Week 13 NFL Picks: 7 Upsets You Can Bet the House On
Week 12 NFL picks are up next for you football fans. Many of the NFL teams are gripping right about now. This is a tumultuous time in the season. One small stumble could mean the difference between home field in the playoffs or worse. It could mean the missing of the post season entirely.
As is the case in any given year. They will be spoilers to the party. Here are some games where the underdog will have one last hurrah before the end of the season. Here are your week 13 upsets.
Cleveland Browns at Miami Dolphins
1 of 7
Line: Miami favored by four points
Why the Browns can win: Chad Henne is hit or miss. You never know what kind of production you will get from the young quarterback. One thing you can be assured of, Miami will look lackluster at home. They have all season. Four of their losses are at the unfriendly confines of their own stadium.
The biggest reason I like an upset is that the Browns are one team that plays up. They lift their games to meet the level of better opponents. An away game for the Browns is a godsend. They will be much more cohesive than the Dolphins. This will be a narrow one, but a victory for the Browns none the less.
Why the Dolphins can win: With Davone Bess doing his best impression of a genuine receiver, anything is possible. If the wildcat is hitting on all cylinders and Chad Henne can remain true, the Dolphins will be alright.
Prediction: Browns 24, Dolphins 17
Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings
2 of 7
Line: Minnesota favored by seven points
Why the Bills can win: The Vikings played a spirited game for their new head coach last week. There will be a natural drop in that high this week. The Vikings are still a bad team with real holes to their game. The Bills may not pose a threat on defense, but Brett Favre doesn't pose a danger either.
The Bills are extremely adept at making great teams sweat towards the end of the game. They have such a volatile offense that there is no way the Vikings can completely stop them. In a shootout, I will take the arm of Ryan Fitzpatrick over Brett Favre at this stage in his career.
Why the Vikings can win: Brett Favre will have to keep up his spry play. That is a feat that I think is beyond his legs and years. The last thing Favre needs is a shootout to get mixed up in. He needs limited appearances. He will not get that against Buffalo.
Prediction: Bills 28, Vikings 24
Jacksonville Jaguars Vs. Tennessee Titans
3 of 7
Line: NA
Why the Jaguars can win: As of this writing, there is no current line for this game. I will assume that the home team will be spotted their requisite three points. That being the case, the Jaguars win this one regardless.
The Titans are in some sort of spiral and can't seem to get out of it. Somewhere along the way, they just blew up. They had so much promise, but it seems the Vince Young saga may have left some bruises.
More than that, the Jaguars are one of the hottest teams right now. They have taken three of their last four and pushed the New York Giants to the limit last week. The Titans will have their hands full with David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew.
Why the Titans can win: Anything is likely. The Titans could very well come out of the tunnel on Sunday with a young Rusty Smith at quarterback and be just fine. Unlikely, but it is possible.
Prediction: Jaguars 24, Titans 17
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Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4 of 7
Line: Atlanta favored by 1.5 points
Why the Falcons can win: The Falcons are purely amazing lately. Their tandem of Michael Turner's speed and Matt Ryan's arm are dangerous. How long can they keep up the perfection?
Why the Buccaneers can win: The Falcons are truly one of the better teams in the NFL. But Tampa Bay is a very formidable opponent, especially at home. In their first match up this season, Atlanta needed a last minute defensive stand to deter the upset.
The main thing is that Josh Freeman is much better this week than he was in week 9. This whole season has been a maturation process for him. He is much better at being patient and allowing himself to throw to his check downs rather than get burned down field. I don't see him throwing two picks, the way he did in week 9.
Prediction: Falcons 20, Buccaneers 24
Dallas Cowboys at Indianapolis Colts
5 of 7
Line: Colts favored by five points
Why the Cowboys can win: The Colts are battered and bruised. The Cowboys are playing inspired ball. And most importantly, Peyton Manning is throwing the ball away. All of these reasons point to an assured upset victory away for the Cowboys.
The strain of nagging injuries to key staff is just too much to bear, especially when Peyton Manning is clearly not himself. He has thrown seven interceptions in his last two games combined. It is looking fairly bleak in Indianapolis.
Why the Colts can win: If there is anyone in this league that can turn around a team it is Peyton Manning. The Colts will always have a fighting chance while he is at the helm.
Prediction: Cowboys 17, Colts 14
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
6 of 7
Line: Ravens favored by 2.5 points
Why the Steelers can win: This one may be too close to call. It is always a slow arduous affair when these two match up. It will be a slow defensive game that the Steelers should get in the end. Both teams are good at winning messy ones but the Steelers are better.
The Ravens rely heavily on the run. There is no team better at containing that aspect of the game better that the Steelers. Ray Rice will be relegated to a statue on Sunday night.
Why the Ravens can win: This really is a coin flip scenario. While Ray Rice is getting stopped at scrimmage, Flacco will find outlets on the wings. The only part the Steelers defense is susceptible at is the pass. Flacco better be ready to have one hell of a game.
Prediction: Steelers 24, Ravens 17
New York Jets at New England Patriots
7 of 7
Line: Patriots favored by three points
Why the Jets can win: The game of the season will come down to one aspect, defense. The Jets are better at imposing their will on that side of the ball. The Jets have received flack as of late for their narrow victories over lesser opponents.
The fact remains, this team just finds a way to get the victory. I have no doubt that the Patriots will put up a good show this Monday. But as they have done so many times as of late, the Jets will squeeze enough from their offense to get past the surging Patriots.
Why the Patriots can win: The Patriots will be playing at home. Then you have Tom Brady leading the charge as a good reason. You might want to throw in Bill Belichick and his coaching pedigree in as well. There is still a lot to like about the Patriots. I fully understand that fact.
Prediction: Jets 27, Patriots 24
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