So much for home-field advantage in December.
Nine road teams are favorites in Week 16, including two playing in matchups for first place in three of the four NFC divisions.
The Los Angeles Rams (11-3) face off against the Seattle Seahawks (11-3) in a battle for first place in the NFC West on Thursday night.
The Green Bay Packers (9-4-1) take on the Chicago Bears (10-4) for the second time in three weeks to determine first in the NFC North on Saturday night.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) and Carolina Panthers (7-7) go head-to-head in the first of two meetings over the final three weeks that will settle the NFC South.
The Packers and Buccaneers each are road favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook while the Rams started as a favorite but now are a 1-point underdog.
Pro Picks predicts all of the games:
Line: Bengals minus 4
Joe Burrow and the Bengals are coming off a shutout loss. Teams are 5-0 against the spread this season in the next game after scoring zero points. The Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention and are benching Tua Tagovailoa for rookie Quinn Ewers.
BEST BET: BENGALS: 27-17
Line: Cowboys minus 2 1/2
Justin Herbert is playing tough, leading the Chargers to consecutive wins since left wrist surgery. The Cowboys are on the verge of playoff elimination so they’re playing for a winning record. They’ve been inconsistent all season. Jesse Minter’s defense will be a challenge for Dak Prescott and Dallas. Herbert is 17-12-1 against the spread as an underdog.
UPSET SPECIAL: CHARGERS: 22-20
Line: Seahawks minus 1
The Rams beat the Seahawks 21-19 in Week 11. They likely won’t have star wide receiver Davante Adams for this one because of a hamstring injury. Seattle didn’t score a touchdown in an 18-16 win over Philip Rivers and the Colts last week. The Rams are 28-11 overall and 27-11-1 against the spread in December under coach Sean McVay. Los Angeles is 6-0 against Seattle with QB Matthew Stafford. Seahawks QB Sam Darnold struggled against the Rams in a playoff loss with Minnesota last season and threw four picks in the first meeting last month.
RAMS: 23-20
Line: Eagles minus 6 1/2
A rematch of the NFC championship game that lost its luster when the Commanders fell apart months ago. Jalen Hurts had an excellent game and the Eagles got back on track last week against the dismal Raiders. They’re a win away from becoming the first team in two decades to win the NFC East in consecutive seasons. Backup Marcus Mariota starts for Washington.
EAGLES: 27-16
Line: Packers minus 1
The Packers beat the Bears 28-21 in Week 14 but lost star pass rusher Micah Parsons last week, a devastating blow for the team’s Super Bowl hopes. They also could be without right tackle Zach Tom, safety Evan Williams and wideout Christian Watson. The Bears have the second-best running offense in the NFL and could take advantage of Green Bay’s banged-up defense. The Packers have won 12 of the last 13 meetings.
BEARS: 26-23
Line: Bills minus 10
Josh Allen and the Bills are coming off an impressive comeback win in New England but still need help to catch the Patriots. They can’t let up against Shedeur Sanders and the woeful Browns. Myles Garrett is one sack away from breaking the NFL’s single-season record. That’ll be one of the few highlights for Cleveland in yet another terrible season.
BILLS: 27-13
Line: Chiefs minus 3 1/2
The Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention last week and that wasn’t even the worst news. Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL and that will impact 2026. They’re playing for pride at this point. Gardner Minshew takes over for Mahomes. The lowly Titans have lost 11 straight home games. Cam Ward’s TD pass to defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons last week was the best moment of the season.
CHIEFS: 20-17
Line: Saints minus 4 1/2
A new defensive coordinator isn’t going to change the Jets’ misery. They’re still looking for their first interception of the season. The Saints have only won one more game than New York, but there are more positive vibes in New Orleans. Rookie Tyler Shough is 3-3 and now has beaten Carolina twice and Tampa Bay once.
SAINTS: 23-16
Line: Vikings minus 3
J.J. McCarthy had Jerry Jones criticizing his defense after a solid game in Dallas. He’ll try to make it three good ones in a row. The Giants can ruin their bid for the No. 1 overall pick with a win. At least Jaxson Dart is fun to watch.
VIKINGS: 24-19
Line: Buccaneers minus 3
The Buccaneers have lost five of six, coach Todd Bowles is questioning if some players care enough and somehow they’re still favorites on the road against the inconsistent Panthers. Baker Mayfield is 5-0 against the Panthers, who cut him in 2022. Bryce Young and the Panthers are 7-5 overall in the underdog role.
PANTHERS: 26-24
Line: Broncos minus 3
Trevor Lawrence had six TDs last week in Jacksonville’s fifth straight win. Bo Nix had four TD passes in his best game last week. The Broncos have won 11 in a row to move closer to clinching the AFC’s No. 1 seed. One winning streak will end either way.
BRONCOS: 23-18
Line: Falcons minus 2 1/2
Kirk Cousins proved last week in Tampa Bay he’s far from finished. Bijan Robinson leads the NFL is scrimmage yards and Kyle Pitts Jr. is coming off one of the best games any tight end has ever played. The Cardinals are heading toward significant offseason changes.
FALCONS: 27-20
Line: Lions minus 7
Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers are back atop the AFC North with the Ravens right behind. They’ve got a difficult challenge against the Lions coming off a Monday night win. The Lions have to win out and get help to make the playoffs. QB Jared Goff and coach Dan Campbell have won 15 straight games off a loss, going 14-1 against the spread in that spot.
LIONS: 26-17
Line: Texans minus 14 1/2
The Raiders have been dismal in Pete Carroll’s first season. At least they’ll get the No. 1 pick unless they screw up and win a game. The Texans are playing like a Super Bowl contender behind QB C.J. Stroud and a stingy defense.
TEXANS: 23-10
Line: Ravens minus 3
The Patriots can clinch a playoff berth with a win after wasting a 21-0 lead against Buffalo that would’ve secured the AFC East. Rookie TreVeyon Henderson had two rushing TDs of 50-plus yards last week. The Ravens have to keep winning to stay in the playoff race. Lamar Jackson is 16-0 in his career in Weeks 15-18.
RAVENS: 23-22
Line: 49ers minus 6
Brock Purdy is 4-0 since returning from a toe injury, Christian McCaffrey has a shot at a 1,000-1,000 season and the 49ers would clinch a playoff berth with a win. Philip Rivers nearly led the Colts to an upset in Seattle in his first game in 1,800 days. He’ll have more time to get ready for this one.
49ERS: 24-23
Last week: Straight up: 9-7. Against spread: 10-6.
Overall: Straight up: 158-65-1. Against spread: 116-102-6.
Prime time: Straight up: 29-20-1. Against spread: 22-28.
Best Bet: Straight up: 10-5. Against spread: 7-7-1.
Upset Special: Straight up: 11-4. Against spread: 11-4.
Pro Picks is a weekly column where AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi shares his picks for upcoming games. For all previous Pro Picks, head here.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) sets back to pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) celebrates as he runs off the field after an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Chicago, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) bobbles the snap during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — With the search for the Brown University shooter in its fifth day Wednesday, authorities were asking the public to review any security or phone footage from the week before the attack in the hopes it might help investigators identify the person, believing the attacker may have cased the scene ahead of time.
The request Tuesday came after authorities released several videos from the hours and minutes before and after Saturday's attack showing the person they're seeking standing, walking and even running along streets just off campus, but always with a mask on or their head turned.
“I believe that this is probably the most intense investigation going on right now in this nation” Providence’s police chief, Col. Oscar Perez, said at a Wednesday news conference, noting that investigators have collected a lot of crime scene evidence and that student witnesses' accounts of the shooter match the person in the video that authorities are seeking.
Although Brown President Christina Hull Paxson said there are 1,200 cameras on campus, the attack, which killed two students and wounded nine others, happened in a first-floor classroom in an older part of the engineering building that has “fewer, if any” cameras, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha noted. Investigators also believe the shooter entered and left the building through a door that faces a residential street bordering campus, which might explain why the cameras Brown does have didn't capture footage of the person.
The lack of campus video of the shooter led President Donald Trump to accuse the Ivy League school of being unprepared, posting Wednesday on Truth Social: “Why did Brown University have so few Security Cameras? There can be no excuse for that. In the modern age, it just doesn’t get worse!!!”
Investigators have described the person they're seeking as about 5 feet, 8 inches (173 centimeters) tall and stocky, but they've given no indication that they are close to zeroing in on their identity.
The attacker's motives also remain a mystery, though Perez said investigators haven't found any evidence to suggest that it was targeting a specific person.
Authorities have been canvassing the surrounding neighborhoods and have received about 200 tips, and Neronha on Tuesday defended the investigation as going "really well" as he pleaded for patience.
“There’s no discouragement among people who understand that not every case can be solved quickly,” the attorney general said Wednesday.
Asked why authorities haven't released all of the video footage they have from day of the attack, Neronha said it wouldn't help the investigation.
“It does not advance our investigation to have reams of data out there that doesn’t help identify the shooter," he said.
Perez declined to say how many witnesses police had spoken to or how many people were in the classroom when the attack happened. But he said his department is being dogged.
“We’re all over the place. If a tip tells us we need to go down to Connecticut, we’re going down to Connecticut. If a tip comes in and tells us that we got to go to Boston, we’re going to Boston,” the chief said.
But the timing of the attack, coming just before the winter break, could complicate the investigation, as remaining classes and exams were canceled after the shooting and many students have already gone home.
The investigation also comes as Boston-area police search for the person who killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor earlier this week. That attack happened in the professor's home, and the FBI said it had no reason to think the two attacks were linked.
Separately, Providence police on Wednesday released a new photo of a separate individual who they said was in “proximity of the person of interest" and asked the public to help identify that person so they could speak with them. The person in the new photo is wearing dark pants and a blue jacket, and carrying a light tan bag.
The attack and shooter’s escape have raised questions about campus security.
Paxson said Brown has two security systems. One, which is activated in times of emergency, sent out text messages, phone calls and emails that reached 20,000 people. The other features three sirens across the campus and was not activated Saturday, a decision Paxson defended because doing so would have caused people to rush into buildings, including the one where the shooting was happening.
“So that is not a system we would ever use in the case of an active shooter,” she said.
Brown's website says the sirens can be used when there is an active shooter, but Paxson said it “depends on the circumstances" and the location of the shooter.
With the shooter still at-large, Providence remained tense Wednesday as additional police were stationed at city schools to reassure worried parents that their kids would be safe. Some schools canceled afterschool activities and field trips.
Prior to the shooting, nearly 1,600 Providence residents were registered to receive texts through a city text alert service. According to the city, 760 new accounts have been created since Sunday, bringing the total number of people registered to receive texts to more than 2,300 as of late Tuesday.
Brown also cautioned people to refrain from accusing people online of having any link to the attack, after it said such speculation led to a student being doxed — their identifying information was posted.
“Accusations, speculation and conspiracies we’re seeing on social media and in some news reports are irresponsible, harmful, and in some cases dangerous for the safety of individuals in our community,” the school said in a statement.
And the police chief on Wednesday asked the public to stop circulating AI-generated images being shared on social media.
About 200 people gathered at a campus church service Tuesday to honor the victims, including Ella Cook and MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, the two students who died.
Cook was a 19-year-old sophomore from Alabama who was very involved in her church and served as vice president of the Brown College Republicans.
Umurzokov was an 18-year-old freshman from Virginia whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan and who hoped to go to medical school one day.
Mayor Brett Smiley said Wednesday that a third wounded student had been discharged, leaving five still hospitalized in stable condition and one in critical condition.
Contributing were Associated Press journalists Jennifer McDermott, Matt O'Brien and Robert F. Bukaty in Providence; Brian Slodysko in Washington; Michael Casey in Boston; Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu.
Photos of Brown University shooting victims Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, left, and Ella Cook, are seen amongst flowers at a makeshift memorial at the school's Van Wickle Gate, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A snowman begins to sag on the usually-bustling Main Green at Brown University, where the fall semester was canceled a week early following the campus shooting, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The U.S. flag flies at half-staff on the Main Green in honor of the victims of the campus shooting at Brown University, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
A poster seeking information about the campus shooting suspect is seen on the campus of Brown University, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Visitors kneel at a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims outside the Engineering Research Center at Brown University, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Providence, R.I.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Brown University students Gloria Kuzmenko-Latimir, left, and Haleema Aslam walk by Manning Hall on their way to a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The choir enters St. Stephen's Church during a community service for the victims of the Brown University shooting, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Participants light candles at St. Stephen's Church during a community service for the victims of the Brown University shooting, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
This image taken from video provided by the FBI shows a person of interest in the investigation of the shooting that occurred at Brown University, in Providence, R.I., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (FBI via AP)
