NFL Predictions Week 13: Every Game's Odds, Lines and Score Predictions

Week 13 features plenty of matchups that could be playoff previews as we watch the NFL postseason picture start to solidify at the back end of the season.

Kicking off the action in prime time Thursday, the 10-1 Dallas Cowboys will travel to face the 6-5 Minnesota Vikings in a matchup that could potentially be a playoff preview.

Meanwhile, if the 5-6 New Orleans Saints stay in the playoff hunt, they could find themselves in a rematch of this Sunday's matchup against the 7-4 Detroit Lions—who are in sole possession of first place in the NFC North—come January.

Let's take a look at the point spreads for Week 13's slate of games and make some predictions based on teams' average scoring production this season. Then we'll preview this week's safe bet and a big gamble:

Date	Time (ET)	Away	Home	Point Spread	Pick
Thursday	8:25 p.m.	DAL	MIN	DAL -2.5	28-20, Cowboys
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	KC	ATL	ATL -4	30-21, Falcons
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	DET	NO	NO -5	35-21, Saints
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	LA	NE	NE -13.5	27-13, Patriots
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	DEN	JAC	DEN -5	24-14, Broncos
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	HOU	GB	GB -3.5	24-17, Packers
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	PHI	CIN	PHI -1	21-17, Eagles
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	MIA	BAL	BAL -3.5	21-20, Ravens
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	SF	CHI	CHI -3	17-14, Bears
Sunday	4:05 p.m.	BUF	OAK	OAK -3.5	27-24, Raiders
Sunday	4:25 p.m.	NYG	PIT	PIT -6	24-21, Steelers
Sunday	4:25 p.m.	WAS	ARI	ARI -2.5	27-24, Cardinals
Sunday	4:25 p.m.	TB	SD	SD -5.5	27-21, Chargers
Sunday	8:30 p.m.	CAR	SEA	SEA -6.5	23-21, Panthers
Monday	8:30 p.m.	IND	NYJ	IND -2.5	24-20, Colts

Safe Bet: New England Patriots (-13.5)

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This one is a no-brainer.

The New England Patriots are the only team favored to win by more than a touchdown.

And while the Los Angeles Rams have seemingly experienced a renewed sense of purpose since rookie quarterback Jared Goff took the reins in Week 11, they're still going to be hard-pressed to remain within spitting distance of the Patriots on the scoreboard.

The Rams are averaging a league-worst 15.5 points per game this season, though they bested that average in Week 12 (21 points) against the Saints, which may suggest the Rams are poised to increase their scoring average with Goff at the helm in the coming weeks.

But they'd have to almost double their typical output to approach the Patriots' 26.6 points per game—an average that's lowered dramatically by New England's rogue zero-point outing behind third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett against the Buffalo Bills.

The Patriots may be without tight end Rob Gronkowski, who suffered a back injury Sunday against the New York Jets.

But Gronkowski, who has only three touchdowns on the season, isn't close to being New England's top scorer. That distinction belongs to running back LeGarrette Blount, who has scored a whopping 12 touchdowns this season.

The Rams offense may be upping the ante, but the defense has been lacking. The Patriots will exploit that early and often in Sunday's matchup.

Big Gamble: Seattle Seahawks (-6.5)

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Has the Seattle Seahawks' hot streak already fizzled?

Seattle started to heat up in Week 9 when it bested the Bills 31-25.

Then the Seahawks went on to shock the NFL-watching world when they defeated the Patriots 31-24 the following week.

In Week 11, the Seahawks were at it again, trouncing the Philadelphia Eagles 26-15. Heading into Week 12, Seattle sat atop the NFC West at 7-2-1 and appeared to be getting hot at the right time prior to the playoffs.

However, none other than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers halted Seattle's surge in Week 12, holding quarterback Russell Wilson and the high-flying Seattle offense to just five points, while Tampa Bay put up 14.

What happened?

Head coach Pete Carroll shared some thoughts in his postgame press conference, via the team's official Twitter account:

Right now, though, no one can feel confident with Seattle favored by 6.5 points over the Carolina Panthers, who put together a nice 32-point outing against the Oakland Raiders in Week 12 and defeated the Saints in prime time the week before.

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of Nov. 28. All statistics and rankings courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.