NFL Week 13 Picks: Predicting Teams That Will Narrowly Escape with Wins

A win is a win, no matter how a team gets there. However, there's something singularly satisfying about a decisive blowout of one's opponent.

There's also something to be said for managing the pull off the close victory, as it seems to prove that one team is better at getting it done when it matters most.

In the following slides, I examine four games that will end with close scores, their winners grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat in the waning minutes of the contest.

Denver Broncos (at Minnesota Vikings)

With five of the Denver Broncos' seven games featuring Tim Tebow at quarterback ending with the winners and losers within one score of each other, it's fair to guess that the Broncos will again eke out another victory this week over the Minnesota Vikings.

Tebow's versatile and unpredictable play, combined with an ever-improving defense, has led the team to wins in five of those seven games, and they're on a four-game winning streak.

The Vikings are no stranger to close finishes, either, with seven of their 11 games this season also ending with a margin of seven points or less.

Considering that rookie standout Von Miller won't be on the field for the Broncos defense and star Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson will miss a second game with a sprained ankle, all the pieces are in place for yet another close Broncos victory that will hinge on clutch play from one of the best late-game quarterbacks in the league.

Atlanta Falcons (at Houston Texans)

One may look at this Sunday's contest between the Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans as ending with a close score at one time—but not anymore, as the Texans have lost not one but two starting quarterbacks in the course of three weeks.

However, the switch from Matt Schaub to Matt Leinart to T.J. Yates isn't as dramatic as it seems, and as such, the Texans remain serious playoff contenders and true threats to the 7-4 Atlanta Falcons.

The strength of Houston's offense lies primarily in its run game, led by Arian Foster and Ben Tate, as well as their contributions to the short passing game.

No matter who is throwing to him, wide receiver Andre Johnson is a perennial threat, and the Texans defense ranks seventh in the league, just above the Falcons.

Of course, the Falcons defense is strongest against the run. However, the type of run game the Falcons are used to seeing is very different from the one played by the Texans.

This game will come down to mistakes—who makes them, and who capitalizes on them.

With an inexperienced quarterback, the Texans seem likely to make the one error that costs them a win in a close game.

Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)

For a number of reasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers have allowed beatable opponents to hang on in games that should have been blowouts.

For one, the defense seems to soften at the least opportune moments.

Secondly, ill-timed offensive errors such as dropped passes have been popping up week after week.

Take the first time the Steelers took on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Though Pittsburgh's defense held Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton to just 170 yards and picked him off twice, they allowed two passing touchdowns that kept Cincinnati in the game.

The Steelers should have thoroughly destroyed the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 but beat them by just four points.

With both Pittsburgh and Cincinnati looking to make the playoffs and each needing another big divisional win to do so, both teams should be playing hard on Sunday.

Though Pittsburgh should manage to win this week, it will be by seven points or less. The matchup practically demands it.

New York Jets (at Washington Redskins)

Sunday's game between the New York Jets and Washington Redskins will be a close one, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it will be high-scoring.

Both teams have been plagued with inconsistencies and errors.

We have seen the playoff-favorite Jets fall to 6-5 and trying to scrape together a Wild Card-worthy season and the Redskins lose seven of their 11 games, including a six-game slide that ended just last week with a win over the Seattle Seahawks.

One constant for the Jets is their defense, which has been playing at a top-10 level all season long.

They will be the key for the team this week if they hope to beat the Redskins and try to close the gap on the AFC East-leading New England Patriots in this most decisive part of the season.

At the same time, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is coming off of a four-touchdown performance in his team's defeat of the Buffalo Bills last week.

That kind of production isn't sustainable for the up-and-down quarterback and it seems that another error-filled day could follow his highest-scoring game of the year.

Keep in mind that though Sanchez won that game for his team, he also completed less than 50 percent of his passes, belying that Sanchez's flaws still emerge even when he appears to play well.

In what should be a low-scoring game, the Jets will manage a victory, but it won't be without it's ugly plays and mistakes.