NFL Predictions Week 13: Picks for Every Game

The Week 13 game of the week takes place in New Orleans between the Lions and Saints. The Saints are coming off a dominant performance against the Giants on Monday Night Football, while the Lions are reeling after a huge loss to Green Bay on Thanksgiving.

There is also a big game in Pittsburgh between the Bengals and Steelers.

Click through to see a pick for each Week 13 game.

Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks

The Eagles loss to the Patriots last week pretty much ended any hopes they had at making a run at the postseason. Things are not looking good for Andy Reid, and it is only a matter of time before this team mails it in.

Combine all of that with a short week and a flight across the country, and this looks like a good spot for Seattle. You also have to love the matchup for Marshawn Lynch. Philadelphia is giving up over 110 yards per game on the ground.

Seahawks 24-Eagles 13

Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are in the middle of a free fall.  They have lost their last four and their best player, Fred Jackson, for the season.

Chris Johnson got back on track last week with 190 yards against the Buccaneers. That is not good news for the Bills defense that ranks 21st against the run. Look for CJ to top the 100-yard mark for the second straight game.

Buffalo is never an easy place to win, but this matchup is really good for the Titans. Their run defense has struggled, but they do not have to face Jackson. The Tennessee defense ranks 13th in the league.

Titans 24-Bills 21

Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears

This game is the battle of the back-up quarterbacks. The only question is, will it be Tyler Palko or Kyle Orton for the Chiefs? Orton would give them a better chance to win if he can get up to speed on the offense by then.

Caleb Hanie did not play well in his first start. The good news for Chicago here is that Kansas City is bad against the run. They give up 133.7 yards per game on the ground. The Bears will give them a heavy dose of Matt Forte and Marion Barber and hope that is good enough.

Chicago will also need to get a couple of turnovers from their defense to set up a short field, which will not be a problem if Palko is under center. He has thrown six interceptions in two starts.

Bears 27-Chiefs 10

Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins

The Raiders come into this game having won three in a row. They have been a different team since adding Carson Palmer, and there is a pretty good chance they will get even better this week with the return of Darren McFadden.

The Dolphins are good against the run, so the best way for Oakland to attack them will be through the air. Miami is giving up 239.1 yards per game through the air.

Reggie Bush should have a big day in this one. The Raiders are giving up 135.3 yards per game on the ground. The best way to keep Palmer and company off the field will be to feed the ball to Bush and Daniel Thomas.

Raiders 24-Dolphins 17

Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings

The Broncos are on a roll. That has more to do with their defense than it does Tim Tebow, which is why they have a really good chance to win this game.

It looks like the Vikings will be without Adrian Peterson for the second straight week. That does not bode well for Christian Ponder when faced with Von Miller and the rest of the Broncos pass rush.

Tebow will have to throw at least a little bit if they are going to win this game. The Vikings defense is stout against the run, but ranks 29th against the pass.

The Tebow magic continues for another week.

Broncos 13-Vikings 10

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots

There really is not much to say about this game. It is clearly a "name your number" game for the Patriots. The only thing that will stop them will be when they decide to call off the dogs.

The Colts fired their defensive coordinator this week. That will not matter at all in this one.  The march for Andrew Luck rolls through New England.

Patriots 42 Colts 10

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

This is a big game for both of these teams. They are both trailing the Ravens in the AFC North with little hope of catching them, so a win is crucial in the wild card race.

These two teams played each other just three weeks ago in Cincinnati. Pittsburgh won that game, 24-17. The Bengals lost A.J. Green early in that game after he was injured on a 36-yard touchdown reception.

There is not much difference in these two teams statistically. The difference in the first meeting was the performance of Ben Roethlisberger. He threw for 245 yards, while Andy Dalton threw for just 170.

This meeting should be another tight one, with the team that makes the plays in the fourth quarter coming out on top.

Bengals 21-Steelers 17

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This should be a really good game. Neither of these teams are very good, but they are pretty evenly matched.

This one will come down to whichever quarterback plays better. Cam Newton is keeping the Panthers in games with his play. Josh Freeman has been playing the Buccaneers out of games.

At the same time, expect both teams to go run heavy in this game because they are both bad against the run on defense. You have to give the edge to Tampa in that one with how well LeGarrette Blount has been running the ball lately.

Buccaneers 31-Panthers 27

New York Jets at Washington Redskins

The Redskins finally got off the mat last week and won for the first time in six weeks. That streak will end at one with the Jets coming to town this weekend.

Washington benefited from the resurgence of Rex Grossman for what seems like the 10th time. Things will not be as easy for him this week against Darrelle Revis and company.

Mark Sanchez had one of his best games of the season last week against the Bills. He threw for four touchdowns and 180 yards. The Jets will rely more on their run game this week against a weak Washington run defense.

Jets 24-Redskins 13

Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans

The injuries at quarterback are going to be the death of what was looking like a very promising season for the Texans. They have finally added a defense to their prolific offense, but that offense is not quite as prolific with T.J. Yates under center.

The Falcons look to really be hitting their stride, and they match up very well against the Texans because they have the second-ranked rush defense in the league. That is going to put a lot of pressure on Yates.

The best bet for Houston in this one is to play a low-scoring game that is decided late in the fourth quarter. It is hard to see that happening though if they cannot stay on the field on offense.

Falcons 21 Texans 13

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns

Ray Rice is going to have a field day in this game. The Browns are 29th in the NFL against the run. The Ravens would be smart to just hand the ball off all day long and never ask Joe Flacco to throw.

The Browns struggle on offense. They are 28th in the league in total offense. That does not bode well when facing Baltimore, who is third in the league in total defense. Cleveland will be lucky to score 10 points.

Ravens 24-Browns 6

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

The Giants are limping into this game with the defending champs. They have lost their last three after the big win over the Patriots that got them to 6-2.

You already know about the Packers. They are clearly the best team in the league and have a quarterback who is playing better than anyone else in the league. He has a good matchup this weekend against the New York defense that ranks 26th in the league against the pass.

Eli Manning will need to have a big game for the Giants to have a chance. He will have some opportunities against a Green Bay defense that ranks 31st against the pass.

Packers 42-Giants 31

Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals

It is hard to see the Cardinals having much of a chance in this one. They finally found some offense last week against the Rams, but everyone finds offense against the Rams.

Dallas should see this game as a golden opportunity to create some separation in the AFC East. They already have a one-game lead, and the opportunity to open a two-game lead will probably be there, with the Giants facing the Packers in Week 13. 

Cowboys 35-Cardinals 17

St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers

It really is hard to believe how the Rams are as bad as they are. They have talent on offense, but just do not score any points. 

The 49ers are the opposite of the Rams. Expectations were pretty low heading into the season with a new coach and Alex Smith at quarterback, but they are one of the best teams in the league.

This game will be the Frank Gore show. The Rams give up 159 yards per game on the ground and have allowed a running back to go over 200 yards twice this season.

It is hard to see St. Louis being able to get much of anything going on offense.

49ers 27-Rams 10

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints

The Lions desperately need a win in this one. They have lost four of their last six. A loss in this one would be a huge blow to their playoff hopes.

The Saints are coming off one of their best wins of the season. They dismantled the Giants on Monday Night Football and look like they are the only legitimate threat to the Packers in the league.

The Lions have been really good against the pass on defense, only giving up 202.2 yards per game through the air. Drew Brees will put that number to the test.

New Orleans has not been good against the pass. Matthew Stafford will need to hit some big plays in this one to keep his team in the game.

Saints 31-Lions 28

San Diego Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars

This will be an interesting night in Jacksonville with the firing of Jack Del Rio and the selling of the team. It will be a different atmosphere than games there have been in the past.

The Chargers are a disaster right now. They were the heavy favorite to win the AFC West heading into the season, but enter this game on a six-game losing streak. Philip Rivers has been terrible, and it is going to cost Norv Turner his job.

The biggest matchup advantage goes to Maurice Jones-Drew in this one. The Chargers are 25th in the league against the run. Look for Mel Tucker to feed MJD the ball.

Sometimes it is a change at head coach that rallies a team. That is going to be the case for the Jaguars this week.

Jaguars 24-Chargers 13