NFL Week 13 Picks: Division Leaders on Upset Alert This Week

Being in first place this far into the season means that you have a great football team. However, it also means that every week you’re going to see weaker teams prove they are not as bad as their record. It’s why teams like the Baltimore Ravens are on upset watch this week.  

The Ravens travel to Cleveland this week, where the Browns will be fired up to beat what used to be their team. Coming into this season, the Browns had a lot of hype surrounding them, but they have under-performed this year.  

Even with their disappointing 4-7 record, this Browns team is No. 1 in passing defense. The rest of team ranks 24th or 29th in passing and rushing offense and defending the run.  

The Ravens are not known for their passing offense, so you would think they would have an easy time with Cleveland. However, Baltimore’s three losses this year have come on the road, with two of them coming against sub-.500 teams.  

In those games, Baltimore relied heavily on Joe Flacco and the passing game. Having to rely on that has resulted in losses of 26-13 to Tennessee, 12-7 to Jacksonville and 22-17 to Seattle.  

This week, against the No. 1 pass defense in the Browns, it will result in another collapse on the road for the Ravens. 

Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans 

The Texans, to the shock of no one, have taken control of the AFC South division with the injury of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. They have finally lived up to expectations by starting this year at 8-3.  

However, because of injuries to their starting and back-up quarterbacks, they have to start rookie T.J. Yates. If they were playing a team like the Colts, starting Yates would not be a problem. Instead they play one of the better teams in the NFC in the Falcons.  

The Texans have the best rushing offense which will take pressure off of Yates and the passing game. However, the Falcons boast the second best rushing defense in the NFL.  

With Yates having to win this game, it will be too much for the rookie to handle. The Falcons will win this game, making Texans fans start to wonder if their team will sign a veteran free agent. 

Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins 

Oakland has been on a roll, winning its last three games. However, the Dolphins have been just as good, winning three of their last four games. It seems as if Miami has started to play a level of defense that it was always capable of. In those three wins, the defense has given up less than 10 points in each game.  

Coming into this week’s game, Oakland has the fourth best rushing offense in the NFL. It has used its running game to open up a passing offense that has come to life with quarterback Carson Palmer.  

However, this week the Raiders will not be able to use their running game to open up the passing attack, as the Dolphins rank seventh in defending the run.  

Miami pulls an upset here and wins its fourth game of the season by shutting down Michael Bush and exploiting the Raiders' poor defense that ranks 19th in pass defense and 27th in rushing defense. 

These three division leaders will all suffer a setback that will result in them losing their grip on the stranglehold in their division. 

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