The Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers will meet for the second time in three weeks, as the Packers look to regain first place in the NFC North. Can they do it even without Micah Parsons? Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers meet for the first time with first place in the NFC South on the line. Who has the edge in that game? I also make picks for huge AFC matchups between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens. Below are my top NFL Week 16 pick’em pool predictions.
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NFL Week 16 Pick’em Pool Predictions (2025)
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
How much will the loss of Micah Parsons impact the Packers on Saturday? Parsons suffered a season-ending ACL injury last week, which means the Packers will be without their leader in sacks (12.5) for their rematch against the Bears.
While Parsons' presence on the field can't be understated, the Bears did a phenomenal job of taking him out of the game in their 28-21 loss two weeks ago. Parsons finished with just one tackle and zero sacks.
This isn't to say that Parsons' absence won't be meaningful. It absolutely will be. But the Packers' defense is much more than one player. As a unit, they're allowing just 294.6 yards and 20.1 points per game.
This game will ultimately come down to how well the Packers can stop the Bears' rushing attack. The Bears rank second in the league with 151.9 yards, and they definitely got the better of the Packers' eighth-ranked rush defense in the first meeting, as they ran for 138 yards. And yet, the Packers still won. At this point, even without Parsons, the Packers are just the more complete team.
Pick: Green Bay Packers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers
These are two of the hardest teams to figure out this season. The Panthers defeated the Los Angeles Rams three weeks ago, then somehow lost to the New Orleans Saints coming out of their bye last week. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have lost five of their last six, with their last two losses coming at home against the Atlanta Falcons and the Saints.
I do find it shocking that the Buccaneers are 3-point road favorites considering how poorly they've played of late. The defense has allowed at least 24 points in five of its last six games, and the unit now ranks 24th in scoring defense (25.3 points per game).
While the Panthers have the fifth-lowest scoring offense in football, I'm giving them the edge as the home team. They're 4-2 when playing in Charlotte, and the offense is significantly better at home, averaging 22.3 points per game compared to just 16.3 on the road. On paper, the Buccaneers may be the better team, but they're spiraling, and their only win in their last six tries was a 20-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Pick: Carolina Panthers
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Denver Broncos
Two of the hottest teams in football square off on Sunday, in a game that may end up having huge seeding implications for the AFC playoffs. The Jaguars have won five consecutive games, with four of those victories coming by at least 17 points. Meanwhile, the Broncos have won 11 consecutive games, and they just picked up an impressive win over the Packers last week.
While the Jaguars are playing well, they don't do anything well enough offensively to pick up this road win. They're 16th in yards per game (335.7), 18th in passing yards per game (215) and 16th in rushing yards per game (120.7). The Broncos have the fifth-ranked total defense, 11th-ranked pass defense, second-ranked rush defense and third-ranked scoring defense.
The Jaguars do have the best rush defense in football, allowing just 86.3 yards per game. However, I hardly anticipate that bothering a Broncos' offense that has the fifth-most pass attempts in the NFL this season. If the Kansas City Chiefs were still in the mix, then this could have been a potential lookahead spot for the Jaguars, with the team traveling to Kansas City for a Christmas Day game. But with that game ultimately meaning nothing, the Jaguars are going to get the Broncos at their best.
Pick: Denver Broncos
New England Patriots vs. Baltimore Ravens
After their 24-0 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Ravens are favored over the 11-3 Patriots on Sunday night. The Ravens are in an interesting situation, where if the Pittsburgh Steelers lose earlier in the day and the Ravens win on Sunday night, then the two teams will be playing for the AFC North no matter what in Week 18.
While that extra bit of motivation could put the Ravens over the top, I'm not ready to say they're back after just one win. This is an offense that still ranks 14th in the league in points per game, while the defense ranks 26th against the pass and is giving up 22.9 points per contest.
Drake Maye and the Patriots rank sixth in the league with 241.8 passing yards per game. They're also averaging 27.3 points per game. While some may sound alarm bells after the Patriots collapsed at home last week against the Buffalo Bills, this team still led that game 21-0 at one point. This is a very good team that has been proving itself every week, while the Ravens feel stuck in neutral even after one dominant win.
Pick: New England Patriots
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Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.