NFL Picks Week 13: Picking Every Week 13 Game
Yes, yes, yes, I know I missed the boat for the Thursday night game, so count that one on the loss column for me. I'll take that hit.
For the rest of this weekend, though, I have you set.
Here are picks for every Week 13 game. I'll be taking bets in the comments section below (just kidding, but feel free to challenge me with your own).
New Orleans Saints at Cincinnati Bengals
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This one might be taking place in Cincinnati, but don't be mistaken, the Saints will come out with this one (by a wide margin). The Bengals just seem to blow it week after week, and the fact that they have nothing to lose now doesn't seem like it'll do much for them.
Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
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The Detroit Lions are down to their third string quarterback, and having Julius Peppers (the guys dragging Michael Vick down by the shoelaces to the left) lined up against him won't help.
That having been said, I expect there to be some fight in the Lions, but not nearly enough to send Chicago away with a loss. The Bears are just playing too well right now to let the slumping Lions knock them off track.
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
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I'm not sure how the 49ers have managed to find a winning rhythm lately, but it ends in Green Bay.
The Packers have fought through everything this season, and now they're playing playoff-caliber football.
On the other side of things, the 49ers still don't seem like an impressive team. Sure, they beat up on the Arizona Cardinals last week, but then again, it's hard to find a team that is playing worse football than the Arizona Cardinals.
This one is in the bag for the Packers already.
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Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
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This one just screams trap game to me.
Sure, the Broncos have lost their last two games, but they really seemed to have the Chiefs' number the last time the two met.
The showdown won't be in the Mile High city, but that hardly matters. It seems like the Broncos have what they need to bring down the surging Chiefs and throw another wrench into the AFC West mix.
Cleveland Browns at Miami Dolphins
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The Dolphins looked good trouncing the Oakland Raiders last week, but a new week means a new challenge, and the Browns are not a team to be taken lightly.
Oh wait, Colt McCoy is out. Let me go back and change that statement.
How's this sound: A new week means a new challenge, and the Browns seem like a good team to give the Dolphins a pump-up win.
Let's be honest here, people, the Browns just don't have it without Colt McCoy under center. It pains me, because I really enjoyed watching them succeed, but it's true.
I see the Dolphins winning this game by at least a 10-point margin.
Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings
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Had it not been for an unfortunate drop last weekend, the Bills would've walked away with another win, and would probably have earned the Biggest Upset of the Season award.
This week promises something similar. I know that I've said that the interim head coach rule means that you should always side with the team who has recently fired their head coach, but the Bills just seem to want it so badly that even the new energy in Minnesota won't be enough.
It also doesn't help that Adrian Peterson might not be there for the Vikings. That's a big one.
Washington Redskins at New York Giants
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The Giants have looked really unimpressive lately. They barely got away with the win last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and this week only seems like a harder matchup for them.
So, why pick the Giants?
Well, sometimes you just have to go on gut feeling. I could talk about home-field advantage and defense and all that jazz, but you and I both know that the Giants are a team with too many faces to assume which one they are going to put on this weekend.
It just feels to me like the Giants will have it together. Am I a psychic? Only time will tell.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
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The Jaguars were so close to upsetting the Giants in the Meadowlands that it was almost painful to watch.
Don't expect them to drop their game this week. They may be playing in Tennessee, but it is clear that Rusty Smith is only going to hold the Titans back.
Chris Johnson can't be the only thing going for the Titans right now. I think the only way they could win is if Courtland Finnegan could get enough Jags to fight so that the game would end on account of too few eligible players (are we not making jokes about that yet?).
Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
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The Chargers proved last week that they could just as easily beat a team with great defense as they could with great offense. They look unbeatable right now.
On the other side of things, the Raiders look very beatable. This rivalry always brings the best out of them, but they've changed their quarterback again, they can't run the football again and they seems so amazingly out of sync that I just don't see them winning this one.
St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals
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The St. Louis Rams finally proved last week that they are capable of winning on the road, which opens the door for them to take a lead in the NFC West with a good divisional win this weekend.
The Arizona Cardinals are a team falling apart (as apparent from Derek Anderson's press conference meltdown) and don't seem like they are in any position to threaten the Rams.
Dallas Cowboys at Indianapolis Colts
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Oh boy is this going to make people angry.
This one has trap game written all over it. The Cowboys have recently figured out how to play good football, and, despite being out of the playoff hunt, they look like the kind of team that's out to spoil people's playoff hopes.
Indy, on the other side of things, is starting to come unglued at the seams. It's hard to stay together when your team (I mean Peyton Manning) continues to throw pick after pick after pick.
If the defense in Dallas can put up a showing that is anything like that of the San Diego Chargers or the New England Patriots, they're walking out with a win here, no question about it.
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
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Hooray, a battle between arguably two of the worst teams in the NFL!
These games are always fun, if only because it looks like one running-blooper reel.
This one is not going to come down to who is better, but who stinks it up less, and I think this is where the Seahawks win it. Somehow they manage to play well at home, and the fact that they are matching up against the worst team in the NFL seems to help their cause.
If the Panthers win this game, it will be some kind of act of god.
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Before offering a quick explanation, let me make something clear: this will not be a blowout. The Bucs are a team with real fight, and they will give their all in this game, and it may end up being decided by a touchdown or less.
However, the Falcons are one of the best, if not the best, teams in the NFL right now, and they are really surging. They've now won five games in a row, one of which was against Tampa Bay. That was a close one, but it's hard to imagine the Buccaneers pulling this one out.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
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Baltimore last week: 17-10 win over Tampa Bay.
Pittsburgh last week: 19-16 OT win over Buffalo.
It's clear who had the better week last week, and it should be clear who is playing better football right now.
With Roethlisberger hurt, the Steelers will have to go back to relying on their defense to win games, and they just don't seem to be getting it done for Pittsburgh like they were in the beginning of the season. The Ravens have what it takes to take down the Steelers with little to no worries.
New York Jets at New England Patriots
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My oh my, this will be a good one, which I am more than thankful for. The last Monday Night Football game was just plain awful (seriously, though, who thought that an NFC West matchup would be a great prime time game?).
In the end, this comes down to the fact that the Jets have had this one coming for a long time now. Week after week they somehow manage to sneak out a win, whether they are behind by a big margin or just playing close to a team.
The Jets aren't playing their best defense right now, which is really going to hamper them against the Patriots, who are, ironically, playing half-decent defense to go along with their All-Star offense. The Jets may have won their last meeting, but the Patriots should have this one.
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
16 of 16Like I said, you're free to challenge me in the comments section. I welcome it.
Like the article? Follow me on Twitter @chriseggemeyer
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