Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The Christmas holiday might come once a year but the Christmas holiday and the NFL only come very few times. It's a rare time to be around for sure to see games. In this post I'll do a Christmas Wishlist for each team, the latest playoff projection, a preview and picks for Week 16 as well as the Early & Late TV Broadcast Pairings. A lot to cover so let's get to work!
NFL Christmas Wishlist: 2022 Edition
With the Christmas holiday just days away, I thought I would also bring back the NFL Christmas Wishlist. Like the NFL Thankful, I had forgot to do this last year and so I would like to bring it back. For this Wishlist I thought what each team would want to have if they had an Amazon Wishlist.
Arizona Cardinals: A new head coach that can complement Kyler Murray.
Atlanta Falcons: Marcus Mariota with a stronger arm.
Baltimore Ravens: A healthy Lamar Jackson
Buffalo Bills: Von Miller.
Carolina Panthers: Christian McCaffrey clone.
Chicago Bears: A defense like the 85 Bears.
Cincinnati Bengals: A trip back to the Super Bowl.
Cleveland Browns: A playoff berth.
Dallas Cowboys: A Mike McCarthy clone that knows time management
Denver Broncos: A version of Russell Wilson that can throw for 4,000 yards or a refund on him.
Detroit Lions: A playoff berth.
Green Bay Packers: A way to get Aaron Rodgers out of Green Bay and a winning season.
Houston Texans: Multiple 1st round picks. They could use it.
Indianapolis Colts: The 33-0 memes to die.
Jacksonville Jaguars: A division title.
Kansas City Chiefs: A way to have Patrick Mahomes to sound like Fozzy Bear.
Las Vegas Raiders: The gift of holding onto a lead.
Los Angeles Chargers: A head coach that knows defense.
Los Angeles Rams: A cure to the Super Bowl hangover.
Miami Dolphins: A means to avoid a three-game losing streak.
Minnesota Vikings: heart attack medicine for their fans. Seriously, they're the Cardiac Kids.
New England Patriots: An offensive coordinator that knows what he's doing.
New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees finding the fountain of youth.
New York Giants: A playoff berth.
New York Jets: Zach Wilson visiting the three ghosts of Jets past, present and future.
Philadelphia Eagles: You guys don't need anything. Except maybe your fans to chill out a bit.
Pittsburgh Steelers: A Matt Canada firing.
San Francisco 49ers: Brock Purdy becoming the 2nd coming of Joe Montana.
Seattle Seahawks: A playoff berth.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tom Brady finding the fountain of youth even though he's already found it.
Tennessee Titans: The means to win games and win a playoff game.
Washington Commanders: Daniel Snyder being gone for good and a new stadium.
Playoff Picture: Week 16
Week 15 saw a few teams clinching playoff spots and division titles. With just three more weeks of play there's still divisions up for grabs for Week 16. Let's start with the AFC.
Seeding
1st seed: Buffalo Bills (11-3) (Clinched playoff spot)
2nd seed: Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) (Clinched AFC West)
3rd seed: Cincinnati Bengals (10-4)
4th seed: Tennessee Titans (7-7)
5th seed: Baltimore Ravens (9-5)
6th seed: LA Chargers (8-6)
7th seed: Miami Dolphins (8-6)
Wild Card Weekend Matchups
Miami @ Kansas City
LA Chargers @ Cincinnati
Baltimore @ Tennessee
In the Hunt
New England (7-7), NY Jets (7-7), Jacksonville (6-8), Las Vegas (6-8), Cleveland (6-8), Pittsburgh (6-8), Indianapolis (4-9-1)
Better Luck Next Year
Denver (4-10), Houston (1-12-1)
For clinching scenarios this week, the Bills can clinch the AFC East with a win and a Dolphins loss or tie. The Chargers are ahead of the Dolphins based on head-to-head. Should be noted that the Bengals still have to play the Ravens again this season so they're not quite there to winning the AFC North. Let's go to the NFC.
Seeding
1st seed: Philadelphia Eagles (13-1) (clinched playoff spot)
2nd seed: Minnesota Vikings (11-3) (clinched NFC North)
3rd seed: San Francisco 49ers (10-4) (clinched NFC West)
4th seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-8)
5th seed: Dallas Cowboys (10-4) (clinched playoff spot)
6th seed: New York Giants (8-5-1)
7th seed: Washington Commanders (7-6-1)
Wild Card Weekend Matchups
Washington @ Minnesota
NY Giants @ San Francisco
Dallas @ Tampa Bay
In the Hunt
Seattle (7-7), Detroit (7-7), Green Bay (6-8), Carolina (5-9), New Orleans (5-9), Atlanta (5-9)
Better Luck Next Year
Arizona (4-10), LA Rams (4-10), Chicago (3-11),
In general, the NFC is less open for teams to make a run. In general the playoff spots that are left are the NFC East winner, NFC South winner, and two more spots. Philadelphia can win the NFC East with a win against Dallas on Saturday. The NFC South is a bit more wild as you have the Buccaneers with a 6-8 record but there's three other teams in that division with a 5-9 record. The division winner might be decided on Week 18.
Week 16 Preview
With Christmas Day falling on a Sunday, the NFL will have most of its games played on Christmas Eve. Week 16 will feature a 16-game slate where all 32 teams will play. No teams are on a bye this week. Week 16 will feature a Thursday night game, 11 games on Saturday where there will be nine early games, two late games, a Saturday night game, one early Sunday game, a late Sunday game, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. The doubleheader this week will go to FOX and CBS will have the single, regional game this week. Let's get to the picks!
Week 16 Picks
Note: Game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking my former roommate.
Jacksonville (6-8) @ NY Jets (7-7) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Jaguars; CV: Jets
The Jaguars beat the Cowboys and the Jets lost to the Lions last week. The week starts with a decent matchup on Thursday night football. The Jaguars go into this game being one of the hottest teams in the league winning three of their last four games. Trevor Lawrence has been one of the factors in that momentum. He hasn't thrown as many turnovers as he had earlier in the year. I think that momentum will continue. The Jets have been faltering as of late. Health and stability of the quarterback position is one of those factors. Unless massive changes happen to Mike White, it looks like that Zach Wilson will get the start again. It seems that the Jaguars are the better built team so I'll take them.
Buffalo (11-3) @ Chicago (3-11) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
The Bills beat the Dolphins and the Bears lost to the Eagles last week. An interesting game to keep an eye on. Buffalo comes into this game getting a huge win in the division beating Miami and have played like the team we'd expect to see in the Super Bowl. Chicago comes into this game having a rough season. The offense has been meager and points have been tough to get. The lone bright spot for them is Justin Fields who has 1,000 rushing yards this year. Could I see the Bears putting up the upset? It is possible but I think the Bills will get it done.
Atlanta (5-9) @ Baltimore (9-5) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
The Falcons lost to the Saints and the Ravens lost to the Browns. Judging from the spread, it looks like Lamar Jackson is back for the Ravens. They'll need him. Without him their offense looks limited and less explosive. With Tyler Huntley I think the opposition knew what they had on him via tape. A limited thrower and a runner. Atlanta has some trouble at quarterback of their own as Marcus Mariota could return or it will be Desmond Ridder going for them again. Ridder didn't produce a lot of numbers but he could go forward with more if he's comfortable. I like the Ravens a bit better even if Tyler Huntley will go.
Cincinnati (10-4) @ New England (7-7) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Bengals; CV: Bengals
The Bengals beat the Buccaneers and the Patriots lost to the Raiders last week. Joe Burrow and the Bengals looked really good with the win against Tampa granted they had to get a comeback for it. They'll have a good test to see how well they can be against a Patriots defense. The Patriots offense is not great. Mac Jones has reverted back to playing almost like a rookie. The coaching is not good. New England enters this game having a rough loss against the Raiders that really shouldn't have been a loss. The game could be a tough test for the Patriots to overcome. I'll take the Bengals.
Detroit (7-7) @ Carolina (5-9) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Lions; CV: Lions
The Lions beat the Jets and the Panthers lost to the Steelers last week. The Lions have been playing well in 2022. At least compared to past Lions teams. They got a really good offense and a defense that has been getting better. Carolina has been in the opposite of that spectrum. They look lost out there. It'll be a tough test for the Panthers defense to stop or slow down the Lions offense.
Houston (1-12-1) @ Tennessee (7-7) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Titans; CV: Titans
The Texans lost to the Chiefs and the Titans lost to the Chargers last week. For the love of god Tennessee, please don't lose to your division rival and the worst team in the league. Just give the ball to Derrick Henry. I mean Houston might pull off an upset like they did against Kansas City but to have them repeat that would be a miracle.
New Orleans (5-9) @ Cleveland (6-8) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Browns; CV: Browns
The Saints beat the Falcons and the Browns beat the Ravens last week. New Orleans has been a weird team. They can either look good on a miracle and then look awful. Alvin Kamara hasn't been quite his old self in 2022. They could pull off an upset against an up-and-down Browns team. DeShaun Watson has been average to not great since he started in Houston a few weeks ago. I think the x-factor in the game is going to be the Browns running game. I'll take Cleveland.
NY Giants (8-5-1) @ Minnesota (11-3) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
Both teams won last week as the Giants beat the Commanders and the Vikings beat the Colts last week. The Giants had quite the skid in a losing streak but they finally got over the hump with a win against Washington. Minnesota had quite the comeback against the Colts. The 33-0 comeback is the largest in NFL history. The other side of that game was that the Vikings literally played awful football in the 1st half. Minnesota will need to play better and not let that much of a points surge happen. New York won't be as forgiving to them like Indianapolis is. Despite that negativity I like the Vikings in the game.
Seattle (7-7) @ Kansas City (11-3) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
The Seahawks lost to the 49ers and the Chiefs beat the Texans last week. The Chiefs are back at home in Arrowhead against a Seahawks team that is faltering further and further. The offense has been to blame but the absence of Kenneth Walker III has been a missing piece as well. Kansas City nearly lost to the Texans. One of the worst teams in the league nearly beat them in overtime. Despite all that, I think the Chiefs will have a rebound game at home with their fans in their house. I'll take the Chiefs.
Washington (7-6-1) @ San Francisco (10-4) (CBS; 4:05 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The Commanders lost to the Giants and the 49ers beat the Seahawks last week. A classic NFC matchup on CBS. At least old school for those who watched the NFL before 1994. Washington comes into this game with a rough loss to the Giants in a game that they had a shot to win. San Francisco looks to be the dark horse team to represent the NFC come February. Christian McCaffrey has certainly been that player that brings those optimistic thoughts. Washington will have a tough task ahead of them but I will take the 49ers.
Philadelphia (13-1) @ Dallas (10-4) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Cowboys
The Eagles beat the Bears and the Cowboys lost to the Jaguars last week. Jalen Hurts won't likely go for this game which means that the man Gardner Minshew will go for the Eagles. Dallas comes into this game with a shocker of an upset against Jacksonville. It was a pick-six that ended the game. The game will be in Dallas but I don't trust the Cowboys enough to give them a shot to win. Give me the Minshewmania.
Las Vegas (6-8) @ Pittsburgh (6-8) (NFL Network; 8:15 pm): TW: Raiders; CV: Raiders
The Raiders beat the Patriots and the Steelers beat the Panthers last week. This game marks the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the 1972 Divisional playoff game where Franco Harris caught the ball off of a Jack Tatum batted pass and scored a touchdown giving the Steelers their first playoff win. The two teams aren't likely going to the playoffs at the moment but the game will be important for both teams trying get to the playoffs. Las Vegas goes into this game conquering some demons. Demons like blowing leads late in the 4th quarter and losing those games. Maybe the momentum will continue into this game. Pittsburgh has had a tough season compared to past years. Mike Tomlin has yet to have a losing season in Pittsburgh since taking over in 2007. The Steelers haven't had a losing season since 2003. I don't question the Steelers defense as they can play well. It is their offense. I don't trust either team but I'll take the Raiders.
Green Bay (6-8) @ Miami (8-6) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The Packers beat the Rams and the Dolphins lost to the Bills last week. Green Bay hasn't had a lot of success in 2022 compared to their past seasons with Matt LeFleur as head coach. They're still alive and they'd have to win every game to get in and then get some help. I think the hole they've dug is out of the question. Miami has had a tough stretch of football as they have two three-game losing streaks this season. They kept pace with the Bills but they still lost the game. I think they should try to get back to being more balanced on the offense to give Tua Tagovailoa somewhat of a break and have him not play hero ball too much. I'll buy the Dolphins at home.
Denver (4-10) @ LA Rams (4-10) (CBS/Nickelodeon; 4:30 pm): TW: Broncos; CV: Rams
The Broncos beat the Cardinals and the Rams lost to the Packers last week. The battle of 4-10 teams! The Broncos have gotten off to a better start this season with Brett Rypien anchoring the offense. Russell Wilson could come back after being told to take the week off. Either way the quarterback question could play a factor in the game. Baker Mayfield had helped steady the ship but he was not effective against the Packers. He will have to do a better job against a not too shabby Broncos defense. Someone has to win but I'll take the Broncos by a whim.
Tampa Bay (6-8) @ Arizona (4-10) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
The Buccaneers lost to the Bengals and the Cardinals lost to the Broncos last week. Tampa had gotten off to a good start against Cincinnati but the wheels fell off in the 2nd half of that game. At some point someone is going to win the NFC South and it might as well be the team that has run the division the last two seasons. Arizona is just trying to play spoiler and to look for some respectability. They will have Trace McSorley (nice name buddy) go as the starting quarterback. The Cardinals are a mess but that could be dangerous as they could be taken lightly. I don't see it happening as its still Tom Brady and he can still put up numbers.
LA Chargers (8-6) @ Indianapolis (4-9-1) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
The Chargers beat the Titans and the Colts lost to the Vikings last week. The Chargers got a huge win against the Titans. Justin Herbert really didn't do well in the game. He'll need to do better against a decent Colts defense. Indianapolis had a big choke job against the Vikings. Most teams who'd put up a 33-0 lead had to eventually win that game by at least a good margin. Sadly, it wasn't the case. I think the loss will be a disheartening loss for the Colts where they'd not recover from. I'll take the Chargers.
Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings
Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings.
CBS Single
Cincinnati @ New England
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis
Buffalo @ Chicago
Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta
New Orleans @ Cleveland
Spero Dedes, Jay Feely
Houston @ Tennessee
Andrew Catalon, James Lofton
Washington @ San Francisco (Late)
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green
FOX Early
NY Giants @ Minnesota
Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth
Atlanta @ Baltimore
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma
Seattle @ Kansas City
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez
Detroit @ Carolina
Chris Myers, Robert Smith
FOX Late
Philadelphia @ Dallas
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson
2022 Pick ‘Em Records
My record:
Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 10-6
Week 13: 11-3-1
Week 14: 7-6
Week 15: 8-8
Total: 134-88-2
Cardinal Viking's record:
Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Week 12: 9-7
Week 13: 8-6-1
Week 14: 9-4
Week 15: 13-3
Total: 125-95-2
Previous Picking Records:
2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2019: 161-94-1
2020: 167-88-1
(1950-2022)
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