Week 13 NFL Picks: Odds Predictions and Top Prop Bets for Full Schedule

The entire NFL season has been building to this, as the calendar has flipped to December, giving all 32 teams one more month to make their final impressions with the hopes of making the playoffs for some or finding players who can contribute to a postseason run next year for others. 

The Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers will try to start the month on a high note in a critical interconference showdown at Lambeau Field, while the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens will throw down in a huge AFC matchup that neither team can afford to lose. 

Looking at Week 13's schedule, here are predictions and odds for each matchup, per OddsShark, followed by a deeper dive into some of the key games, with notable prop bets outlined:

Predictions

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints

Matchup	Spread	Prediction
Los Angeles Rams at New England Patriots	Patriots (-13.5)	Patriots, 24-10
Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints	Saints (-5)	Saints, 27-24
Philadelphia Eagles at Cincinnati Bengals	Eagles (-1)	Bengals, 23-17
Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers	Packers (-3.5)	Packers, 28-20
Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons	Falcons (-4)	Falcons, 31-17
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens	Ravens (-3.5)	Ravens, 20-16
Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars	Broncos (-5)	Broncos, 27-10
San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears	Bears (-3)	49ers, 23-17
Buffalo Bills at Oakland Raiders	Raiders (-3.5)	Raiders, 32-24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Diego Chargers	Chargers (-5.5)	Chargers, 34-31
Washington at Arizona Cardinals	Cardinals (-2.5)	Washington, 27-17
New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers	Steelers (-6)	Steelers, 28-23
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks	Seahawks (-6.5)	Seahawks, 20-10
Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets	Colts (-2.5)	Jets, 31-28

In the past, a game featuring the Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints would have been a lock to break the 54-point over/under. Things are different now, as the Lions don't have a high-octane offense, and the Saints have been surprisingly effective on defense.

The Lions rank 19th in the NFL with 22.5 points per game and have put up more than 27 points only three times in 11 contests.

Per Evan Silva of Rotoworld, the Saints have seen marked improvement on defense over the last five weeks:

Teams can still score against the Saints, as each of their previous five opponents have put up at least 21 points, but it's not as crippling with an offense that averages 30.4 points per game. The Superdome has been particularly kind, with New Orleans recording 204 points in six games. 

The Saints remain an enigmatic team, capable of demonstrating greatness one week and losing the next on a blocked extra point. The Lions, meanwhile, keep finding ways to win close games.

In a tight affair, the Saints will hold serve at home, but the two teams will just miss breaking the 54-point mark.

San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears

Per Oddschecker, the 49ers are 15-8 favorites to both lead at halftime and win the game, a feat they should be able to pull off Sunday.

But these are two teams that keep finding new ways to hit rock bottom.

If you can stomach watching this game, one of these teams is going to end a losing streak. The 49ers haven't won since shutting out the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, while the Bears have had three separate three-game losing streaks around their two victories.

The final scores don't show it, but the 49ers have played better lately. They were two yards away from tying the Dolphins on the final play last week, hung around with the New England Patriots two weeks ago and lost on a last-second field goal against the Arizona Cardinals three weeks ago.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport offered this nugget:

Simms' Hidden Truth: Chicago Bears' Leonard Floyd Is 'More Athletic Aldon Smith'

This is the first game on the schedule since the season opener in which the 49ers can make the case that they are the better team. They still have huge flaws, like a run defense that is tasked with stopping breakout star Jordan Howard, but head coach Chip Kelly's team has played hard through a difficult year. 

If the 49ers don't win this week, a 1-15 season seems to be in the cards for a franchise that is just a few years removed from playing in the Super Bowl.

New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers

If the New York Giants played in a different division, they would be garnering more headlines for their six-game winning streak. The Pittsburgh Steelers have rebounded with two easy wins after a heartbreaking defeat against the Dallas Cowboys to keep their AFC North hopes alive. 

These two teams were supposed to be at or near the top of most offensive categories in 2016, yet both have fallen short of those expectations. The Steelers, who are tied for 13th with 24.2 points per game, have had to weather a storm of injuries and suspensions.

The Giants are further down the list with 21.0 points per game, just ahead of the 49ers, despite the presence of Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard.

Per Oddschecker, the second quarter has the best odds (6-4) of featuring the most points scored between the two teams.

The second has been New York's best individual quarter this season. The Giants average 7.6 points in those 15 minutes, tied for 10th in the NFL, per TeamRankings.com. The Steelers haven't fared as well, with just 5.9 points per game in the second quarter.

If you are looking to beat the odds, turn to the fourth quarter (7-4), when both teams have brought the firepower. The Giants and Steelers have combined to average 14.5 points in the final quarter this season, per TeamRankings.com.

When the game is on the line, the Giants and Steelers will turn on the fireworks. Take the points in the fourth quarter and ignore the other odds for what should be a thrilling shootout between two playoff-caliber teams.