NFL Picks Week 13: Final Predictions for Remaining Games

Football Sunday has finally arrived with a full slate of Week 13 action, so grab the Thanksgiving leftovers, kick back on the recliner and get ready for an entertaining day. 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, the holiday gave fans plenty of exciting action—two of the three games were decided by one touchdown or less. 

Now that fans have had a chance to recover, Sunday offers several intriguing matchups worth the price of admission.

Before the festivities get underway, here is a final look at how things will play out. 

Away	Home	Prediction
Jacksonville Jaguars	Cleveland Browns	Jaguars
Tennessee Titans	Indianapolis Colts	Titans
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 Redskins	Giants
New Orleans Saints	Seattle Seahawks	Seahawks

Carolina Panthers Rout Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Believe it or not, both the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter this NFC South bout with plenty of positive momentum.

Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano may have saved his job with the team's recent streak of three wins after it lost its first eight. That's impressive, but Ron Rivera's team has won seven straight.

Simply put, the Panthers need this one more to keep pace with New Orleans in the division. This is simply a lopsided game.

Tampa Bay ranks in bottom 20 offensively on the ground and through the air. It scores an average of 19.2 points per game.

Carolina's second-year linebacker Luke Kuechly is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with 93 total tackles, one sack and three interceptions. He leads the NFL's No. 1 scoring defense, which allows an average of 13.7 points per game.

As good as things have been for Tampa Bay, it all comes crashing down at Bank of America Stadium Sunday. Week 8 was a 31-13 loss to Carolina, and not much will change as the Panthers ride their defense again.

Prediction: Panthers 28, Buccaneers 10

Denver Broncos Shock Kansas City Chiefs

These AFC West foes met in Week 11, when Denver won 27-17 at home.

Since then, things have been negative for both.

Peyton Manning and the Broncos were on the wrong side of a comeback in Week 12, as New England won 34-31 in overtime. It was much of the same for the Chiefs—they fell late to San Diego, 41-38.

Perhaps the biggest difference for their second battle in three weeks is health. Linebacker Justin Houston, who has tallied 11 sacks this year, will miss the game, per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports:

That's a major issue against Manning. The Chiefs have just two sacks in their last four games after recording 35 in their first seven. Denver's offensive line held the Chiefs without a sack in their first meeting. Now a repeat performance is even easier with Houston out of the way.

Cold weather and Manning don't go together well, but a weakened pass rush from Kansas City will give the star quarterback enough time to exploit the secondary.

Prediction: Broncos 34, Chiefs 20

Cincinnati Bengals Silence San Diego Chargers

Playoff implications also highlight Cincinnati's trip to the West Coast Sunday.

The Bengals sit in first in the AFC North and look to further their lead with a win coming out of the bye. San Diego is one of several teams still in the running for a postseason berth at 5-6.

Any way this game is sliced, it equates to a bad set of circumstances for the Chargers.

A major road win in Week 12 over Kansas City is great, but it could mean the Chargers are gassed Sunday. That is something the Bengals certainly will not be after a bye week, where plenty of time was surely used to dissect San Diego's offense.

The Cincinnati defense allows an average of 18.7 points per game. It perfectly counters San Diego's passing attack, which ranks in the top five.

Cincinnati has held quarterbacks such as Aaron Rodgers (244 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Week 3) and Tom Brady (197 yards and an interception in Week 5) in check, so the unit is capable of doing the same with San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers.

The Bengals will have enough juice to slip by and end the Chargers' playoff hopes.

Prediction: Bengals 30, Chargers 27

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