NFL Week 13 Odds: Building the Best Parlays from Early Spreads, Lines and Over/unders
We're approaching the final month-and-a-half of the 2023 NFL season, and the playoff races are extremely tight. The 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles and 9-3 Baltimore Ravens loom atop their respective conferences, but there's a large swatch of good teams behind them.
The stakes will be high for several teams in Week 13, which means fans are going to be treated to an outstanding slate of largely playoff-relevant action.
And if the playoff drama isn't enough reason to tune in, fans can always up the excitement factor by laying a few wagers. Below, we'll dive into some of the matchups, the recent results and the latest injury buzz to craft three intriguing parlays based on the early Week 13 lines.
Check the latest lines at DraftKings.
Three-Game Parlay
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Cowboys -8.5 versus Seahawks
Dolphins -9.5 at Commanders
Broncos +3.5 at Texans
The Seattle Seahawks are 6-5 and firmly in the playoff hunt. However, they're riding a two-game losing streak, have lost three of their last four and have been embarrassed by upper-echelon teams.
The Baltimore Ravens handled the Seahawks in a 37-3 contest back in Week 9. Last Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers thumped Seattle 31-13. A road matchup against the Dallas Cowboys could yield similar results.
The Cowboys might not be a truly elite team, but they've been quite potent at home. Dallas can score points in bunches, and it defends the pass well. With Kenneth Walker III battling an oblique injury, Seattle may have to lean heavily on Geno Smith and the passing game.
A potential quarterback duel between Smith and Dak Prescott in Dallas does not bode well for the Seahawks.
The Washington Commanders are also eyeing a potential blowout loss, not unlike the one they suffered against Dallas last Thursday. Washington has struggled mightily against the pass this season and ranks dead last in points allowed. Quarterback Sam Howell, while often showing exciting upside, has become a turnover machine.
The Miami Dolphins haven't played at a consistently high level, but an offense that features Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be too much for Washington to overcome.
Don't expect the Houston Texans to win in a blowout, if at all. C.J. Stroud is awesome, and DeMeco Ryans has Houston playing a winning brand of ball. However, the Denver Broncos are surging with a five-game win streak and have found a recipe for success.
The Broncos just routed the Cleveland Browns by playing smart, efficient football offensively and fast, aggressive and opportunistic ball defensively. That's a recipe that travels, and it wouldn't be a shock to see Denver pull off the outright upset.
Single-Game Parlay
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Dolphins -9.5 at Commanders
Dolphins -425 (bet $425 to win $100) to Win
Dolphins and Commanders Over 50.5 Points
We expect the Dolphins to win and win big against the Commanders. The tricky leg of this parlay is the over/under. It's a high points line, and Washington hasn't exactly been lighting it up as of late.
The Commanders have averaged just 18.75 points since dropping 31 against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8.
That said, Washington should be able to get enough out of Howell, Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Brian Robinson Jr. to put a couple of touchdowns on the board. While Miami's defense has been an improved unit over the last month, it hasn't held an opponent below 13 points and just lost pass-rusher Jaelan Phillips to a torn Achilles.
Miami's offense, meanwhile, can score in bunches, and it would surprise no one to see the Dolphins put up 40 or more against a bad Commanders defense. Washington recently fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, but that isn't likely to make a significant difference in only a week's time.
Del Rio wasn't responsible for building a secondary that lacks depth and top-tier talent, and he didn't trade pass-rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat at the deadline.
"We're all culpable, believe me. We all are, coaches and players as a group," head coach Ron Rivera said, per ESPN's John Keim.
The Commanders aren't going to suddenly become a defensive force with Rivera calling the plays.
Over/Under Parlay
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Dolphins and Commanders Over 50.5 Points
Cardinals and Steelers Over 39.5 Points
Panthers and Buccaneers Under 37 Points
While the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers game isn't likely to be a scoring-fest, we do expect it to hit the over like the Dolphins-Commanders matchup.
The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada last week, and while the change didn't yield a ton of points against the Cincinnati Bengals, the offense did look better. Pittsburgh topped 400 yards for the first time since 2020, and there was actually some creativity in the play calling.
Don't expect Kenny Pickett to suddenly turn into vintage Ben Roethlisberger, but the Steelers have enough playmakers to take advantage of a lackluster Cardinals defense.
Big games from Pat Freiermuth, Jaylen Warren and George Pickens should be enough to lift Pittsburgh's offense against a defense ranked 31st in points allowed. Expect the Steelers to top 23 points for only the third time this season.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, should get enough out of Kyler Murray and their offense to push the points total into the 40s.
The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on the other hand, aren't likely to hit the over. Carolina fired head coach Frank Reich, and they also fired quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and running backs coach Duce Staley, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
The plan, it would seem, is to get more out of rookie quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers offense. However, Carolina doesn't exactly have the personnel needed to suddenly explode against a defense allowing just under 21 points per game.
And while Carolina's defense hasn't been great, it has been quite effective against the pass. It should keep the points low against a Buccaneers offense that averages just 3.3 yards per rush.
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