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NFL Week 13 Picks: Early Odds Tips, Spreads and Predictions for Latest Schedule
November 26, 2018
The rise of the Chicago Bears is one of the great stories of the 2018 NFL season.
The Bears had been flailing around without a lifesaver for several seasons, playing clueless football under Marc Trestman and John Fox.
Trestman had tried to give the Bears a modern offense, but his players could not execute it, while Fox tried to go old school with a run-run-pass type of game plan, and the results were awful.
The Bears were stringing double-digit loss seasons under both coaches, and general manager Ryan Pace hired Matt Nagy to turn things around.
Nagy had been the offensive coordinator under Andy Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he learned his lessons well. However, more than the strategy, Nagy is a winning and likable sort who has gained the support of the locker room.
Second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has improved quite a bit, and the Bears have added wide receivers like Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel. The defense had solid personnel with Akiem Hicks and Danny Trevathan, and the Bears drafted Roquan Smith and added Khalil Mack from the Oakland Raiders shortly before the start of the season.
In addition to those stars, free safety Eddie Jackson has emerged has an instinctive game-changing player.
As a result, the Bears have risen to first place in the NFC North, and they have the inside track on winning the division and earning the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs. They could go higher than that, but the No. 3 spot is realistic.
Trubisky (20-9 TD-interception ratio) did not play in Week 12 as a result of a shoulder injury and gave way to Chase Daniel. Trubisky could be back for this week's game against the New York Giants, but Daniel could get his second consecutive start.
While the Bears are enjoying a resurgent season, the Giants have been largely awful. They were 1-7 in the first half of the season, and while they bounced back with wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there's no reason think the Giants are improving.
They led the Philadelphia Eagles 19-3 in Week 12 but dropped the game in the final seconds.
Quarterback Eli Manning could be in big trouble against the speedy and aggressive Chicago defense, and he may have a hard time staying upright in this game.
The Bears are four-point favorites, per OddsShark, and it's difficult to see the home underdog Giants staying close in this game.
Week 13 matchups, point spreads and predictions (All point spreads courtesy of OddsShark)
New Orleans (-7) at Dallas; New Orleans
Arizona at Green Bay (-14); Green Bay
Cleveland at Houston (-4.5); Houston
Baltimore (-3) at Atlanta; Atlanta
Carolina (-4) at Tampa Bay; Carolina
Chicago (-4) at N.Y. Giants; Chicago
Buffalo at Miami (-7); Buffalo
Denver at Cincinnati (NL); Denver
L.A. Rams (-7) at Detroit; L.A. Rams
Indianapolis (-2.5) at Jacksonville; Jacksonville
Kansas City (-13) at Oakland; Kansas City
N.Y. Jets at Tennessee (-9.5); N.Y. Jets
Minnesota at New England (-4.5); Minnesota
San Francisco at Seattle (-8); Seattle
L.A. Chargers at Pittsburgh (-3.5); L.A. Chargers
Washington at Philadelphia (NL); Philadelphia
Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions
The Rams have had a week to catch their breath after their thrilling offensive spectacle with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.
The Rams are one of the prototype teams that demonstrate how the NFL plays football in the 2018 season. They are constantly on the attack with their offense, and they want their defense to come up with big plays here and there. They are not trying to put the clamps on opponents and shut down modern offenses.
Sean McVay has one of the game's best passers in Jared Goff. After struggling badly as a rookie, Goff has taken huge strides in his second and third seasons, and he triggers the Los Angeles passing game.
Todd Gurley may be the best running back in the league, and the Rams have two excellent receivers in Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods.
The Rams are second in the league with an average of 448.6 yards per game.
There is an unstoppable quality to this team, and they should have an easy time when they go to Detroit Sunday.
The Lions hired Matt Patricia as their head coach with the idea that their offense was solid and the former New England defensive coordinator could upgrade the defense. The Lions have fallen back on offense, and the defense has not done much.
Patricia may turn into a decent NFL head coach down the line, but he has not shown any signs of that in his first year. The Rams are not likely to slow down at any point in the near future.
Look for the Rams to win and easily cover as seven-point favorites.
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
The Chiefs are in a similar boat as the Rams, as they had the week off after their 54-51 loss to the NFC West leaders. While the Chiefs were done in by a couple of late turnovers, Andy Reid's team is still flying high and must continue to stack wins because they are being chased by an excellent Los Angeles Chargers team.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is a legitimate MVP candidate as he triggers the Chiefs offense with his powerful arm. Mahomes is averaging 329.8 yards per game and has thrown 37 touchdown passes.
Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt are two of Kansas City's best weapons, while Travis Kelce may have eclipsed Rob Gronkowski and become the best tight end in the league.
The Raiders don't have any answers for head coach Jon Gruden, and it doesn't seem likely they can stay close here. The Raiders could get off to a decent start with Derek Carr, but it doesn't seem possible they can sustain it for more than one quarter.
This is one of the great rivalry games in the NFL, as these two teams have played with hate in their hearts for each other since the days of the American Football League.
That's one of the reasons there will be no letup from the Chiefs. They roll as heavy favorites and put a whipping on their hosts.