The NFL Roundup - Week 16

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It's a somber yet exciting time in the NFL. On one hand, some teams are now officially eliminated from the playoffs, signaling an early end to their season. Plus, with only two weeks left in the regular season, fans everywhere know the offseason is looming large. But before that sad moment arrives, there are still playoff spots to be clenched and a push from every team to finish out the season on a high note regardless of their record. All of this will lead to some incredible games and some incredible stories and here are the ones we are keeping an eye on for Week 16.

Will Odell Beckham Jr.'s suspension hurt the Giants this weekend?
For those who missed out on the fun last week, OBJ decided during the game against the Panthers that using his helmet as a meat seeking missile and punching defensive backs was a good idea. Guess what? It wasn't. The league slapped him with a one game suspension for his actions and quite frankly, I do think it may hurt the Giants big time. He is indeed a strong go to receiver for Eli Manning and to not have him in a game with New York's playoff chances on the line is not a good thing and there's a solid chance it will hurt the Giants offense dearly as they face the stout Vikings defense. But, on the other hand, I'm glad the league upheld the suspension and hopefully not being on the field this weekend is a solid lesson to him to stop acting like a four year old and to play the game like the professional player the Giants are paying him to be. 

Will the late season surge from Washington and Houston continue? 
Let's just be honest, if you're looking for two teams that are an absolute blast to watch, then you tune in to watch the Redskins or Texans play. They've been phenomenal as of late, they know their respective destinies are in their own hands and that translates on the field in the way they play. But, the question is can they keep it up? After all, while these teams have made monumental progress this season, both of them still have glaring holes to fix and that's dangerous this late in the year. Sure it makes them fun to watch, but both squads are playing in weak divisions and I won't be shocked if either team loses at least one more game before the season ends and sadly, I'm still not sure either one of them will lock up their respective divisions or even make the playoffs for that matter. 

Which Denver Broncos team will show up on Monday Night Football?
It's been a tale of two teams this season in Denver. On one hand we've had Broncos squads take the field that are downright terrifying to other opponents as they shut other squads down with their powerhouse defense and they're able to run and throw at will on offense. Yet at the same time, we've seen Broncos squads take the field this year that are downright terrifying with how awful they are, letting games slip away despite a commanding lead and quite frankly, this Monday night game against the Bengals could make or break the season. There is a chance Denver won't make the playoffs if they lose another game and Kansas City wins so they definitely need this one to go their way, and we'll find out whether or not they can pull it off depending on which Broncos squad takes the field come Monday night. 

What will the Cleveland Browns do with Head Coach Mike Pettine at the end of the season?
It may seem premature to be discussing the fate of an NFL Head Coach two weeks before the season ends, but in reality it's not. With the season lost for the Cleveland Browns, football fans have to be wondering what will happenwith the Head Coaching gig in that town and while I know the players are calling for Mike Pettine to stay for continuity and growth's sake...how can you keep a guy whose team has regressed? Going from 7-9 to 3-11 as of press time is not a good thing and not to mention, this is a coach who hasn't been able to get his starting quarterback to act like a professional one damn bit. I'm all for continuity but I think regardless of what happens in the next two weeks, it's the end of the line for Pettine, but stranger things have happened in Cleveland. 

Does Rex Ryan get to coach another year in Buffalo?
Speaking of coaches that have lost their team, let's take a moment and talk about Rex Ryan. Heralded as a big time and smart hire at the start of the offseason, Rex has turned out to be anything but. Every single promise he made to the fans in his introductory press conference has been broken, there's turmoil in the locker room now and Mario Williams has spoken out regarding his dislike for the coach and to top it all off, they're 6-8 and mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for this year. So needless to say, this season has been an unmitigated disaster for a squad that showed so much promise under Head Coach Doug Marrone a year ago. So, the big question is, do they fire Rex at the end of the year? I don't think they do. He has an impressive resume and that should keep him around for a little longer but if he begins to falter again in 2016...he may be one of the first head coaches out of a job. 

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OUR PICKS OF THE WEEK

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
John and Scotty - Oakland

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles
John - Washington / Scotty - Philadelphia

New England Patriots at New York Jets
John and Scotty - New England

Houston Texans a Tennesse Titans 
John and Scotty - Houston

Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs
John and Scotty - Kansas City

Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins
John - Indianapolis / Scotty - Miami

San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions
John and Scotty - Detroit

Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills
John - Dallas / Scotty - Buffalo

Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
John - Tampa Bay / Scotty - Chicago

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
John and Scotty - Carolina

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
John and Scotty - Pittsburgh

Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints
John and Scotty - New Orleans

St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks 
John - Seattle / Scotty - St. Louis

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
John - Green Bay / Scotty - Arizona

New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings
John and Scotty - Minnesota

Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos
John and Scotty - Denver

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