NFL Picks Week 13: Can New York Jets End New England Patriots' Home Win Streak?
NFL Picks Week 13 are here, and I'm ready to get the show on the road.
With college football's regular season winding down, the NFL is where it's at.
This week's slate of games kicks off on Thursday night with a big matchup between the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles and ends with a monster AFC East showdown between the New England Patriots and New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
But don't worry, there will be plenty of intriguing action on Sunday, too.
So what will happen when all 32 teams take the field in Week 13?
Let's find out.
Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles
1 of 16
Why Houston Will Win: Lo and behold, the Texans actually played a little bit of defense against the Titans last week. I know that Rusty Smith was playing quarterback, but that has to be at least a little comforting for Texans fans. If Houston's defense can step up, they'll be in this game because the Bears exposed that Eagles defense last week.
Why Philadelphia Will Win: The Eagles have the added advantage of playing at home this week, but that's not even the main reason why they'll win this game. Philadelphia has playmakers everywhere on its offense, and the Texans have holes all over their secondary. Michael Vick could torch those defensive backs all day.
Prediction: Eagles 34, Texans 24.
Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings
2 of 16
Why Buffalo Will Win: Every time I watch the Bills play, I have this feeling they'll lose in a close one. But Buffalo's continued gutsy performances should really help them against a mediocre team like the Vikings. The Bills have hung tough with some of the league's top teams, and that'll pay off when they head to Minnesota.
Why Minnesota Will Win: Minnesota's offense, especially with Adrian Peterson's status uncertain, leaves a lot to be desired, but the Vikings appear to be rejuvenated with Leslie Frazier taking over the team. We've seen what Jason Garrett's done in Dallas so far, and Frazier could be doing the same.
Prediction: Bills 27, Vikings 21
Cleveland Browns at Miami Dolphins
3 of 16
Why Cleveland Will Win: I don't even pay attention to matchups anymore when Peyton Hillis is involved. I mean, how ridiculous has his production been this year? Hillis won't be slowed down the rest of the way, especially this week against the Dolphins, who can't seem to win at home.
Why Miami Will Win: Last week against the Raiders, Chad Henne threw for more than 300 yards, and Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combined for 180 yards on the ground. If you're a Dolphins fan, you can't ask for more than that out of Miami's offense.
Prediction: Browns 23, Dolphins 20
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Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
4 of 16
Why Jacksonville Will Win: David Garrard, who's been playing at a ridiculous level in the second half of the season, didn't have a great game against the Giants last week. So guess what happened? Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings combined for more than 160 yards against New York's tough run defense. That team can get it done both ways.
Why Tennessee Will Win: Tennessee's quarterback situation is a mess, but the Titans' two best areas are arguably the two most important in football: running the ball and stopping the run. If they can limit Jones-Drew's production and get Chris Johnson going, they're sitting pretty.
Prediction: Jaguars 28, Titans 20
New Orleans Saints at Cincinnati Bengals
5 of 16
Why New Orleans Will Win: The forgotten Saints are still around, and Drew Brees has averaged well over 300 yards passing during the team's four-game winning streak. The New Orleans offense should get plenty of opportunities to score if Carson Palmer continues to throw interceptions like he has been.
Why Cincinnati Will Win: The Saints have completely dropped the ball twice against sub-.500 clubs this season, the Cardinals and the Browns. The Bengals have home field advantage in this one, and you never know when that Palmer to Terrell Owens combination will go off again.
Prediction: Saints 31, Bengals 17
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
6 of 16
Why Denver Will Win: Denver exploded against the Chiefs last time these two teams played, so how can we be sure that it won't happen again? Kyle Orton, Brandon Lloyd and the Broncos offense have the potential for a big performance every week, and this might be one of them.
Why Kansas City Will Win: Two words: Dwayne Bowe. The hottest player in the league right now? I think so. And as a bonus, his recent video-game like performances have really opened up the running lanes for the ultra-quick Jamaal Charles.
Prediction: Chiefs 38, Broncos 24
Washington Redskins at New York Giants
7 of 16
Why Washington Will Win: The Giants defense has been a bit up and down, turning in a dominating performance one week and a not-so-good one the next. The Cowboys took advantage of that recently with the passing game, and the Jaguars did it with the running game. The Redskins might follow suit, and throw/run all over New York's defense.
Why New York Will Win: The Giants still have one of the league's most balanced teams, with the ability to run or throw the ball effectively on offense and stop whatever's thrown at them on defense (sometimes at least). New York clearly has the more talented squad in this game, and Washington's secondary is not very good to say the least.
Prediction: Giants 31, Redskins 20
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
8 of 16
Why Chicago Will Win: Jay Cutler finally looked like the Jay Cutler he's supposed to be last week, and he tore apart Philadelphia's defense on the way to a four-touchdown performance. That's not a good sign if you're Detroit, especially when you consider the fact that Chicago's defense doesn't give up a whole lot of points.
Why Detroit Will Win: The Lions are playing at home, and they've played pretty well there for most of the season (except that Thanksgiving day game). Detroit's rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh could cause some problems for Cutler with his disruptive play as well.
Prediction: Bears 27, Lions 14
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
9 of 16
Why San Francisco Will Win: The 49ers finally decided to stick with someone other than Alex Smith at quarterback for a while, and it's paid off big time so far. Former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith is 3-1 as the team's starter, and he actually has San Francisco alive in the playoff race.
Why Green Bay Will Win: Injuries don't seem to matter to Aaron Rodgers. He continues to shred opposing defenses week in and week out, and that's probably not changing anytime soon. With the 49ers losing their biggest offensive weapon (Frank Gore) for the season, the Packers should pull away rather quickly.
Prediction: Packers 34, 49ers 20
Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
10 of 16
Why Oakland Will Win: The Raiders have already beaten San Diego this season, and they've proven they can still win even with inconsistency at the quarterback position. If Oakland can play like it did before its bye week, the Chargers are in trouble.
Why San Diego Will Win: It's December, and you know what that means: the Chargers aren't losing. They've never lost during this month with Norv Turner as head coach, and there's no reason to believe their hot streak will simmer down anytime soon. Philip Rivers continues to be the MVP in my book, and the Chargers will win as long as he's behind center.
Prediction: Chargers 35, Raiders 17
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11 of 16
Why Atlanta Will Win: The Falcons run the ball about as well as anybody in the league, and the Buccaneers have all kinds of trouble stopping the run. With Matt Ryan playing pitch and catch with Roddy White, Tampa Bay won't be able to stack the box either, which will translate to a big day for Atlanta's offense.
Why Tampa Bay Will Win: You have to be impressed with the young pieces on this team, like Josh Freeman, Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount. That inexperienced corps has already exceeded all expectations it had for this season, so you never know if that will continue.
Prediction: Falcons 28, Bucs 24
Dallas Cowboys at Indianapolis Colts
12 of 16
Why Dallas Will Win: The Cowboys have new life now that Wade Phillips is gone, and they still have a good offense even without Tony Romo at the helm. Dallas can score with the best of 'em, especially now that Dez Bryant has emerged as a bonafide superstar in the making. That dude is a stud.
Why Indianapolis Will Win: Peyton Manning is coming off the worst home loss of his NFL career. You think he's not going to be fired up for this one? Manning knows that his team's season is on the line every week from here on out, and even though his offense has a ton of injuries, he usually finds a way to win games like this.
Prediction: Colts 30, Cowboys 27
St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals
13 of 16
Why St. Louis Will Win: Sam Bradford is doing his thing even though the Rams don't have all that much talent on offense. He's managed to put up very good numbers all season long, especially for a rookie. But while Bradford continues to perform, people often overlook that Rams defense. It's better than you might think.
Why Arizona Will Win: The only reason I see the Cardinals having any chance in this game is because they beat the Rams earlier in the season. Honestly though, Arizona just isn't a good team, especially when their quarterback is freaking out.
Prediction: Rams 28, Cardinals 13
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
14 of 16
Why Carolina Will Win: As long as Jimmy Clausen's at the helm, the Panthers will continue to rely on the run to (try to) win football games. And the Seahawks did not stop the run at all against the Chiefs last week, allowing Jamaal Charles to rack up more than 170 yards on the ground.
Why Seattle Will Win: The Seahawks have been far from impressive in recent weeks, but that offense still has the potential to put up a lot of points. Plus, the game's in Seattle, and the Seahawks have one of the league's best home-field advantages.
Prediction: Panthers 24, Seahawks 20
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
15 of 16
Why Pittsburgh Will Win: We all know about Pittsburgh's No. 1 run defense, which should prevent Ray Rice from getting anything going on the ground. But the Steelers running game has really excelled lately, and Rashard Mendenhall could be the X-factor in this game. If he can control the clock, that bodes well for Pittsburgh.
Why Baltimore Will Win: The Steelers may have a good run defense, but their pass defense leaves a lot to be desired. The last time Pittsburgh played against a good quarterback, the Steelers got shredded by Tom Brady. Joe Flacco could do the same.
Prediction: Ravens 24, Steelers 23
New York Jets at New England Patriots
16 of 16
Why New York Will Win: The last time these two teams played, Mark Sanchez shredded the Patriots secondary on the way to a big win. Now, he's developed some great chemistry with Santonio Holmes, and I'm not sure that the Patriots can stop that duo from exploding. New England's defense has given up a ton of passing yards all season long.
Why New England Will Win: The Patriots have won 25 consecutive regular season home games, which is absolutely ridiculous. Why should that change now? Not only does Tom Brady have his receiving corps doing big things, but BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead have given New England a solid run game as well. Plus, the Jets played the Browns, Lions and Texans a little bit too close for comfort, and the Patriots will be their toughest test in over a month.
Prediction: Patriots 27, Jets 23
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