Week fifteen was profitable for my books. I finished 4-2 with Washington, Minnesota, Los Angeles and New York all covering. While my two incorrect picks included the Packers and Chargers. On a separate note, the Patriots/Steelers game was absolutely bonkers and finished with me having an immediate meltdown. I finished 8-8 in the afternoon games on a over/under bet, and only needed the over in the Steelers/Patriots game which was 53. The pass that Roethlisburgher completed to Jesse James in the end-zone would have put the total at 59 and earned my a cool thousand dollars… instead that catch, that was most definitely a catch was overturned.. which I was okay with at the time because the total of 51 was still within reach, all I needed was Pittsburgh to kick a field goal to tie the game and I would still get my over. Well, we all know what happened next.. instead of spiking the ball on third down Ben threw into triple coverage in the end-zone and was intercepted for the game a Patriots victory and a final total of 51. I don’t think I can remember ever losing a bet of this stature in such a heart-breaking way. Now that I’ve got that out of way.. here are the games I’ll be circling this weekend.

SILVER PREDICTIONS

CLEVELAND BROWNS VS CHICAGO BEARS (-6.5)

This is a meaningless game for the record, but I see the Bears keeping the Browns winless on the season. Solider Field is an extremely difficult place to play in late December. It was colder than nearly any other stadium in the league, and I think the makeup of Chicago is perfect to succeed against this horrible Browns team. The Bears have done a fantastic job running the ball all year, and Mitchell Trubisky has proven he has the legs to extend plays. Without saying, the Browns have been terrible on the road this year, they have lost five of their six games by at least 9-points. Look for Chicago to play a solid defensive game and climb to a double-digit lead before half-time.

FINAL SCORE – BROWNS 9 – BEARS 23

ATLANTA FALCONS (+6) VS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

This is arguably the most important game of the weekend. Several teams playoff hopes are riding on this one game in the NFC. While I think the Saints will win, 6-points is to many to ignore. Everything is on the line for Atlanta in this game. If they win they leapfrog the Saints in the NFC South standings and take sole possession of first. Matt Ryan has been far from the MVP player he was last year, and the offense has struggled at several points this year. This isn’t a game they can afford to do that, and I expect they come out flying in this game. Look for Julio Jones to put this team on his back and have a monster game.

FINAL SCORE – FALCONS 29 – SAINTS 32

GOLD PREDICTIONS

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (-6.5) VS NEW YORK JETS

Bryce Petty. Do I really have to say more? Josh McCown put New York on his back this season and his quarterback play was the reason they were able to win and stay within reach of so many football games this year. Bryce Petty is making his secondary start with McCown out for the season. In relief last week Petty finished 2-9 with 22 passing yards. You might as well chalk up a victory for the Chargers in this spot. It is an absolute necessity they win this game if they want to stay within playoff contention. Look for Joey Bosa to play a major disruptor in this game and for the Chargers to cruise to a big victory.

FINAL SCORE – CHARGERS 26 – JETS 10

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (-9) VS GREEN BAY PACKERS

Minnesota is a league best 10-4 against the spread this year, and should improve to 11-4 this weekend. Green Bay officially placed Aaron Rodgers on injury reserve after losing last weekend and really have nothing to play for in this game. As for Minnesota, they are still in contention to earn a first round bye and possibly earn the NFC title if Philadelphia loses. I’m expecting another lock-down defensive performance from Minnesota’s defense and a couple turnovers from Brett Hundley. While the Vikings offense should beat up on a Packers defense that has struggled for much of the season.

FINAL SCORE – VIKINGS 33 – PACKERS 14

PLATINIUM PREDICITONS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (-4) VS SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Jimmy Garoppolo has been fantastic since lacing up for the 49ers. He is 3-0 as a starter and has more passing yards in his first three games as a starter than what Joe Montana and Steve Young had combined in their first three games. Right now he looks like a savour, but Jacksonville will be his toughest task yet. The Jaguars have one of the best defensive teams in the league this year. They are giving up the fewest points per game in the league (14.9) and yards per play (4.9). Laying only 4-points on Jacksonville in this game a no-brainer. San Francisco has struggled to pressure the quarterback all season and they are allowing teams to convert 44% of the time on third down (28th in the league). Blake Bortles has been playing surprisingly well the last couple weeks and looks in line to have another good game on Sunday.

FINAL SCORE – JAGUARS 31 – 49ERS 12

OAKLAND RAIDERS VS PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (-9)

Oakland has been a mess all season long. Derek Carr has not looked great and will be without both Crabtree and Cooper this week due to injuries. That spells bad-news-bears for the Raiders offense. Philadelphia had a poor defensive performance versus the Giants last week and I think they are going to bounce back in a big way this weekend against a weakened Raiders offense. In six home games this season Philadelphia is 6-0, and are winning by an average of 16-points per game. Expect more of the same on Monday, Oakland can hit the reset button next season.

WEEK SIXTEEN NFL PREDICTIONS – 2017