Teams everywhere are jockeying for playoff seeding or draft status. At one count, 25 teams are compelling because of the storylines. That makes it fun to watch and exciting to follow teams. That may change in a week, but for now things are great. For now, let us focus on the picks against the spread. As opposed to Week 15, where the underdogs ruled, the favorites are who we are going with this week.
Read on for our early game picks.
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills (+3.0): We stayed one week from betting on the Tim Tebow, but that was only because the golden boy, Tom Brady was the nemesis. Since it is Ryan Fiitzpatrick and the reeling Bills, we are back on the Tebow train. Pick: Broncos, -3.0.
Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals (-4.0): Arizona has been up and down on the road, but of the Bengals' eight wins, seven came against teams under .500. The Cardinals are now at .500 and have won six of seven with great defense. It will come down to the wire. Pick: Arizona, +4.0.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans (-7.5): The Jaguars have quit on the season, while the Titans are in the mix. Putting money on the Jags would be a bad idea. Pick: Titans, -7.5.
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5): The AFC West is way up for grabs. Every team is still in the mix. The Chiefs are coming off of their high of knocking off the Packers. You might think that they will have a letdown, but they are fighting hard for interim coach Romeo Crennel. Pick: Chiefs, -1.5.
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-9.5): Remember the last time these two team played? There were like 3000 yards passing. New England should win this, but without top pass rusher Andre Carter, this game will go back and forth. Pick: Dolphins, +9.5.
New York Giants at New York Jets (-3.0): Well, the Jets are technically the home team, but both teams have their homes in the same place. In the end, the New York defense will be the difference...but not the Jets. It will be the Giants defense that allows Mark Sanchez to score points. Pick: Jets, -3.0.
St. Louis Rams at Pittsburgh Steelers, no line: Will Ben Roethlisberger play or not? It doesn't matter. Vegas doesn't care enough to give the game a line. With no spread, it's a no-brainer. Pick: Steelers.
Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins (-6.5): You would think that the Vikings would be trying to take over the number one spot in the draft, but you never know which Rex Grossman shows up. This time it will be bad Rex. Pick: Vikings, +6.5.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers (-7.5): The Bucs are another team that has given up. You can't count on them. Plus, Cam Newton against that defense is going to be a bloodbath. Pick: Panthers, -7.5.
Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens (-13.0): The Browns like to play tough, but they were demolished the last time these teams met. This time it is in Baltimore. Pick: Ravens, -13.0.
Stay tuned for the rest of our Week 16 picks.
We invite you to follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and like us on Facebook