Week 13 Key NFL Trends: Is 13 Truly Unlucky?

AT FIRST GLANCE...

...there are often games that look 'Tasty' Against The Spread (ATS) in many publications as a 'Bullet' trend only to 'trap' upon further review.

In 2006, The Director looked for the first time to clear the way for you to understand which team has the real 'ADVANTAGE' against the 'Trend'.

Is 13 Truly 'Unlucky'? We will see, as almost half of the games will be rematches of early season rivalries.

The fireworks beginning as early as Thursday Night as the as the Green Bay Packers and DALLAS COWBOYS, both coming off easy Thanksgiving turkey feasts, battle for the first time since 2004. In a different coaching era, the Packers were able to take the ADVANTAGE, and steal one at Home by 21 points.

With Garrard back at the helm, and now the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS facing injuries, the Jaguars will hope this week is unlucky for the Colts, as they look to regain their ADVANTAGE in their favorite role as Underdog. They return to Indianapolis where they are only .5 points away from being 3-0 ATS in their last three matchups there.

With Ahman Green, the engine behind any victory that the Houston Texans will produce, the struggling Titans will welcome visiting Houston to take ADVANTAGE of a team that they are not only on a 3-0 run ATS in their last three matchups, but have averaged over 30 points per game.

If Tom Coughlin didn't think he was unlucky enough as Manning handed the ball repeatedly to the Minnesota defense, he enters Chicago where a Bears team reinivigorated after a big victory against Denver have held the ADVANTAGE going 2-0 ATS over the last three years versus the Giants since his arrival in New York.

If there were ever two franchises that were unlucky, it would be the ones in New York and Miami. In a game that will atttract few national advertisers, the NY Jets, whose spotlight dimmed to dark versus the Cowboys, will look to take ADVANTAGE of the MIAMI DOLPHINS, who are the definition of unlucky with their latest loss of Ricky Williams with a chest injury. Driven now by Beck and Cobbs, the Dolphins enter 0-7-1 versus the Jets in their last 8 matchups; the push finally coming earlier this season. Having combined for 59 points in Week 3 with 424 offensive yards from Green and Brown, the Jets, who have not been favored here since 2004 will look to navigate Joey Porter, and continue Mangini's 2006 winning streak here.
ADVANTAGE NY JETS

Having upset the path of historical trends with their upset victory of Kansas City last week, the Raiders, who battled the Broncos to the brink in Week 2 hope that Denver will be unlucky. Having gone 0-4 SU, 1-3 ATS in their last four matchups with Denver, they will hope that the Broncos are hungover from another second half collapse versus the Bears Although the Raiders broke the losing streak once in 2006, interestingly, the Broncos have outscored the Raiders by 18+ points when they enter Oakland as 3 or less point favorites over the last 4 years.
ADVANTAGE BRONCOS