NFL Picks Week 13: Tips and Predictions for over-Under Lines and Odds

There are those who would write off the Green Bay Packers at this point in the season.

The Packers have lost four of their last five games, and they are coming off a Thanksgiving night home loss to the Chicago Bears.

The Packers have lost their last two home games to the Detroit Lions and the Bears, two of the teams they have regularly bullied for years. That means that momentum has shifted, and they are not going to be able to turn their season back in a positive direction.

Wrong!

Don't think for a moment that losing is an inevitability for the Packers. Two weeks ago they were faced with a difficult situation when they had to play the Minnesota Vikings on the road, and they beat the surging Vikes by a 30-13 margin.

This week, the Packers go back on the road against the suddenly hot Lions. Look for them to replicate their Week 11 form against the Vikings in Detroit.

Eddie Lacy has run hard the last two weeks, and he appears to be in the process of saving his season. Fellow running back James Starks is also effective at bouncing out of tackles.

However, the key to the Packers' success in this game is Aaron Rodgers. His receivers may be having a tough time, but as long as he gets a little protection from his offensive line, Rodgers will carve up the Lions defense.

The Packers are three-point road favorites, according to Odds Shark. The Lions have been playing well lately and have won three games in a row. They are not back in the playoff race yet, despite those wins. However, those wins mean opponents will take them seriously from this point forward.

That means Green Bay will come with its best effort here. The Packers will cover that spread with ease.

Game	Line	Over-Under	Selection
Green Bay at Detroit	Green Bay -3	46.5	Green Bay; Over
Houston at Buffalo	Buffalo -3	41.5	Houston; Under
San Francisco at Chicago	Chicago -7	43.5	Chicago; Under
Cincinnati at Cleveland	No line	--	Cincinnati
Baltimore at Miami	No line	--	Miami
Seattle at Minnesota	Even	41.5	Seattle
N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants	NYJ -1	45	N.Y. Giants; Over
Arizona at St. Louis	Arizona -5.5	43	St. Louis; Under
Atlanta at Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay -1	46	Tampa Bay; Under
Jacksonville at Tennessee	Tennessee -2.5	43	Tennessee; Over
Kansas City at Oakland	Kansas City -2.5	44	Kansas City; Over
Denver at San Diego	Denver -4.5	43	Denver; Over
Carolina at New Orleans	Carolina -7.5	49.5	New Orleans; Over
Philadelphia at New England	No line	--	New England
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh	No line	--	Pittsburgh
Dallas at Washington	Washington -4.5	42	Washington; Under

Broncos, Chargers ready for shootout

The Denver Broncos were forced to turn to backup quarterback Brock Osweiler just two weeks ago when age and injuries appeared to get the best of Peyton Manning.

The Broncos offense had stalled under Manning, and Denver had been beaten badly at home by Kansas City. Then, head coach Gary Kubiak decided to turn the offense over to his backup quarterback.

To say it has worked out well would be an understatement. Osweiler led the Broncos to a road victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 11, and then he faced a much tougher test when the New England Patriots came calling Sunday night.

Tom Brady and the Patriots were undefeated, and many expected Osweiler to fold under the pressure. Instead, he came through in the fourth quarter with two scintillating touchdown drives, and the Broncos came back to earn an overtime victory.

The San Diego Chargers have been struggling badly, but they came through with a 31-25 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road in Week 12. Philip Rivers passed for 300 yards and four touchdowns. 

The over-under has been set at 43 points for the meeting between these two teams in San Diego this Sunday. With Rivers coming off a sharp effort and Osweiler fulfilling his potential, look for these two teams to put on a high-scoring battle.

They will blast through the 43-point mark before the end of the third quarter. Take the over, and don't give it a second thought.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Giants must come through against Jets in Battle of MetLife Stadium

The papers and talk shows will refer to it as the Battle of New York, as they always do.

But neither the Jets nor the Giants have called New York home for a long time. These two teams both play at MetLife Stadium in northern New Jersey.

When they get together in the regular season, it is always a battle for bragging rights and respect. But it is also a battle of survival for the Giants. If they want to save themselves the embarrassment of falling two games under .500, they must win this game.

The Giants are coming off a tough 20-14 road loss to the Washington Redskins that left both teams with 5-6 records. The Redskins are in first place, because they have the better divisional record at this point.

The Jets got back on track last week with an impressive win over Miami, and they are one-point favorites over the Giants.

The Jets certainly have the better defense, and it's not even close in that area. However, the Giants have a devastating quarterback-wide receiver duo in Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. They are also the more desperate team.

The Giants will win and get back to .500. Look for Manning to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns as the Giants pull away in the second half.