NFL Picks Week 13: Home Teams Guaranteed to Win Tough Games

There are some highly competitive NFL matchups on the schedule in Week 13, but this is the time of year when the best teams win difficult games. 

With just five more weeks in the regular season, every game is critical for teams with playoff aspirations. 

Of the eight divisions in the league, only the NFC West and AFC East have clear-cut leaders—the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. All six of the remaining divisions are up for grabs, meaning the finale to the 2013 season will provide plenty of drama. 

Here's a look at the entire slate of games in Week 13, followed by a closer examination of a few contests in which the home team will win tough games against dangerous opponents. 

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

Baltimore Ravens Hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh comes into this Thanksgiving night game red hot, having won three games in a row and five out of its last seven. 

Baltimore has won two of three games, but the Ravens haven't looked sharp since dominating Houston way back in Week 3. Since that time, John Harbaugh's squad has won just three of eight games, and his offense has scored no more than 26 points during that stretch.

Momentum clearly favors Pittsburgh, but when you look at the strengths and weaknesses of both teams, it's clear the Ravens should win at home. 

The Steelers have allowed 37 sacks this season (fifth-worst total in the NFL), while the Ravens have sacked quarterbacks 37 times (tied for the best in the league).

Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil and the rest of Baltimore's pass-rushers will have a field day at home against Ben Roethlisberger, thanks to Pittsburgh's porous offensive line, propelling the Ravens to a big win at home to close out the Thanksgiving Day festivities.

Projected Score: Ravens win 24-17.

Carolina Panthers Hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A month ago, nobody would have believed you if you'd pointed to this game as a critical matchup with playoff implications. 

But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have rattled off three wins in a row since opening the season with eight straight losses, and this feisty team just took down the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday. 

Tampa Bay isn't the only hot team in this contest, however. The Carolina Panthers have won seven games in a row to improve to 8-3 on the season. If the season ended today, Cam Newton and his teammates would hit the road as the No. 5 seed in the playoffs.

Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon has been phenomenal this season since taking over for Josh Freeman early on. He's thrown 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions this season, and he played well against the Seattle Seahawks and the Panthers earlier this year. 

But Carolina's defense has been on a tear of late, allowing just 13.75 points per game in the past four contests while forcing nine turnovers during those games. 

Provided Cam Newton continues to play with the same poise and leadership we've seen during his team's seven-game winning streak, the Panthers should be able to engineer another win at home on Sunday. 

Projected Score: Panthers win 27-20.

San Francisco 49ers Hosting the St. Louis Rams

The Rams have put together two incredible games in a row, taking down the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears by a combined score of 80-29.

Interestingly enough, St. Louis was outgained in both contests, allowing 830 yards total. But Chicago and Indy turned the ball over a combined eight times, leading to two defensive touchdowns and plenty of short-field opportunities for the Rams offense. 

That's not going to happen this Sunday, though.

The 49ers easily took care of business against St. Louis on the road earlier this year, winning 35-11 on a short week. The Rams only rushed for 18 yards on 19 carries in that game, and the 49ers registered five sacks.

Granted, St. Louis' rushing attack has taken on a new look since that time, with rookie running back Zac Stacy coming on strong, but San Francisco's dynamic defensive front should have no trouble locking him down.

Conversely, you can expect Frank Gore to have another monster game against the Rams. He totaled 153 yards during the 49ers' road win in Week 4, and he'll lead the offensive charge in a winning cause at home this weekend.

Projected Score: 49ers win 31-17.

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