Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions The Falcons can clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC Playoffs with a win over the Lions on Saturday night. After making the playoffs in 2011, the Lions have regressed in 2012, carrying a six-game losing streak with them into Week 16. During their current losing streak, the Lions have allowed 32 points per game, a figure the Falcons could exceed if Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez are on their games. Pick : Falcons 34, Lions 23 Oakland Raiders at Carolina Panthers Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been red-hot lately, passing for 1,308 yards with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last five games. This week, Newton faces a Raiders defense that has picked off just 10 passes all season long and has gone without an interception in eight of their 14 games this season. Pick : Panthers 27, Raiders 20 New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys The Saints have won six of their last seven against the Cowboys, including a 30-27 win in Cowboys Stadium on Nov. 25, 2010. Another win by the Saints would deal a setback to the Cowboys’ playoff hopes and could eventually lead to Jerry Jones firing head coach Jason Garrett and being in the market to hire Sean Payton, who has yet to reach a contract extension with the Saints. What had been a roller-coaster season for the Cowboys has stabilized, with the team winning five of their last six, including three straight. Pick : Cowboys 31, Saints 27 Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers A foot of snow awaits the Titans, who are again having to shuffle their offensive line after losing center Kevin Matthews on Monday night to an ankle injury. The Titans’ reshuffled line meets a revitalized Packers’ pass rush that got to Bears quarterbacks four times last Sunday. Titans quarterback Jake Locker has been sacked 11 times over the last three weeks and could spend considerable time on the Lambeau Field turf this Sunday. Pick : Packers 38, Titans 16 Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans The Texans can clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs with a win, and the Vikings can keep their playoff hopes alive with an upset of the Texans, but a lot of eyes will be on the intriguing subplot of Adrian Peterson’s pursuit of a 2,000-yard rushing season and Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105. Peterson has rushed for 1,313 yards over the last eight games – the same total Arian Foster has this season – and will catch a Texans defense that has allowed 108.3 yards per game on the ground over the last six weeks after allowing just 81.9 yards per game in the first half of the season. Pick : Texans 28, Vikings 24 (Peterson goes for 140, putting him 154 rushing yards away from history)
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Week 16 Picks: Falcons, Texans can clinch home-field advantage (Shutdown Corner)
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