Fansided

NFL Week 16 picks against the spread

By Nick Villano

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 15: Jake Sindberg of Wisconsin makes bets during a viewing party for the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament inside the 25,000-square-foot Race
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 15: Jake Sindberg of Wisconsin makes bets during a viewing party for the NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament inside the 25,000-square-foot Race /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 8
Next
(Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
(Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images) /

Washington Redskins @ Tennessee Titans (-10)

The Washington Redskins were facing a similar bad line last week, and they won the game outright. Sure, the Jacksonville Jaguars were much worse than the Tennessee Titans this season, but the Titans still have some major question marks. They are living off of Derrick Henry for the past two weeks. He didn’t have a 100-yard game up until two weeks ago. Then, out of nowhere, he had 400 yards in two weeks. Can lightning strike three times, and to the point that they blow out another opponent?

One thing is working in the Titans favor, four of their last five wins came by double digits. They may not win every game, but they are consistent when they do.

On the other hand, this Redskins team has something about them that shows their fighting despite having an AAF quarterback running things. Josh Johnson kept the Redskins relevant in the NFC playoff picture for at least one more week. He hasn’t been great, but he’s avoided mistakes, and the team can lean on Adrian Peterson and the defense to keep them in the game.

Tennessee 21, Washington 17 

Baltimore Ravens @ Los Angeles Chargers (-4.5)

The Baltimore Ravens have one of the most interesting offenses that we have seen in a long time. Sure, we can salivate over the high-power offense of the Chiefs, or the workings of great quarterbacks like Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson, but what we see from the Ravens is really interesting. They are using a major rushing attack, something we thought was outdated in today’s NFL. Obviously, it starts with Lamar Jackson, but Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon have been good in their own right.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Chargers are coming off the biggest win of their year. They took down the Chiefs on the road. The Chargers coach went for it all, and went for two at the end of the game to give his team the biggest win of their season so far.

That’s why I’m going with the Ravens here. This is a clear letdown game for the Chargers. They are probably getting Melvin Gordon back. They are flying high in front of their home crowd. Now, they are facing a desperate team trying to keep their playoff spot with a stellar defense and an off-the-wall offensive philosophy. This is either a loss for the Chargers, or will be very, very close.

Baltimore 23, Los Angeles 20