NFL Week 13 Picks: Early Predictions for Every Game

Get your turduckens ready. Week 13 features three enticing games chock-full of playoff implications on Thanksgiving Day. Speaking of things we should be thankful for, we're finally back to a full 16-game slate, as bye weeks are officially over.

With the playoffs looming on the horizon, games between postseason hopefuls have become increasingly intense. That fact was wildly apparent in Week 12, as seven of Sunday's 12 games were decided by a margin of just one score. Looking ahead, we should expect more of the same.

Despite two matchups remaining Monday, Vegas oddsmakers have already set their opening lines for every Week 13 game. With Sunday's contests fresh in mind, it's time for some knee-jerk reactions. Here's a look at the entire slate, with corresponding odds and picks for each.

Matchup	Spread	Pick ATS	Reason
Chicago at Detroit	DET -5.5	Lions	Jay Cutler won't help his turnover-prone image against the Lions.
Philadelphia at Dallas	DAL -3	Cowboys	Mark Sanchez makes too many mistakes, and Dallas will capitalize.
Seattle at San Francisco	SF -1	Seahawks	Russell Wilson continues to be more effective than Colin Kaepernick.
Cleveland at Buffalo	Even	Bills	Even with Josh Gordon back in action, Buffalo's defense will be tough for Cleveland to handle.
New Orleans at Pittsburgh	PIT -3	Steelers	New Orleans doesn't play well on the road, and Pittsburgh is a tough environment.
San Diego at Baltimore	BAL -4.5	Ravens	The Bolts haven't been great on offense, and a trip to the cold East Coast won't help.
Carolina at Minnesota	MIN -2	Vikings	Cam Newton and the Panthers have just been too inconsistent to produce wins.
NY Giants at Jacksonville	NYG -1.5	Giants	See analysis below.
Washington at Indianapolis	IND -8	Colts	Andrew Luck will remind everyone why he was selected before RGIII in 2012.
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay	CIN -4	Bengals	The Bengals are playing well, and Tampa Bay doesn't have the ability to keep up.
Tennessee at Houston	HOU -6.5	Titans	See analysis below.
Oakland at St. Louis	STL -6.5	Raiders	The Rams are playing better, but they lack the firepower to win big, even against the Raiders.
Arizona at Atlanta	Even	Cardinals	Arizona's defense is too good for an inconsistent Atlanta offense.
New England at Green Bay	GB -4	Packers	This may be the game of the year. New England is very good, but Green Bay is fantastic at home.
Denver at Kansas City	DEN -1.5	Broncos	Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes against Miami; the Chiefs won't stop him.
Miami at NY Jets	MIA -4	Dolphins	Miami's offense is clicking, and the Jets will allow that to continue.

All game odds courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of November 24 at 4 a.m. ET.

Early Odds to Bet

New York Giants (-1.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The Giants are riding a six-game losing streak heading into Week 13, but that's about to end. This team has plenty of firepower on the offensive side of the ball, and that was well on display Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

Despite the lack of an explosive running game, New York remains committed to establishing a balanced offense. The team rushed 32 times and attempted 40 passes in Week 12. That balance allowed quarterback Eli Manning to complete 29 of his 40 passing attempts for 338 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 112.3.

Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was the recipient of most passes, and in case you didn't notice, he's pretty darn good. The LSU product reeled in 10 receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns, including this insane grab, via the Giants' official Twitter account:

Let's just go ahead and put this out there: The Jaguars don't have anywhere near that kind of playmaking ability on their roster.

That was pretty noticeable Sunday, as Jacksonville could only muster three points against an Indianapolis Colts team that kept trying to shoot itself in the foot, fumbling a total of six times. Running back Denard Robinson averaged 1.8 yards per carry, and quarterback Blake Bortles still has plenty of development ahead of him, as the offense managed just 194 total yards.

While the Giants may not hold Jacksonville to a meager three points in Week 13, they should be able to produce more than enough offense to easily win by far more than two points.

Prediction: Giants 27, Jaguars 13

Tennessee Titans (+6.5) at Houston Texans

Michael Perez/Associated Press

The Titans may have been trumped 43-24 by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, but there were several positive takeaways for the team.

Rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger was able to take advantage of a weaker secondary, throwing for 345 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, despite finding himself under a good amount of pressure. That's a good sign considering Tennessee's running game hasn't been able to take off at all this season.

Through Sunday's action, Houston's pass defense is ranked 31st in the league, giving up an average of 274.0 passing yards per game. Mettenberger should be able to take full advantage of the Texans' porous secondary due to the speedy wide receiver trio of Justin Hunter, Kendall Wright and Nate Washington.

On the flip side, Ryan Mallett did not look good at all against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12. He completed just 21 of his 45 passing attempts for zero touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 49.2. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeted one big reason why:

Should Mallett miss time, Ryan Fitzpatrick should be expected to return under center. His lackluster play earlier in the season helped Mallett take over the starting job, as Fitzpatrick had plenty of trouble moving the offense.

Tennessee has played well against the pass this season. Its hard-hitting secondary is ranked 11th in yards allowed through the air, giving up an average of 233.4 per game. That's not a favorable matchup for a quarterback who has been shelved for the past two contests.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position in Houston, Tennessee gets the upper hand. The Texans offense is in flux, and that will result in the Titans beating the spread—as well as Houston—in Week 13.

Prediction: Titans 26, Texans 23