NFL Week 16 picks and predictions: Lions and Vikings, Bengals and Steelers clash on Christmas Eve
- George Dempsey
- 20 December 2023
Week 16 of the NFL season falls on Christmas Eve and Planet Sport is hoping to boost your festive spirit by picking out some winners this festive weekend.
The NFL has delivered more than a few gifts this festive season as we prepare to feast on some huge divisional clashes with playoff implications.
The Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions, the Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders face the Kansas City Chiefs.
Elsewhere, the 10-4 Miami Dolphins face the 10-4 Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott and co have confirmed their place in the playoffs, but Tui Tagovialoa needs one more win.
Suggested bets
Bengals @ Steelers (Sat 23/12, 2130 GMT)
It isn’t over for Pittsburgh just yet, but they need to win their remaining games and keep their fingers crossed. However, they’ve won one of their last five.
Najee Harris’ touchdown and three field goals from Chris Boswell helped them to a 16-10 win over the Bengals, and we expect the visitors will want revenge here.
Cincy have surged since then, winning three straight to move to 8-6. Jake Browning carried the Bengals in a history-making performance last time out and we think they’ll ride that wave of momentum here.
Lions @ Vikings (Sun 24/12, 1800 GMT)
The 10-4 Lions just need to win a game and they’re in, so their motivation may not match that of the 7-7 Vikings. They know they need to win out.
You’d think a team would be happy to be at home in this spot, but Minnesota are 2-4 having lost to losing teams in the Chargers and Bears at home.
On the other hand, Detroit are on a 9-3ATS run on the road and 5-0ATS on the back of winning by two or more touchdowns. Also, they’re 11-3ATS against NFC North.
Cowboys @ Dolphins (Sun 24/12, 2125 GMT)
Dallas are untouchable at home, but they have a losing record on their travels. On Christmas Eve, they’ll visit a Dolphins team who are 10-6 and need one more win.
Their home record stands at 6-1SU and they’re a solid 9-3ATS as a home favourite and 5-0ATS at home against a team with a winning record.
Getting the home side as a -1.5 favourite does feel like an early Christmas present and we’re happy to play on motivation here.
Raiders @ Chiefs (Mon 25/12, 1800 GMT)
The Chiefs can seal their spot at the dance with a win over the Raiders on Christmas Day, while the visitors need to win their remaining matches and hope KC lose.
In reality, the only question mark over this game is will Kansas City win by double digits. They’re averaging 23.7 points per game at home, compared to LV’s 13.8 on the road.
Patrick Mahomes and co have lost three of four but have beaten losing teams in the Patriots and Raiders by double digits in recent weeks.
They’ll want to get things tied up as soon as possible.
