking San Francisco to find a way to win this one. 49ers Win 20-17

We have the Sunday Night game as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys. Tampa is riding a 4-game winning streak heading into Dallas. With the winning streak, the Bucs have taken over the NFC South. They are looking to repeat as division champions seeing them hold a one game lead over Atlanta. The Bucs finish their season at home against Carolina and New Orleans. Can they hold off the Falcons seeing they control their destiny? Dallas has won three of four games after their five game losing streak. They still have an outside shot at making the playoffs but will need to win out and get a lot of help. If the Commanders win any of their last three games, they are eliminated. It won’t matter because I’m picking Tampa Bay to win. Bucs Win 31-21

The New Orleans Saints will make the trip north to Green Bay to face the Packers on Monday Night Football. New Orleans have dropped two of their last three games and almost getting eliminated from playoff consideration. They are three games behind Tampa Bay with three games remaining. Derek Carr is still injured, so they started Jake Haener. Haener was ineffective so they brought in Spencer Rattler. Rattler almost lead them to the win, but the Saints will name a starter later. Green Bay is playing some of their best ball at the right time. The Pack have won eight of their last 10 games and both losses came against Detroit. Green Bay head to Minnesota next weekend, so they shouldn’t overlook the Saints. Green Bay should win and clinch a playoff spot ahead of their matchup in Minnesota. Packers Win 30-17

What do you think about my Week 16 picks? What games would you pick differently. Below you can check out my top 5 teams from the AFC and NFC. Leave some feedback below about anything related to my Week 16 picks.