Bryce Young annihilates the Packers secondary, and the Cowboys shock the Dolphins for a rare road victory in Week 16. Here are five daring predictions for the Week 16 NFL schedule.
You might wonder, given the unpredictable nature of the NFL, what comes next. Here are five audacious picks for the Week 16 schedule this weekend, which includes two games on Saturday and three on Monday in honor of Christmas Day.
With more than 250 passing yards and three passing touchdowns, Bryce Young fires up the Packers.
What unites Baker Mayfield of the Bucs, the Week 15 NFC Offensive Player of the Week, and Tommy DeVito of the Giants, the Week 14 NFC Offensive Player of the Week? Their career performances against the defense of Packers defensive coordinator Joe Barry earned them both the NFC Offensive Player of the Week accolades.
It took Mayfield only three NFL games in history to record 375 passing yards, four touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating in a road game. In Week 15, he did just that against the Packers, throwing for 381 yards, four touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. During a home victory over Green Bay, DeVito amassed 229 yards (17 of 21 passing, 116 throwing, and 71 rushing) and one passing touchdown. With 70 or more rushing yards without a sack or turnover, DeVito became the first starting quarterback in NFL history to complete passes with an accuracy rate of 80% or higher.
In Week 16, the Packers take on the NFL’s poorest team, the 2-12 Panthers, who feature a struggling Bryce Young. With a weak supporting cast this season, the first overall choice in the 2023 NFL Draft has been a bust.
His 5.3 yards per pass attempt ranking is the lowest of any qualified season since fellow Panthers rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen in 2010. It is also the fourth-lowest of all time for yards/attempt on 400 or more pass attempts in an NFL season. Additionally, it is the fewest yards/attempt on 250 or more pass attempts in any season by a number one overall draft pick.
QB rankings for Bryce Young in 2023
With 400+ attempts, the 4th-fewest yards per touchdown on all attempts in NFL history,ย With the talented but under-coached Packers defense that frequently struggles with communication in the secondary and frequently finds linebackers trapped on wide receivers in coverage, Young has the finest chance of his rookie season to impress. This is his week to shine, if there is one.
On the road, Cowboys defeat Dolphins
Dallas has been struggling all season, as evidenced by their embarrassing 31-10 loss to the Bills in Buffalo in Week 15. Their home scoring offense (39.9 points per game), turnover margin (+10), third-down conversion percentage (53.6%), point difference (+171), and time of possession (35:11) are all higher than those of the NFL. They are all significantly worse off when driving in the same categories. Considering how successful they have been thus far, the difference in their play by location this season is extraordinary.
The third-highest point differential in NFL history for a club that has been outscored on the road (-4) is Dallas’ +167 this season. The 1924 Frankford Yellow Jackets (+217 overall point differential, -13 on the road) and the 1921 Buffalo All-Americans (+182 overall point differential, -2 on the road) were the only teams more dominant than the 2023 Cowboys to also be outscored on the road. Both teams played approximately a century ago.
This season’s cowboys by place
It’s still a mystery to the Cowboys why their 2023 performance varies so much depending on where they play. In response to the question of whether the team has discovered why they perform so differently away from home, Dak Prescott replied, “No, we haven’t,” on Thursday. “To be honest, I have no idea if there is anything tangible.
There are many various elements that complement one another. Various statements could be made, such as “at the end of the day, it might be this or it might be that.” I am the kind of guy that makes excuses for the discussions we have.
It’s just a matter of bringing the energy to the game and keeping it there throughout, win or lose, believing in ourselves, controlling our emotions, being mature and competitive enough to not blink and relish the moments when it’s just you and the world. Therefore, no.”
They will defeat the Dolphins in spite of that in order to record just their fourth road victory of the year. Although this contest pits the NFL’s greatest scoring offense the Dolphins’ 31.5 point per game attack against the second-highest scoring offense in the league the Cowboys’ 30.8 point per game unit the game will be decided by a defensive stop.
Right tackle Austin Jackson (oblique) and right guard Robert Hunt (hamstring) are the only two members of the Dolphins’ starting offensive line who have not yet practiced through Wednesday and Thursday. The whole offensive line has been listed as out this week. Those two cover Tua Tagovailoa’s blindside because he is a left-handed quarterback. The Cowboys will have a significant edge if they are playing at a lower strength or if their backups are available.
Quarterback pressures (89) and quarterback pressure rate (20.9%) are tops in the NFL for Dallas All-Pro edge rusher Michal Parsons. Parsons, Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, and the Cowboys’ pass-rush group as a whole produce the greatest quarterback pressure rate in the league at 47.1%. The Cowboys defensive front takes advantage of Miami’s weak offensive line to produce enough crucial stops to ensure that Dallas has a happy return flight to Texas.
Having thrown for more than 300 yards in three straight victories, Joe Flacco became the first quarterback in Browns history.
Joe Flacco, 38, decided to play NFL football again after skipping training camp and attending his kids’ school because no team in the league wanted him to be a member of their squad come 2023. Now, with injuries all over their depth chart, the former MVP of the Ravens Super Bowl is having a ball as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. A really startling sight.
In his first three games with a team since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, Flacco has the most throwing touchdowns (7) and passing yards (939) by a quarterback at the age of 38 or older. He will make history by becoming the first quarterback in Browns history to pass for 300 yards or more in three straight Cleveland victories, continuing that successful streak.
The Houston Texans, his opponent in Week 16, allow the eighth-highest amount of passing yards per game, 239.1, in the NFL. The NFL’s overall defense consistently returns the ball to quarterback Joe Flacco, who is leading the Browns offense up and down the field while facing a Texans squad without C.J. Stroud. Flacco is able to accumulate yards in this way.
Seahawks triumph at the Titans to stop a five-game losing streak on the road. “no matter who is at QB”
Since Pete Carroll’s first two seasons as Seattle’s head coach, from 2010 to 2011, the Seahawks have not won five straight road games. No matter who starts as quarterback for the Seahawks on Saturday in Tennessee, they have never lost six straight away on the road under Carroll, and that won’t change against the 5-9 Titans.
In the 92-yard, game-winning touchdown drive with 1:52 remaining, backup quarterback Drew Lock led the team to a 20-17 victory over the Eagles on “Monday Night Football.” If Seattle’s starter Geno Smith recovers from his groin injury which seems plausible given that he practiced extensively earlier this week they will prevail. In his final game, a 41-35 road loss to the Cowboys in Week 13, he passed for 334 yards, three passing touchdowns, and one rushing score.
The Titans’ rookie quarterback, Will Levis, took a career-high seven sacks in last week’s 19-16 overtime loss to the Texans. He also injured his ankle during one of the sacks. The lowest number of scrimmage yards on 20 or more touches by any player in a game since 1950 was recorded by Tennessee running back Derrick Henry, who has a history of struggling. He finished with 10 scrimmage yards on 20 touches.
Should Lock restart if Smith is unable to leave? That won’t be significant. No matter who starts as quarterback, Seattle’s road woes come to an end in Week 16.
Philadelphia Giants prevent an Eagles sack on Christmas Day.
This season, the 2023 Giants (5-9) have given up 76 sacks, which ties them for third-most allowed in a season ever with the Houston Texans in 2002. Just three sacks stand between them and the 1997 Cardinals’ record of second-most all-time. The 10-4 Eagles’ defense has collapsed during their current three-game losing run. Since Week 13, they have allowed the second-worst amount of points per game (in the NFL), the fifth-worst amount of total yards per game (382.3), and the seventh-worst amount of passing yards per game (254.3).
The second game of the Christmas Day tripleheader on Monday saw New York hold Tommy DeVito upright the whole game despite having a poor offensive line, denying Philadelphia’s struggling defense even one sack.