NFL 2024 Season - Week 16
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Week 16
Vintage 2018
Penix Debut
Dog Day
Playoff Position
Rest of the Story
Different Sundays
Run Some Tests
Without and With
Week 15
Two Tonight
Playoff Chances
Wild Card Challenge
Best of the Best
Next
Dire Straits
And It's Good
Bloated Lines
Week 14
Running up the Score
Challenge Me
Finding Reasons to Win
Crab Feed
Week Off
Good Enough
Buyers Regret
Pulled the Rug
Week 13
Mile High Hopes
Top and Bottom
Fourth Time the Charm
Bounce Back
Engage Spark
Line Up
Out in the Cold
Thanksgiving Visitors
Good Enough
Motivation on Steroids
Week 12
Second Best
Heavyweight Bout
QB's Ins and Outs
Everybody In
Too Easy
Walk the Plank
Hot to Trot
Try, Try, Try, Try, Try Again
Week 11
Mouse Trap
Must Game
Malfunction
Easy Does It
Old Foes
Falcons Fly into Mile High
Matter of Time
Improv
To the Brink
Week 10
Odd Man Out
Lions come Calling
Rookie versus Veteran
Call to Action
Full Reverse
When 8-0 is 4-4
Game of Contradictions
NFC West Bunch
Early Boarding
Week 9
Not Enough, Too Much
Real or Imposters
Groin Shot
Best Show
Saddle Up
Dull Edges
Telling Actions
Annihilation Formula
Week 8
No and No
Old Glory
Rookie Face Off
Adding it Up
Holding On
Jets Down
Unload and Reload
No Surprise
Career Paths
It Hurts
Week 7
Harbaugh Monday
Kids Camp
Barkley Back
Bird Battle
Mouse Time
Too Many?
Gone Shopping
Not Bad
40 for 3
Week 6
Try New
Night Vision
Trap Door
Looking Up
Wake Up Call
All Good Things
Bad Idea
Unexpected
Fire One
Week 5
Yes & Yes
Old Rivals
Rookie Sensation
So Close
Lunch in Seattle
Wake the Roosters
No Respect
Too Sweet
Turtle Flip
Week 4
Landmine
Bottoms Up
Winners and Losers
Call Me
Short Line
Reality Bites
Like Tonight
Uptick
Challenge Generates Performance
Week 3
Two Times
Reduced Value
Stars Down
The Other 21
Opportunity Knocks
Lots of Questions
Move Along People
Times Up
Week 2
Confidence Game
First and Second Picked QB's
Avoiding the Donut
Do or Die
One for the Road
Likewise
Adjustment Bureau
Down ... Not Out
Week 1
Time Marches On
Cashing the Trade
Start Here
Say What
Quick Up, Quick Down
Brazil Play Date
Top Two Open
Super Bowl Pick
Season Win Totals
Moving on Up
Breakout to Breakdown
Preseason 4
Preseason Wrap
Rookie Playoff Run
Preseason 3
Short Memory
Two In, One Up
Eagles Hunt
Winning Formula
Preseason 2
Quarterback Shuffle
One Two, or Two One
Starters Sit
Remote Control
Money be Damned
Preseason 1
One Season to the Next
Public Shift
Comets in the Night
Offseason
Mahomes Chasing History
All's Well that Ends Well
Ups and Downs
     
 
Fourth Time the Charm
by Dennis Ranahan

The National Football League had all 32 teams in action this week and spread the games over four days beginning with the trio of contests on Thanksgiving. Friday had the Raiders and Chiefs matchup and tomorrow night the Cleveland Browns visit the Denver Broncos to close out Week 13 action.

Today, the NFL has avoided any winter weather conditions that could affect play on the field … until the Buffalo Bills host the San Francisco 49ers tonight. Snow is in the forecast for Highmark Stadium.

The NFL’s strongest division this season is the NFC North. Only the Chicago Bears have a losing mark from the four teams that constitute this group, which is led by the Detroit Lions, who won a record 10th straight game on Thanksgiving and lead the pack with an 11-1 season mark. Right on their heels are the Minnesota Vikings, who have only two losses this year, and the Green Bay Packers who picked up their ninth win on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins.

The Vikings are an interesting story. They shipped their starting quarterback from the past half-dozen seasons to the Atlanta Falcons before the season started and then turned the starting role in Minnesota over to a veteran who had failed with his first three teams.

San Darnold was the third overall selection in the 2018 draft by the New York Jets. You know, the Jets, wherever since Joe Namath succeeded more than a half-century ago, quarterbacks have found mostly nothing but failure. Darnold also had non-descript seasons with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers before taking over the quarterback duties with the Vikings this season.

Success has followed. While he has not been the only reason the Vikings are in prime playoff position, Minnesota has a sturdy defense and one of the best receivers in the game in Justin Jefferson. But Darnold has done enough to keep the Vikings ahead of the Packers and just behind the anointed best team in football, the Lions.

Last week, in a horrible spot on our charts, he engineered an overtime win in Chicago. Now, he goes from overcoming a bad spot to a sweet spot at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Vikings are one of our five money rated plays today.

As for the public, their favorite play of the day is the Washington Commanders (-6) over the Tennessee Titans. The public is also lined up on another six-point road favorite, backing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6) over the Carolina Panthers. The third most-bet game this week is ironically another six-point favorite, but this one is at home as they like the Buffalo Bills (-6) over the San Francisco 49ers.

The Qoxhi Picks rated plays are now posted on this site, and if a Bullet Play develops in the final hour leading up to the day’s first kickoff, it will be added to the list of recommendations by 9:45 a.m. Pacific Time.