NFL Picks Week 13: Forecasting Critical Matchups with Playoff Implications

Even though the NFL playoffs are still weeks away as Week 13 approaches, there's no doubt the league is already in postseason mode. Every win and loss weighs heavy on the minds of every coach, player and front-office man or woman as the playoff picture sharpens into focus.

Looking at this week's schedule, there are a few games that stand out from the rest when it comes to playoff implications. The winning teams will have an inside track at a favorable position for the postseason, while the losers will find themselves behind the eight ball. 

Here's a look at the entire schedule for Week 13 with predictions for each game, followed by a closer examination of the most critical games.

AWAY	HOME	PREDICTED WINNER
Green Bay Packers	Detroit Lions	Lions
Oakland Raiders	Dallas Cowboys	Cowboys
Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars	Cleveland Browns	Browns
Tennessee Titans	Indianapolis Colts	Colts
Chicago Bears	Minnesota Vikings	Bears
Miami Dolphins	New York Jets	Dolphins
Arizona Cardinals	Philadelphia Eagles	Cardinals
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Carolina Panthers	Panthers
New England Patriots	Houston Texans	Patriots
Atlanta Falcons	Buffalo Bills	Bills
St. Louis Rams	San Francisco 49ers	49ers
Denver Broncos	Kansas City Chiefs	Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals	San Diego Chargers	Bengals
New York Giants	Washington	Giants
New Orleans Saints	Seattle Seahawks	Seahawks

Green Bay at Detroit (Thanksgiving Game)

Sunday in Week 13 was a bad day for the NFC North. Detroit was beaten at home by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago was annihilated by St. Louis and the Green Bay Packers "earned" a tie with the Minnesota Vikings.

However, since no team managed to win a game, the division is still completely up for grabs, with Chicago and Detroit atop the NFC North at 6-5 and Green Bay right behind them at 5-5-1.

Scott Tolzien was yanked by Mike McCarthy on Sunday, and Matt Flynn got the Packers on track in the second half. However, neither player has the ability to keep up with Matthew Stafford and his high-powered offense, and nobody is talking about when Aaron Rodgers will be able to return from his injured collarbone. 

After getting punched in the mouth by Tampa Bay, Detroit will be supercharged for this upcoming contest. Combined with the fact that it's being held on a short week that includes a major holiday, it's hard to imagine the Packers coming away from Ford Field with a victory.

Predicted Score: Lions win 31-17.

Denver at Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs are suddenly reeling. 

After winning nine games in a row to open the season, Kansas City has lost two games in a row. With a record of 9-2, the Chiefs are tied with Denver for the AFC West lead. The team that wins on Sunday will have a shot at earning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Chiefs will likely be without Tamba Hali and Justin Houston for this upcoming contest, as both players were injured in Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers, as noted by Reid Ferrin of KCChiefs.com:

Kansas City wasn't able to generate a single sack on Peyton Manning a week ago, and it's hard to imagine the Chiefs will do better without their top two pass-rushers. 

And judging by the 41 points Philip Rivers and the Chargers laid on Kansas City without the dynamic linebacking duo, it seems unlikely the Chiefs will be able to shut down Manning and his red-hot Broncos.

Predicted Score: Broncos win 45-21.

New Orleans at Seattle

The NFL finally got it right with this Monday Night Football matchup. We've seen plenty of stinkers the past few weeks, but this game should be worth the price of admission. 

The winning team will have the lead for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Since both teams are undefeated at home, this contest will have a major impact on the NFC playoff picture, as alluded to by Bleacher Report's Scott Kacsmar, who clearly meant to type "Week 13":

The Saints come into the game with as balanced a team as you'll find in the NFL. Drew Brees leads an explosive offense that has scored 30-plus points five times this year, and Rob Ryan has transformed the team's defense into a top-five scoring unit. 

If any team was going to go into Seattle and beat the Seahawks in front of their home crowd, it's the Saints. 

However, the Seahawks have rattled off six wins in a row leading up to this game and haven't been defeated at home since Dec. of 2011. Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch lead a deceptively potent offense, and there isn't a finer defensive unit in the league.

Projected Score: Seahawks win 24-21.

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