Casino City's Week 16 NFL Circa Million V 2023 Pro Football Contest Picks

We have entered the final three weeks of the NFL season. Each game is more important than the last, especially for those teams barely hanging on to playoff hopes. Other than perhaps the San Francisco 49ers, there is no truly dominant team that we can say are a lock to make it to the Super Bowl this year in Las Vegas, but that will make for an even more exciting few weeks of playoffs. Let’s take a look at who we think is ready to make a statement in Week 16.

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Week 16 Contest Point Spreads

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— Circa Sports (@CircaSports) December 21, 2023

Indianapolis +1 over Atlanta
After a 3-5 first half of the season, many took the Indianapolis Colts off their radar, but they have stormed back into the conversation. Rattling off five wins in their last six games, Indy, led by backup QB Gardner Minshew, is one of the hottest teams in all of football.

While the Colts are riding a high right now, the Atlanta Falcons at 6-8 are definitely in the midst of a low after losing 9-7 to the previously one-win Carolina Panthers. You could look at this week’s matchup as a bounce back opportunity, but this feels more like the final straw on the season.

Michael Pittman Jr., a key weapon for the Colts, is hoping to return to action after leaving last game with a concussion as a result from a dirty hit by Damontae Kazee who was ejected for the collision. Pittman was limited in practice on Wednesday.

With a 5-2 road record, the Colts can look to walk away from Atlanta with an outright win and potentially gain control of the AFC South.

It's getting pretty crowded atop the AFC South.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) December 18, 2023

Green Bay -4.5 over Carolina
The Green Bay Packers are one of those teams that are hanging on by a thread to make the playoffs. A loss this week to Carolina would pretty much finish digging their grave, but a victory would keep them quite alive.

Expect Jordan Love, Aaron Jones and the Packers’ offense to, in the words of Remember the Titans, “leave no doubt” when they take the field Sunday afternoon.

Despite their second win of the season, the Panthers still didn’t show any improvement on the offensive side of the football. If the Packers can put up over 14 points in this game, it could be enough, and 20+ should be more than enough against on of the worst offenses in the NFL.

Seattle -2.5 over Tennessee
Seattle has had a rollercoaster-type season. After a 6-3 start, the team plummeted with four losses in a row to go below .500. It seemed the Seahawks were in a free fall with no signs of it ending, especially with the Philadelphia Eagles coming to town on Monday night.

To make matters worse, backup QB Drew Lock was forced into starting just moments before the game as starter Geno Smith failed to return from injury. All signs pointed to a comfortable victory for Philly. but Lock really stepped up and drove over 90 yards in a two-minute drill to score a game winning touchdown and take the game right out of Philly’s hands.

At 7-7, the Seahawks are just barely on the outside looking in at a Wild Card playoff spot. Moving to 8-7 really boosts their playoff chances. After a big win like last week, that is the type of game to help a team turn it on and get into a groove.

Two game-winning TDs for the rook. ??#ProBowlVote + @jaxon_smith1 pic.twitter.com/WPJhbZwuUa
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 21, 2023

Detroit -3 over Minnesota
If you played against Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs last week in fantasy, we are sorry to hear that as they combined for FIVE touchdowns. They became the second rookie duo since the NFL merger in 1970 to score five times in a game.

The scary thing about the Detroit Lions’ offense is that they have even more weapons than those two. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the primary receiving threat and is capable of racking up yards after the catch with the ball in his hands.

Out of the backfield, Gibbs is teamed up with David Montgomery who is a much more powerful back and is a difficult runner to bring down at first contact. These weapons surround QB Jared Goff who does a good job of getting the ball to his playmakers and put them in good positions to turn something into chunk plays.

This high-powered offense is the reason the Lions sit comfortably in first place in the NFC North and a win would clinch the division.

Minnesota, while holding a Wild Card spot, has been playing very mediocre football over the last month with a revolving door at QB. The Vikings have dropped three out of four, and they are lucky to not have lost four straight as the lone win was a 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

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— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 18, 2023

Jacksonville pick’em over Tampa Bay
A surprise team this year in the NFL is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team started 4-7, but caught a small hot streak to bring their record to 7-7. Lucky for the Bucs, they play in the NFC South, the worst division in football this season, so that .500 record is enough for the division lead.
The Bucs will be tested this week as they host the 8-6 Jacksonville Jaguars. During Tampa Bay’s three-game win streak, none of the three opponents held a record above .500.

With the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans nipping at the Jags heels for the AFC South race, Jacksonville is in desperate need of a bounce back win after losing three in a row of their own.

The stat that stands out for Jacksonville is their 5-1 record on the road and Tampa Bay has just a 3-3 home record. QB Trevor Lawrence and receiver Zay Jones are both on the injury report, but with how much is on the line for the Jags, expect them to try and at least give it a go on Sunday.

Week 15 Results: 1-3-1
Season Record: 29-42-4