NFL Predictions Week 13: Odds, Predictions and Advice for Ideal Underdogs

In Week 13, five NFL franchises currently in playoff positions are underdogs.

Of the quintet, Buffalo and Pittsburgh appear to have the best chance of covering and possibly winning outright. 

The Bills head to AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving to face a Dallas team that has struggled against squads with winning records. 

Pittsburgh faces Cleveland for the second time in three weeks, and despite another quarterback change, it is in a good position to enact revenge and gain a stronghold in the race for the AFC's No. 6 seed.  

NFL Week 13 Schedule

All Times ET

Odds via Caesars; predictions against the spread in bold

Thursday, November 28

Chicago (-3) at Detroit (12:30 p.m., Fox) 

Buffalo at Dallas (-6.5) (4:30 p.m., CBS) 

New Orleans (-7) at Atlanta (8:20 p.m., NBC) 

Sunday, December 1

Washington at Carolina (-10) (1 p.m., CBS) 

New York Jets (-3.5) at Cincinnati (1 p.m., CBS) 

Tennessee at Indianapolis (-2.5) (1 p.m., CBS) 

Cleveland (-2) at Pittsburgh (1 p.m., CBS) 

San Francisco at Baltimore (-6) (1 p.m., Fox) 

Tampa Bay at Jacksonville (-1) (1 p.m., Fox) 

Philadelphia (-9) at Miami (1 p.m., Fox) 

Green Bay (-6.5) at New York Giants (1 p.m., Fox) 

Los Angeles Rams (-3) at Arizona (4:05 p.m., Fox) 

Los Angeles Chargers (-2.5) at Denver (4:25 p.m., CBS) 

Oakland at Kansas City (-10) (4:25 p.m., CBS) 

New England (-3) at Houston (8:20 p.m., NBC) 

Monday, December 2

Minnesota at Seattle (-3) (8:15 p.m., ESPN) 

Ideal Underdogs

Buffalo (+6.5) at Dallas

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

The knock on both Buffalo and Dallas is a majority of their victories have come against lesser opposition. 

The Bills have only played one game against a franchise currently in a playoff position. Starting with Thursday's game at Dallas, they take on four in a row. 

During the four-game run, Sean McDermott's team has a chance to prove it can beat playoff-caliber teams while locking up the No. 5 seed in the AFC. 

Conversely, four of Dallas' five defeats have come to playoff teams, with the other occurring on the road to the New York Jets. 

The Cowboys' larger sample size strikes up more concerns because they are holding on to a one-game lead in the NFC East. 

Jason Garrett's side faces a Buffalo offense that eclipsed 300 total yards in each of its five road contests and put up back-to-back 424-yard performances against Miami and Denver. 

Josh Allen has developed chemistry with John Brown and former Cowboy Cole Beasley in the passing game, and he has support from Frank Gore and Devin Singletary on the ground. 

Allen is also capable of taking off with his legs, as he has 387 rushing yards and seven scores to go along with 2,360 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. 

In their losses, the Cowboys have allowed 325.8 yards and 22.2 points per game, which suggests Buffalo can stick around. 

Additionally, Dallas conceded at least 100 rushing yards in each of the last five games. If the visitors take advantage of that, they can prolong time with the ball and keep Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Co. off the field. 

The Bills have a slew of defensive weapons that could stop Dallas' top players during their offensive possessions. 

TreDavious White has 13 passes defended, four interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles. He could limit Amari Cooper's production. 

Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson lead the pass rush with a combined 22 quarterback hits, 18 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. 

Buffalo allowed 108 rushing yards in the last two weeks, and Elliott has a single triple-digit performance in a defeat. 

A methodical offensive approach and a defensive performance that contains Dallas' stars could lead to a cover and a potential outright win.  

Cleveland at Pittsburgh (+2) 

Don Wright/Associated Press

It is easy to be skeptical of Pittsburgh because of its offensive injuries and quarterback changes. 

But the Steelers were able to beat Cincinnati with Devlin Hodges inserted at quarterback and without James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster. 

They may have to win without their top two skill position players again. Mike Tomlin was not sure of their status Tuesday, per Joe Rutter of the Tribune-Review.

"I don't know what their status will be as a I stand here," Tomlin said Tuesday. "We'll go through our normal procedures."

Even if they miss another game, Pittsburgh has a chance to down its AFC North rival on home soil. 

In his three appearances, Hodges has a 67.5 completion percentage, 318 passing yards and two touchdowns. 

Most importantly, he only has one interception, which was one of the biggest problems facing Mason Rudolph, who was picked off eight times in the last three games. 

Hodges should get support from Benny Snell and Kerrith Whyte, who combined for 141 rushing yards on 27 carries versus Cincinnati. 

If the rushing attack complements the third-string quarterback, the Steelers could put together a few scoring drives and a lead that their defense can protect. 

Two weeks ago, the Steelers held the Browns to 14 points until a late touchdown following an interception made it a two-score game. 

In that contest, Pittsburgh had 10 tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. If T.J. Watt and Co. smother the Browns at the line of scrimmage, it could shorten the opponent's time on the field. 

If the Steelers hold the Browns under 20 points, Hodges should be able to lead the offense to a winning total by being more careful with the ball than Rudolph.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference