NFL Week 13 Picks: Analyzing Upsets and Predicting Every Game Against the Spread

Just five more weeks remain in the NFL regular season, making every game an important one. It also puts pressure on bettors to get every selection right leading up to the playoffs.

Week 12 was an unpredictable one even against certain spreads. Hell, even the Oakland Raiders covered  and finally won a game. Given the parity in the NFL and the exciting matchups set for Week 13, many of the spreads are tight during Thanksgiving weekend.

Before the games get underway on Thursday afternoon, here's a look at the potential upsets and picks against the spread. 

Matchup	Spread	Pick ATS
Chicago at Detroit	DET -6.5	Lions
Philadelphia at Dallas	DAL -3	Cowboys
Seattle at San Francisco	SF -1	Seahawks
Cleveland at Buffalo	BUF -1.5	Browns
New Orleans at Pittsburgh	PIT -3	Steelers
San Diego at Baltimore	BAL -4.5	Ravens
Carolina at Minnesota	MIN -2.5	Panthers
NY Giants at Jacksonville	NYG -2	Giants
Washington at Indianapolis	IND -9.5	Colts
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay	CIN -3.5	Bengals
Tennessee at Houston	HOU -6.5	Texans
Oakland at St. Louis	STL -7	Raiders
Arizona at Atlanta	AZ -1	Cardinals
New England at Green Bay	GB -3	Patriots
Denver at Kansas City	DEN -1	Broncos
Miami at NY Jets	MIA -4.5	Dolphins

Carolina Panthers (+2.5)

It's been a rough road for the Carolina Panthers leading up to the bye week. Currently mired in a five-game losing streak, they actually have the longest in the NFC South—the only division without a team above .500.

Luckily, Carolina now faces a team that cured its woes at the start of last season. The Minnesota Vikings were trounced in 2013, 35-10, to start a run that led the Panthers to a 12-4 record and an NFC South crown.

In order to right the ship again, the Panthers will need to come out of the bye with several mistakes corrected. Coach Ron Rivera spoke about some of those issues, per David Newton of ESPN.com:

"

There's a mix of things, there's a mix of reasons. We're trying to get past the negativity. We're trying to look at the positive side of it. I know it's hard to look at the positive side of being 3-7-1, but again, we're past being a young team. 

We're past being different players. We've played together for over half a season, so we should know. We should understand and we should be better, and these are the reasons why as we go forward.

"

While the Panthers have struggled, the Vikings have been surprisingly competitive despite losing several offensive leaders. Even against a potent Green Bay Packers team, the Vikes narrowly lost by a field goal with Teddy Bridgewater under center.

Facing a rookie quarterback, look for the Panthers defense to finally return to form. With Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis limiting the rushing attack, Carolina will force Bridgewater to step up, giving it the advantage on both sides of the ball.

New England Patriots (+3)

Another week, another tough matchup for the New England Patriots. Given the way the team has rallied over the last seven games, even the Green Bay Packers might not be able to stop it from rolling.

One of the biggest reasons for the recent run in New England is what was once perceived as a weakness—the amount of offensive weapons. Those options have shown up in critical moments with Tom Brady always finding his players in the red zone.

That's an area Brady has always thrived, as ESPN Stats & Info notes:

Typically, it's Rob Gronkowski or Julian Edelman who are on the receiving end of Brady's passes. Two weeks ago, it was Jonas Gray who carried the load with four touchdowns. In the last game, LeGarrette Blount returned to dominate while Tim Wright was left wide-open in the end zone.

Even with the plethora of players Aaron Rodgers has, the difference will be the Patriots defense stepping up. After all, they do have Brady leading the other side of the ball in Lambeau Field.

Cleveland Browns (+1.5)

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

As up and down as the Cleveland Browns have been this season, they still have 7-4 record for a reason. Coming off two straight road wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons, this team is also road tested heading into Buffalo.

Facing a Buffalo Bills team still on an emotional high after routing the New York Jets will not be an easy task. But with a wealth of weapons like Terrance West, Isaiah Crowell and, of course, Josh Gordon, Brian Hoyer will lead the Browns to another critical victory.

Equipped with a solid defense that steps up late in games and an offense that does the same, look for Cleveland to cover and win this matchup.

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