2023 Week 16 NFL Picks

As I write this, it is Christmas Eve. What does that mean? Well, this year, it means football, football and more football. We do apologize for our short, and probably late picks this week. I am have been traveling all over Massachusetts at all hours of the night, and these other two grinches have small children. So things are going to be brief. Just sit back, grab a beverage and just enjoy the holiday season. Also, let’s take a quick peek at the records for last week and how it impacts the overall records. 

Week 15 Records

Blind Owl: 9-5-2

Concret3Cowboy: 6-8-2

BrendawnoftheDead: 7-7-2

Total Records

Blind Owl: 114-97-13

Concret3Cowboy: 107-104-13

BrendawnoftheDead: 109-102-13

Well, now we know the Cowboy is officially used to being back in New England. He is adept at using a shovel. Unfortunately, the only thing he’s burying is his chance at winning this year. Meanwhile, I continued to pull away a little bit. A 5 game cushion looks pretty good with only a couple weeks left to go. I need to keep that up. The boys have some work to do. Let’s see what happens. 

Thursday

NO @ LAR; LAR -4

Blind Owl: Both of these teams beat bad teams. The Saints looked better, but they played the sorry ass Giants. I’m in charge here now so I set the tone. I’ll be safe and take the Rams. I’ll let these guys bury themselves like last week. 

Concret3Cowboy: Saints… idk I’m late with my pick but scouts honor I haven’t looked at the game. After going to look at the game, it’s 8:05 and hasn’t even started yet.

BrendawnoftheDead: picking with my heart, Rams. The saints have let me down far too many times this year

Saturday

CIN @ PIT: CIN -3

Blind Owl: You know what everyone likes? Backup QBs. All this game is good for is telling your wife you’re busy instead of doing boring Christmas stuff. I’ll take Cincy because the Steelers lost to the Patriots. I can’t forgive that. 

Concret3Cowboy: The Steelers are imploding just after being eliminated from the playoffs. We could really be seeing the end of Tomlin in Pittsburgh, I’m indifferent about it. Give me the Bengals, even with my record lagging I can’t stretch this one out to go Steelers.

BrendawnoftheDead: Battle of the backup quarterbacks, or in Pittsburgh's case the backup to the backup quarterback. The Bengals are still a competitive football team, the Steelers have completely fallen apart. In recent weeks, yinzer bullshit has disappeared and I'm here for it. Bengals win and cover, mason Rudolph ain't it folks.

BUF @ LAC: BUF -12.5

Blind Owl: Buffalo desperately needs to win. The Chargers are just hoping they can get a decent coach and pick next year. Maybe Bill Brlichick? Bills take this one by a lot. 

Concret3Cowboy: Another game I can’t justify picking against the grain. Bills may be the hottest team in the NFL right now, Chargers are the complete opposite.

BrendawnoftheDead: The Chargers are dead in the water. No coach, no quarterback, underperformed and disappointed when they had both of those things. 12.5 is a huge spread but the Bills NEED this and they'll play like it. May Diggs find the end zone a few times for selfish reasons. Buffalo wins by 20+

Sunday

NE @ DEN: DEN -7

Blind Owl: I don’t care about numbers or gamesmanship. The Broncos are going to win. I’m picking them. It’s that simple. 

Concret3Cowboy: Patriots, only to protect myself if this somehow turns on its head.

BrenfawnoftheDead: 7 seems like a strong spread but New England has always sucked in Denver. Plus they're a BAD football team and they're going to be short their best safety in jabril peppers. Will Zappe’s good first half outweigh has bad second?...nah Denver covers

CLE @ HOU: CLE -3

Blind Owl: Houston is decimated. The Browns aren’t. Easy choice. Browns all the way. 

Concret3Cowboy: Browns are quietly moving up more own ranks. Flacco gives them what they’ve needed, a competent QB. Only this one they’re not paying.

BrendawnoftheDead: Stroud is still out and Flacco magic continues!

WAS @ NYJ: NYJ -3

Blind Owl: Yuck. Washington I guess. 

Concret3Cowboy: Jets.. Commies are dead.

BrendawnoftheDead: rules are rules, the Jets can't score points.

SEA @ TEN: SEA -3

Blind Owl: Seattle keeps going up and down. They showed some heart last week and didn’t just lay down. Tennessee is just average. In the NFL, bad is better than average. Give me the Hawks with the points on the road. 

Concret3Cowboy: Titans… if you haven’t figured it out, I’m putting all my marbles into this week.

BrendawnoftheDead: I feel bad for Derrick Henry, stuck on a team going nowhere now that they missed their window. The Seahawks have enough fire power to take this one by a score or 2.

IND @ ATL: ATL -3

Blind Owl: It’s funny. I am actively listening to Gardner Minshew speak on TV. He is still the best backup QB in the league. Although Mason Rudolph may have a case nowadays. I’m feeling the Colts here. I was in the Falcons camp for a while, but I’m out now. I’ll take the points too as a bonus. 

Concret3Cowboy: Colts.. I’m not insane.

BrendawnoftheDead: Why is Atlanta favored? Anyone? Minshew magic over whatever the eff Desmond Ridder is.

GB @ CAR: GB -4

Blind Owl: Carolina got lucky last week. They’re done with that nonsense. I’ll take Green Bay. 

Concret3Cowboy: Packers are still frauds but the Panthers are the leagues bottom dwellers.

BrendawnoftheDead: I want the Panthers to win because the Patriots have the tie breaker for the number one pick. It's not going to happen, but I can hope. GB by like 17.

DET @ MIN: DET -3

Blind Owl: Both of these two teams love to collapse late in the year. Is it possible for them both to do it this year? No, that can’t be. I have to ride with the Lions just based on their talent. My guy Amon-Ra is going to go off. 

Concret3Cowboy: The Lions got themselves right, at the expense of the Broncos last week. They keep it rolling and take their divisional crown.

BrenfawnoftheDead: back on my Lions bs. We broke up last week but we worked it out and now we're good until the second honeymoon phase ends. Don't break my heart Detroit.

JAX @ TB: JAX -1

Blind Owl: Well, the Cowboy is going to pick Tampa. Brendawn made his pick but I’m not going to read it. I’m writing this in a different location than usual, I won’t go into why, but it makes reading a tad more difficult. I’ll take the Jags and Trevor Lawrence. 

Concret3Cowboy: The Owl is right.

BrendawnoftheDead: here's the thing, Jacksonville isn't actually good. They never were, they're kind of like the prettiest girl in a trailer park being in the AFC South. Can trailer trash scrap? I bet no. Baker Mayfield, future Patriots quarterback, is going to pull this one off.

ARI @ CHI: CHI -4

Blind Owl: Again with the grossness on this Christmas Eve. I can’t take the covering Cardinals, but I also can’t take the Bears with their Ohio State QB. It’s a real bad choice here. I’ll take the Bears just, just because. 

Concret3Cowboy: Da Bears win… cards cover.

BrendawnoftheDead: I kinda think the bears can win this, but I kinda think have a hard time picking them to succeed, but the Cardinals suck, kind of on purpose…see the dilemma? Guess I'll side with Vegas knowing what they're talking about.

DAL @ MIA: MIA -2

Blind Owl: Ok. This one is actually going to be a great game. Dallas got their shit pushed in last week. The Dolphins coasted to an easy win. The Cowboys have been pretty good at bouncing back after getting demolished, and the Dolphins haven’t been great against decent teams. I’ve talked myself into picking the Cowboys late in the year, which I don’t like, but I have to. 

Concret3Cowboy: Dallas has a good defense… However, they really doesn’t match up well against the Phins.

BrenfawnoftheDead: let's all sit back and enjoy a good old fashioned shootout. Both of these teams are front runners of the highest order, perhaps that will cancel out when they play each other? Im leaning towards Miami, but I don't feel great about it. Whoever gets the first TD will probably win.

Monday

LV @ KC: KC -10.5

Blind Owl: Chiefs looked beatable in their win over the Patriots. But hey, everyone lined up onside, so that’s a thing. The Chiefs are going to win, by a lot. Screw the Raiders. 

Concret3Cowboy: Raiders stink.

BrendawnoftheDead: big spread but the raiders stink.

NYG @ PHI: PHI -13.5

Blind Owl: Philly also looks beatable. But, it’s the Giants. E-A-G-L-E-S. 

Concret3Cowboy: 🤌 … I like how we can still be racist towards the Italians.

BrendawnoftheDead: also a big spread but the giants stink too.

BAL @ SF: SF -6

Blind Owl: It is just so hard to pick against this wagon known as the 49ers. They have talent literally everywhere on the field. The Ravens have talent too, but not to the level of the 9ers. This could be a potential Super Bowl preview that the 49ers are going to dominate. They may win by double digits. Lamar throws a couple picks in this one too. 

Concret3Cowboy: I want to go Baltimore just to try to catch a game on the guys, but that’s really the only reason I’d pick them here. So give me the Ravens.

BrenfawnoftheDead: SF has more ways to score. The only way the ravens win is if Lamar is perfect. The 9ers can have one of like 4 guys go nuts and they'll do enough to win. 6 sounds right, especially at home.