There are just two weeks remaining in the NFL regular season. That means playoff seeding and the teams who will play in the playoffs will be decided very shortly. Plenty of teams around the league are playing in must-win games to end the year.
In Week 16, we have a couple of marquee matchups to watch. We have the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1) traveling to take on the New Orleans Saints (12-2). The Saints at home are nearly unstoppable this season. We also have the Houston Texans (10-4) taking on the Philadelphia Eagles (7-7).
The Steelers are trying to fend off the Baltimore Ravens (8-6) for the AFC North crown. The Eagles, on the other hand, are fighting for a playoff spot while Nick Foles is back under center.
The Seattle Seahawks (8-6) will host the Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) on Sunday night. With all of these intriguing games, we could see a lot of surprising moments happen. Here are five bold predictions for Week 16 NFL action.
5. Taylor Heinicke Will Light Up the Atlanta Falcons
The Carolina Panthers recently decided to shut down Cam Newton for the rest of the regular season due to a shoulder injury. The Panthers are essentially out of the playoff race after falling to 6-8 in Week 15.
With Newton being out, the Panthers announced that Taylor Heinicke will serve as their starting quarterback in their last two games. This week he will face the Atlanta Falcons at home.
Heinicke has only thrown five passes in his four-year career. Heinicke began his career for the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. Since then, he's been on multiple practice squads. Now, he is the backup on the Panthers and is finally getting an opportunity to showcase his talent.
He will light up the Falcons' defense, throwing for 300 or more yards and a couple scores in his first career start. Don't be surprised if we see another story like San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Nick Mullens unfold in Carolina.
4. Nick Foles Defeats the Texans, Getting the Philadelphia Eagles Back in the Playoffs (Again)
It seemed like the Philadelphia Eagles' season was heading for a disaster before Week 15. Carson Wentz suffered an injury to his back in Week 14, causing him to be ruled out in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Rams. Nick Foles would be named the starter, causing deja vu to occur with Eagles fans.
Foles traveled to Los Angeles and defeated the then 11-2 Rams. It wasn't a great performance by Foles by any means, but he made plays when he needed to.
Alshon Jeffery had eight of Foles' 24 completions, getting 160 yards out of those eight catches. With the win over the Rams, the Eagles rose to 7-7, putting them right back into the hunt of one of the NFC Wild Card positions. They will need some help along the way, but Foles could work his magic again like last year to somehow will the Eagles into the postseason.
Foles will lead the game-winning drive to end the game, inching Philadelphia even closer to a playoff berth. If this happens, the people of Philadelphia will celebrate like they just won another Super Bowl.
3. The Pittsburgh Steelers Defeat the New Orleans Saints by Double-Digits
Arguably the best game of Week 16 happens to be between the New Orleans Saints and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course, the game will be played in New Orleans, making the Steelers' playoff picture even murkier.
The Saints have been lights out at home this season and over Drew Brees' career there. At home, the Saints average a whopping 38 points and Brees has had his way in the Superdome.
This season, Brees has completed 77 percent of his passes, thrown for 1,925 of his 3,666 yards, 20 of his 31 touchdowns, and just one interception at home. The Steelers need every win they can get as they try to secure the AFC North title in these last two weeks.
The good news is that Ben Roethlisberger plays pretty well in games where it's played in a dome. In nine career games in a dome, Roethlisberger has won six, while completing 70 percent of his passes for 2,122 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Steelers will walk into New Orleans and hand the Saints their first loss by double-digits this season.
2. Ben Roethlisberger Will Throw for Six Touchdowns
To extend on my previous bold prediction, Roethlisberger will throw for six touchdowns en route to a double-digit victory. With the absence of James Conner for another week, look for the Steelers to throw the ball against a Saints team who boasts a stout run defense.
The Steelers are going to need Big Ben to outplay Drew Brees to defeat the Saints in Week 16. With the multitude of weapons he has, plus the struggles of the Saints secondary, it is definitely possible.
When you have Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Vance McDonald, Jaylen Samuels, Jesse James, and James Washington, you can throw the ball with the best of them. The Saints have allowed 3,675 yards and 25 touchdowns through the air this season.
Ben has thrown six touchdowns in a game twice in his career.
His third game of six touchdown passes will come this week in New Orleans to defeat the Saints.
1. Derrick Henry Breaks the Single-Game Rushing Record
Over the last couple of weeks, the hottest running back has been Derrick Henry. Henry has rushed for 408 yards in the last two games. The NFL record for rushing yards in a game is 296, from Adrian Peterson in 2007.
Henry is an absolute monster at the running back position, standing at 6-foot-3 and coming in at around 250 pounds. All records are meant to be broken and why not be done by a guy who just rushed for a 99-yard touchdown two weeks ago?
The Tennessee Titans take on the Washington Redskins in Week 16. Recently, the Redskins have become susceptible to opposing teams' rushing attacks.
The Redskins run defense has allowed 128 or more yards rushing in five out of their last seven games. Henry will smash the single-game rushing yards record and run for over 300 yards in Week 16.
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