Here are my NFL Week 13 Picks
(11-4 last week, 117-58-1 for the season)
Bye teams: none
Chi @ Det – It’s Thanksgiving, and that means time for Lions football. Through the years that’s also meant Lions losses, but not this year. Detroit is 4-1 at home this season, are coming off a loss, and allow the least points in the NFL. As my fantasy QB I need Cutler to score some points, but I don’t think he’ll win this game. He might get sacked 10 times.
Phi @ Dal – I’m just gonna say it; I want Sanchez to fail. He’s not a good QB, he’s not a franchise guy, and his success so far is making my predictions look bad. So, I’m gonna need him to lose & look silly. This is the week for it to happen, as the Eagles play in Dallas against Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray, and that great offensive line. And it’s the anniversary of the Butt Fumble.
Sea @ SF – This is an almost impossibly unpredictable matchup. These two teams are very similar, very balanced, both are 7-4, both play good defense, and honestly I don’t know who to pick. If Seattle were at home I’d pick them no problem, but the game is in SF, the Niners have won 3 straight, and DangerRuss just isn’t playing lights out.
SD @ Bal – Here’s an interesting statistic; the Ravens are 3-4 against the AFC, 4-0 against the NFC. They’re also 3-3 on the road, 4-1 at home. So what happens when they play an AFC opponent in Baltimore? They go 2-1. Alright, those statistics are messy and probably don’t mean much, but I think the Ravens have proven that they’re a tough team to beat at home, and the Chargers are inconsistent at best.
Cle @ Buf – Here is a money-where-your-mouth-is game. These are two Cinderella teams, both outplaying their predictions, both with a playoff shot. The team that wins here could be on the right track, while the loser could fall by the wayside. The Bills are coming off a smashing of the Jets, the Browns are coming off a game they should have lost. I’ll keep on the Buffalo bandwagon and root for Neckbeard all the way.
Ten @ Hou – I say it every week; the Titans should be in the worst team conversation. People make fun of the Raiders, the Jags, the Bucs, even the Jets, but the Titans are equally terrible. They’re 2-9, can’t score, can’t defend, and can’t compete. It’s not like the Texans are amazing; Houston is only 5-6 and probably won’t get a Wild Card spot. But they’re good enough to beat Tennessee and should.
Was @ Ind – Andrew Luck vs RG3, the top two 2012 Draft picks! Or it would be, if Griffin hadn’t been benched for being terrible. We haven’t seen this sort of discrepancy since Manning/Leaf, with Luck growing into a superstar & RG3 digressing quickly. But the game goes on, and the Colts should dominate, moving toward winning their division with ease.
NYG @ Jax – Oh dear. Can there be a game that ends with both teams losing? This would be the matchup to make it happen, as the Jags are 1-4 at home while the GMen are 1-4 on the road. Neither team has any hope or any momentum, combining to lose 10 games in a row. Yikes. I guess I have to pick someone and it might as well be Jacksonville, winning here to make themselves feel better.
Car @ Min – I like the Vikings a little bit. They have pluck in the face of a pretty terrible season. Maybe we all had very low expectations of them, so going 4-7 seems like an accomplishment. Contrarily, the Panthers are a huge disappointment, especially in a division that’s wide open; they ought to be near undefeated. But Cam kinda sucks and Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t seem to.
NO @ Pit – It seems ridiculous to say, but the Saints are a bad football team. I’m gonna have to stop picking them to win games, as they aren’t. They can’t even win at home where they’ve been so dominant recently. The Steelers, on the other hand, are 4-1 in Pittsburgh, 7-4 overall, and have a real shot at winning the tough AFC Nouth. Look for Big Ben to have a nice day & Brees to not.
Oak @ STL – Oddly enough, the Raiders and the Rams have allowed the same amount of points this season (285). St. Louis has only scored a handful more points this year but have won 3 more games. I guess my point is, neither of these teams are good. Oakland has only won 1 game, none on the road, and will probably lose here. I’m still mad at the Rams for beating the Broncos, but I gotta pick ’em.
Cin @ TB – Oh the Bungles. What an unpredictable team. Although, they did just beat the Saints in New Orleans and are undefeated vs the NFC. Also, the Bucs are terrible and haven’t won a game at home all season. Man, going 2-9 on the year is bad enough, but losing every game at home is just embarrassing. This should be yet another loss in Tampa, as Cinci should do enough to win.
Ari @ Atl – Odd fact of the day; both of these teams lead their division, Arizona with a 9-2 record, Atlanta with a 4-7. Say what?! That’s the kind of year it’s been, and I would bet that neither team ends up winning their division at the end of the year. The Cardinals are by far the better team, even though they lost their QB, and their defense should hold them up in a game against a weak Falcons team.
NE @ GB – Here’s the game of the week. These two teams could meet again in the Super Bowl, although the Broncos and the Cowboys will have something to say about that. Both teams are 6-0 at home, so it’s fortunate for the Packers that the game is in Green Bay. Neither team has a great defense, so we should see a lot of points, but I think Rodgers & the Pack come out on top.
Den @ KC – This is a tough game for me to pick, given that I’m a Broncos fan. I’d love to choose them here, they beat the Chiefs in Denver, but I just don’t think I can. The Broncos are bad on the road, going 2-3 on the season, while KC is 4-1 at home. Also, the Broncos have a history of losing to the Chiefs in cold weather in KC in these tough matchups. I hate to do it, but I have root for one thing, pick another.
Mia @ NYJ – The Dolphins showed some moxy last week, going toe to toe with the Broncos in what turned out to be a shootout. They’re not a bad road team and shouldn’t have much of a challenge vs the lowly Jets. Geno is back in at quarterback, but that really isn’t some wonderful momentum shift; we’ve already seen him this year and he’s bad. Tannehill & the Dolphins win.