NFL Week 16 bold predictions: Philip Rivers lights up the 49ers at 44 and Jaguars pull off Mile High stunner

A crucial Week 16 slate of five bold predictions with major postseason implications

The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks entered "Thursday Night Football" in Week 16 with identical 11-3 records, as both the NFC West crown and the No. 1 seed in the NFC were on the line.

Despite the Rams leading 30-14 with under nine minutes to play, the Seahawks rallied to tie the game with two touchdowns and two two-point conversions before converting a third two-point attempt to win 38-37 in overtime.

How rare was it for the Seahawks to erase a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter? Prior to Thursday, Seattle was 0-172 when trailing by at least 15 points in the final frame. Thursday's victory marked the largest fourth-quarter comeback in Seahawks franchise history, per CBS Sports Research.

What other wild events could occur during a Week 16 NFL weekend full of playoff stakes? Let's take a look with five bold predictions.

Jaguars hand Broncos first loss of the season at Mile High

The Denver Broncos (12-2) enter the weekend as the AFC's No. 1 seed, riding an 11-game winning streak and a 12-game home winning streak at Mile High dating back to 2024. Denver is the NFL's lone unbeaten home team this season and boasts the league's top pass rush with 58 sacks -- the most through 13 games since the 2000 Saints -- putting the Broncos on pace for 70 sacks, just two shy of the NFL single-season record set by the 1984 Bears.

That run, however, will end this week. The Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) arrive in Denver on a five-game winning streak, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who tops the NFL in both yards per attempt (8.6) and passing touchdowns (13) during that span. Lawrence, along with running back Travis Etienne (career-high 12 scrimmage touchdowns) and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (255 yards and three touchdowns on 27 catches in six games with Jacksonville), will do just enough to overcome Denver's dominant defense in a shocking road upset at Mile High.

Packers intercept Caleb Williams twice despite Micah Parsons' absence

Green Bay has been a top-10 defense all season in nearly every key metric, largely due to the impact of All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons. While the Packers' pass rush won't be as ferocious with Parsons sidelined by a torn ACL, that's something Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is sure to appreciate in the Week 16 rivalry rematch.

Williams won't be as frantic as he was in Green Bay's 28-21 win in Week 14, when Parsons generated seven pressures -- tied for the most by any defender in a game against Chicago this season. That should help a quarterback as efficient as Williams, who owns the second-best touchdown-to-interception ratio (41-12, 3.42) in NFL history since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger among quarterbacks with at least 1,000 career pass attempts, trailing only Aaron Rodgers (525-123, 4.27).

Even so, the Packers will pick off Williams twice on Saturday night. Parsons' absence will force defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to get more creative with his blitz packages, leading to linebacker Edgerrin Cooper crashing the pocket more frequently. That added pressure will coerce Williams into multiple errant throws, resulting in two interceptions in Week 16.

Josh Allen avoids sack from Myles Garrett, delays history

Cleveland Browns All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett is on the doorstep of NFL history. His 21.5 sacks lead the league by a staggering 8.5, and he sits just one sack shy of tying the single-season record shared by Michael Strahan (2001) and T.J. Watt (2021).

Standing in Garrett's way in Week 16 is 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen. While Allen owns the 10th-highest sack rate (7.5%) among qualified quarterbacks, that number is heavily skewed by Buffalo's Week 12 loss in Houston, when he was sacked eight times by the Texans' Pro Bowl edge duo of Will Anderson Jr. (2.5 sacks) and Danielle Hunter (2.0). Since then, Buffalo's Superman has heated up, coming off back-to-back games with at least three passing touchdowns and no interceptions for the first time in his eight-year career.

Allen will escape Garrett's clutches, forcing the Browns star to wait until Week 17 to make history.

2025 NFL playoff picture: Seahawks beat Rams in a stunner that blows open the NFC race heading into Week 16

Tyler Sullivan

Dak Prescott throws for 300 yards, no picks vs. Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are one of the hottest teams in football, largely because of their defense. Los Angeles has won six of its last seven games while leading the NFL in total defense (242.3 yards allowed per game). Takeaways have been a major factor as well, with 17 interceptions this season -- including a league-best 11 since Week 8.

Even so, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will throw for over 300 yards without a turnover Sunday at AT&T Stadium. Prescott leads the NFL in passing yards (3,931) despite playing behind a young, injury-riddled offensive line. Left tackle Tyler Guyton (ankle) is set to miss his fourth straight game, while right tackle Terence Steele has allowed an NFL-high 40 quarterback pressures in 2025, per TruMedia.

Prescott will overcome both the protection issues and the Chargers' locked-in defense to deliver the kind of performance Cowboys fans -- and fantasy managers -- are hoping for in Week 16.

Philip Rivers throws for 300 yards at age 44

Philip Rivers nearly led the Indianapolis Colts to a win in an 18-16 loss at Seattle in his first start in 1,800 days, an accomplishment in itself. Still, the performance was uneven: Rivers threw for just 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception, completing only two of eight throws of 10-plus air yards. He finished 1-for-5 for two yards when pressured and relied heavily on short throws behind the line of scrimmage.

Despite those limitations, Rivers will throw for over 300 yards against the 10-4 San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco has just 15 sacks this season -- the fewest through 14 games since 1982 -- largely due to Nick Bosa's season-ending ACL tear in Week 3. Since Week 4, the 49ers rank last in quarterback pressure rate (27.6%).

Rivers will take advantage of the lack of pressure, even at 44 years old, and post a 300-yard passing day against one of the NFC's top teams.