NFL predictions: Richard Graves previews the Week 16 action

Sky Sports News' Richard Graves previews the upcoming NFL action and gives his predictions for the next round of games.

Thursday 18 December 

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars - Live on Sky Sports 1 HD, 1:25am 

The Titans have now lost their top two quarterbacks for the year after Jake Locker joined Zach Mettenberger on Injured Reserve. Could Marcus Mariota start next season in a Tennessee Titans jersey? Well, if they lose to their AFC South rivals on Thursday night, they'll certainly be in the hunt for the Heisman trophy winner in next April's NFL draft. 

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Regardless of when they are on the clock in next year's draft, the Jaguars already have their QB. Blake Bortles is the face of the franchise and has impressed in his rookie season. The Jaguars have shown flashes of what they can be this season - particularly on the defensive side of the ball where they rank in the league's top 10 with 38 sacks. Offensively, they've struggled - averaging just 15 points per game, that's dead last in scoring. This is a game which they'll feel they can win though, especially with Tennessee now relying on Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback. 

Defeat to the New York Jets last week highlighted just how far the Titans season have fallen since that opening weekend win at the Kansas City Chiefs. Their only other success this season came against the Jaguars in week six - revenge could be on the cards. 

Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars

Saturday 20 December

San Diego Chargers @ San Francisco 49ers - Live on Sky Sports 4 HD, 1:25am 

At the start of the year the San Francisco 49ers were expected to contend for the NFC Championship. Defeat to the Seattle Seahawks eliminated them from playoff contention, three weeks before the end of the regular season. It was an ignominious end to a chaotic year - one where off the field issues have made more headlines than on the field performances and there's widespread speculation that it will see the end of head coach Jim Harbaugh's tenure with the franchise. 

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It's not been a smooth ride for the Chargers either in a campaign where they've flattered to deceive. Having begun the season winning four of their first five games, they now have an 8-6 record. They can still reach the playoffs but to do that they'll have to win out and hope for some help from other teams. 

This game comes down to who wants it more and it's hard to overlook a sluggish 49ers offense which ranks 28th in the league, averaging fewer than 18 points per game. Expect a restless home crowd, if the 49ers get off to another stuttering start. 

Pick: San Diego Chargers

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins - Live on Sky Sports 4 HD, 21:30pm

It was a crushing defeat to Dallas last weekend where the Mark Sanchez we all became used to seeing in New York made a reappearance. Indecision and poor passes along with game changing turnovers cost the Eagles the game, top spot in the NFC East and right now, a place in the playoffs. After going more than a year without a regular season defeat at home, Philadelphia have now lost back-to-back games at the Linc and Seattle and Dallas may have shown the blueprint for beating them. RB LeSean McCoy was bottled up in both games, leaving the Eagles to rely on Sanchez to carry the offense - something he's not been able to do. 

Even so, you'd expect a match against an embattled Washington Redskins team to be the perfect tonic. Once again though, this is a divisional rivalry and nothing can be taken for granted. There was an explosion of points when they met earlier this year with the Eagles edging it 37-34. QB Robert Griffin III returns as the starter this week and mobile quarterbacks have been a problem for this Eagles defense. Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson both enjoyed success in their matchups against Philly but the 2014 version of RGIII isn't at their level and it would be a surprise if Philadelphia lost a game where they know defeat could end their season. 

Pick: Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday 21 December

Cleveland Browns @ Carolina Panthers

After all the hype, Jonny Manziel had an extraordinarily disappointing first NFL start. He finished the 30-0 blowout defeat against the Bengals completing just 10 of 18 passing attempts for a paltry 80 yards and two interceptions. It was a defeat which officially eliminated the Browns from playoff contention. 

In contrast, the Panthers - without Cam Newton - were able to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, for 24 hours at least, claim top spot in the NFC South. They now have to win out and hope the New Orleans Saints lose one of their last two games in order to clinch the division. However, if they lose and the Saints beat Atlanta on Sunday, the division title goes to New Orleans and Carolina's season will be over. Cam Newton's status for the game is uncertain as he continues to deal with a double fracture in his back, but backup QB Derek Anderson was able to lead the team to success last week and will start again if Newton is unable to play. 

Pick: Carolina Panthers 

Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears

The Detroit Lions lived on the edge against the Minnesota Vikings. They trailed 14-0 early on and then survived two missed field goal attempts by the Vikings before finally winning 16-14. The significance of that result became all the more apparent as NFC North rivals, Green Bay Packers then lost at Buffalo, meaning the Lions reclaim top spot in the division, despite both teams having a 10-4 record. 

What will be of concern in Detroit is another pedestrian offensive performance. QB Matt Stafford struggled to get things going, finishing with just 153 yards and one TD, while the Lions as a team were limited to just 233 yards of offence. 

Their opponents this weekend would love to have those problems to worry about. Instead QB Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears were booed off the field on Monday night as they slumped to a third straight defeat and their ninth this season as the New Orleans Saints sacked Cutler seven times and claimed three interceptions in a 31-15 win. The Bears defence is the worst in the NFL, conceding 409 points this season. The franchise is in a tailspin and the Lions are primed to take full advantage, knowing victory will secure their place in the playoffs. 

Pick: Detroit Lions

Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans

The Baltimore Ravens are locked in a three team battle for the AFC North title. At 9-5, they're tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers in second and both are just half a game behind the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Ravens made hard work of beating the Jaguars last weekend but did enough to secure a 20-12 win. Now their offence is likely to face a sterner test from a group led by JJ Watt. 

Houston's season effectively ended with the defeat to Indianapolis last weekend, handing the AFC South to the Colts. It was a costly day for the Texans, who lost both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tom Savage to injury. That's forced them to re-sign QB Case Keenum - either he or Thad Lewis will get the start on Sunday. 

The QBs on both sides can expect to be under pressure with two of the NFL's top three sack leaders on the field in this game - JJ Watt has 16.5 this season while Baltimore's Elvis Dumervil has 17. 

Pick: Baltimore Ravens

Minnesota Vikings @ Miami Dolphins

A season which promised so much has ultimately only delivered disappointment once again for the Miami Dolphins. They were swept aside by the New England Patriots last weekend, leaving them with a 7-7 record and eliminated from playoff contention. Three defeats in their last four games tells its own story. 

Given the loss of star RB Adrian Peterson after week one combined with rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater coming into the team, some might say the Vikings have over achieved this year. What head coach Mike Zimmer has made clear is that this is now Teddy Bridgewater's team. They have a 6-8 record and can move level with the Dolphins if they win on Sunday. 

At home, the Dolphins should have the edge on both sides of the ball though - especially with some players and coaching staff battling to save their careers in Miami.

Pick: Miami Dolphins

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

Two sides with losing records. Two sides who have been maddeningly inconsistent, but two sides who go head-to-head in what could be the game of the week!

The Saints lead the NFC South with a 6-8 record but the Atlanta Falcons are just a game behind on 5-9 and crucially will hold the tie breaker over New Orleans if they can beat them on Sunday, having already won 37-34 when they met in week one. 

Last week, Saints head coach Sean Payton called a number of players in for face-to-face meetings after the humiliating defeat by Carolina - and it appears to have had the desired effect. The Saints showed a marked improvement on both sides of the ball on Monday night, gaining a big 31-15 win in Chicago. QB Drew Brees threw three TDs and no interceptions while the defense got seven sacks and three turnovers. What will also please them is the form of TE Jimmy Graham, who finally looks to be somewhere near full fitness. 

The Atlanta Falcons will have a key player back on Sunday night. WR Julio Jones was forced to miss the defeat to Pittsburgh with a hip injury but he returns after recording a career game against the Green Bay Packers. A game where he finished with 259 receiving yards and a touchdown. 

Two months ago, a game in New Orleans would have appeared a home banker, but since beating the Packers in the SuperDome they've lost four in a row there. The Atlanta Falcons have been competitive most of the season but all too often come up short. With Jimmy Graham looking fit again, this may turn into a shoot out with the Saints just edging it. 

Pick: New Orleans Saints

New England Patriots @ New York Jets

After the Patriots locked up the division title by beating the Dolphins last weekend, now they're looking to secure the top seed in the playoffs - that'll happen if they win and the Broncos lose. 

The Jets won for the first time in four games last weekend and while QB Geno Smith didn't necessarily show "flashes of being a Pro Bowl calibre quarterback" he did enough to help them past the hapless Titans. It means they now improve to 3-11 - a record which lengthens the odds on them being able to get QB Marcus Mariota in next year's NFL draft. 

When these two sides met in week seven, the Jets dominated the time of possession by running the ball 43 times for 200+ yards. It very nearly won them the game but the Patriots blocked a last gasp field goal attempt and hung on for a 27-25 victory. Since then New England have discovered their own running game and Bill Belichick is unlikely to fall for the same trick twice. It will surely be competitive - fixtures between these two usually are but New England are in full stride now and the Jets don't match up well. 

Pick: New England Patriots

Kansas City Chiefs @ Pittsburgh Steelers -  Live on Sky Sports 2 HD, 5:30pm 

This is a game with big playoff implications. Victory for the Steelers will punch their ticket to the post season while defeat for the Chiefs could very well end their interest. 

Pittsburgh have been a frustratingly erratic team this year. One week they can put 50 points on a team like the Colts but another they can lose at home to the Buccaneers and if this game was in Arrowhead Stadium it would be very tempting to give the Chiefs the edge. Kansas City have been equally frustrating, beating the Seahawks and the Patriots at home, but then laying a big egg in Oakland. That Oakland defeat may yet turn out to be the result they regret the most!

The Steelers lean heavily on RB Le'Veon Bell to pound the ball - he's rushed for 1278 yards this season, second only to DeMarco Murray. While Antonio Brown has more receiving yards than anyone else in the league this year (1498). 

The Chiefs still haven't thrown a TD all season to a wide receiver and until they find an aerial threat, this offense will remain limited in what it can do - even with Jamaal Charles at running back!

Pick: Pittsburgh Steelers

Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It would be fair to say the entire NFL was stunned to see the Buffalo Bills beat the Packers last week but it perhaps reveals an issue for Green Bay. Three of their four defeats have come against three of the top five defences in the NFL this season - the Seahawks, Lions and Bills. They've scored just 36 points in those three games combined! A stat all the more remarkable when you consider the Packers average 31 points per game. 

That is an issue for another day though as this week they travel to Tampa Bay - a team which only scores around 18 points per game and gives up an average of 26. They're currently 2-12 and to compound their problems, leading defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was placed on season ending IR earlier this week. 

Green Bay WR Jordy Nelson has been Aaron Rodgers' go to guy this season with 12 TDs and 1320 receiving yards. Like the rest of the Packers offence, he didn't play well in Buffalo, notably dropping a regulation catch which would have seen him race away for a 94 yard TD. Unfortunately for the Bucs, that was last week, they are unlikely to be so fortunate.....

Pick: Green Bay Packers

New York Giants @ St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams are one of the NFL's most improved teams this season but to lose at home to the Cardinals - given all the injury problems they had last week - was disappointing. The fact Arizona won that game by scoring a mere 12 points, only serves to emphasize that disappointment. 

The Rams defence has risen to be the 11th ranked unit in the league and this week's match-up against the Giants is an intriguing one. The Giants rookie WR Odell Beckham has been nothing short of sensational in the second half of this season! He was the standout player in their victory over the Washington Redskins, hauling in three touchdown passes and finishing the game with 143 receiving yards. He leads the Giants with nine TDs this year. That win was a second in a row for the New York Giants and prompted reports that head coach Tom Coughlin will return next season. Even so, he may need to retool the talent on this team to win road games like this. 

Pick: St. Louis Rams

Indianapolis Colts @ Dallas Cowboys - Live on Sky Sports 2 HD, 9:25pm

Maybe this is a different Dallas Cowboys team this year. In a game they had to win to maintain realistic playoff hopes, they raced into a 21-0 lead on the road, but then found themselves 24-21 down to the Eagles. In each of the last three years this is the type of game Dallas have lost but last Sunday they responded with a 78-yard touchdown drive and never looked back. Big players made big plays - Tony Romo threw three TD passes with no interceptions, all three went to WR Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray ran the ball 31 times with two rushing TDs. 

The win came at a cost with the news Murray broke a bone in the back of his hand and underwent surgery on Monday. It's an injury both Emmitt Smith and Terrell Owens have had previously - both missed one game but the Cowboys are likely to make Murray a game time decision. If he isn't able to play, Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar will share the workload at running back. 

The Indianapolis Colts have already secured their place in the playoffs after beating the Texans last weekend but to think they have nothing to play for now would be a mistake. They're still chasing an opening round bye and given earlier defeats this season to the Broncos and the Patriots they have to win out to have any chance of finishing as a top two seed in the AFC. 

Potentially this could be a high scoring game between two top 10 ranked offenses with the Colts averaging 30 points per game while the Cowboys score an average of 27. 

Pick: Dallas Cowboys

Buffalo Bills @ Oakland Raiders

Just as everyone was writing off the Bills, they go and pull off one of the biggest upsets this season. If anyone doubted just how good this defensive unit is, those doubts were wiped away as they limited Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers offence to just 13 points. Rodgers didn't throw a TD pass and was intercepted twice - he'd thrown just three interceptions all season prior to that game. It was a hugely impressive performance, now they have to back it up by winning in Oakland. 

The Raiders couldn't get anything going offensively in defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs which was a little surprising given how well they'd played seven days earlier to beat the San Francisco 49ers. The Raiders are still very much a team in transition and this is a daunting prospect, facing a Bills defence which ranks fifth in the NFL. 

Pick: Buffalo Bills

Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals

This is a heavyweight contest in the NFC West.......or at least it is on paper. The Cardinals are winning despite a raft of injuries which now includes their backup QB Drew Stanton. Arizona hope to have Stanton back in time for the playoffs - a cause that would be helped with a first round bye. Victory over the Seahawks would secure that. 

However, Seattle can take the lead in the division and vault into pole position for a first round bye if they win this contest, completing a sweep of the Cardinals after beating them four weeks ago. That win saw the start of a run which has seen the Seahawks defence return to the kind of form that took them all the way to Super Bowl success last season. They've conceded just 27 points in a four-game span which has included two wins over the 49ers, a win over the Eagles and Arizona. 

The Cardinals will start third string QB Ryan Lindley against the Seahawks No 1 ranked defence. As well as they've played this year in reaching 11 wins, it's nigh on inconceivable the Cardinals offense will be able to do enough against this unit. Although Arizona has already secured a playoff place, a wild card berth seems much more likely at his stage than that first round bye. 

Pick: Seattle Seahawks

Monday 22 December

Denver Broncos @ Cincinnati Bengals

The Broncos are currently the No 2 seed in the AFC and secured their playoff place with victory in San Diego last weekend. To clinch the No 1 seed though they must win out and hope the New England Patriots lose a game. 

The Bengals are currently the No 4 seed but their place in the post season is far from guaranteed. They currently sit in first place in the AFC North but are just half a game clear of the Steelers and Ravens with a potential playoff showdown in Pittsburgh next week.

Cincinnati produced one of its best performances this season to win in Cleveland and shut out the Jonny Manziel led Browns. Now they need to show that form again but Peyton Manning and the Broncos are a very different proposition. Denver rank fourth in total offence and defence - that being said, they've looked a little out of sync offensively in the last month despite winning all four games. 

To win this game QB Andy Dalton will have to play well. The problem is in big games on the national stage Dalton has developed a tendency to have poor games, something never better highlighted than the last time the Bengals appeared on national television. Dalton finished with a quarterback rating of 2.0 in a 24-3 defeat at home to the Cleveland Browns......and that came just six weeks ago. 

Pick: Denver Broncos