Packers at Vikings (-2½)
The Packers have suspended star cornerback Jaire Alexander for his stunt crashing of the coin toss last week in Carolina. Green Bay fans haven’t been this embarrassed by the clownish, “look at me” antics of one of their players since Aaron Rodgers left.
Pick: Packers by 3
49ers at Commanders (+13½)
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy saw his MVP candidacy implode on Monday night thanks to four interceptions against Baltimore. Analysts agree it is the fastest, most devastating collapse of a campaign since Ron DeSantis.
Pick: 49ers by 11
Dolphins at Ravens (-3½)
Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson took the lead in the NFL MVP race with Monday night’s victory. Jackson won the big game despite the fact that he had a lower completion percentage to Ravens players than Brock Purdy did.
Pick: Dolphins by 3
Bengals at Chiefs (-7½)
Kansas City’s Andy Reid raised eyebrows when he was caught shoving star tight end Travis Kelce on the sideline during their loss to Las Vegas. While they quickly made nice, the normally gregarious coach is in danger of becoming the subject of the next scathing Taylor Swift ballad.
Pick: Chiefs by 3
Raiders at Colts (-2½)
Las Vegas upset Kansas City on Christmas Day despite the fact QB Aidan O’Connell did not complete a pass in the final three quarters. Because of that, the Chiefs were the second-biggest loser on Christmas Day, trailing only the NBA”s quintuple-header.
Pick: Colts by 3
Patriots at Bills (-11½)
New England coach Bill Beichick, after the Patriots’ win in Denver, is now just 15 victories behind Don Shula on the all-time list. Belichick almost certainly will move elsewhere after the season because, if he stays with this New England team he crafted, it will take him seven years to win 16 games.
Pick: Bills by 10
Panthers at Jaguars (-6½)
Former Panthers standout MIke Tolbert broke the team’s hype drum before last Sunday’s win over Green Bay. The incident immediately raised speculation that to get a replacement drum the Panthers are willing to trade Bryce Young.
Pick: Jaguars by 7
Chargers at Broncos (-5½)
Pop singer Ciara came to husband Russell Wilson’s defense after Denver coach Sean Payton benched the quarterback even though the Broncos still have long-shot playoff hopes. It was quite a gesture because, right now, Ciara’s probably the most competent QB in the family.
Pick: Chargers by 3
Rams at Giants (+6½)
The Tommy Cutlets era is over in Jersey as Tyrod Taylor has taken over for Tommy DeVito as the Giants’ QB. This likely means it will be at least the end of the decade before DeVito finally moves out of his parents’ basement.
Pick: Rams by 11
Other games
Falcons at Bears (-2½):
Pick: Bears by 3
Titans at Texans (-3½):
Pick: Titans by 3
Cardinals at Eagles (-12½):
Pick: Eagles by 21
Saints at Buccaneers (-3½):
Pick: Buccaneers by 4
Steelers at Seahawks (-3½):
Pick: Seahawks by 7
Record
Week 16
10-6 straight up
5-11 vs. spread
Season
146-94 straight up (.608)
119-121 vs. spread (.496)
You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.
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