Welcome to my NFL Week 13 picks and previews. Last week, I went 11-4, putting my overall record at 96-78-2 (96-79-2 including Week 13 TNF). I am still ahead of 1 CBS Sports expert. This week, a lot of divisional matchups occur, with many of them having playoff implications. The Eagles and Redskins play for 2nd place in the NFC East, and the loser may be knocked out of contention. The Colts visit Jacksonville hoping to increase their chances at a wild card spot. Who will win these divisional games? Keep reading to find out what I think, and feel free to comment with your thoughts.
Lock of the Week
Look for dominance from the Rams defense in the first shutout of the NFL season. The revamped duo of Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters won’t give up anything to Detroit’s depleted WR corps, and DT Aaron Donald and company will shut down QB Matthew Stafford and the run game. The Rams will not need more than a couple touchdowns for a Rams clinic victory thanks to the strong defense. Meanwhile, The Lions will begin to miss RB Kerryon Johnson and WRs Golden Tate and Marvin Jones in a shutout loss.
Upset of the Week
The Panthers are coming off two frustrating last-minute losses, and the Buccaneers are coming off a much-needed victory. Look for QB Jameis Winston to ride the momentum and put up his best performance yet against Carolina. The Bucs D will still give up plenty to QB Cam Newton and his versatile offensive core. But a 3 or 4 TD game from Winston should be enough for the Buccaneers to pull the upset.
The Other Games
| TNF (Posted to Twitter Thursday Night; Actual Score: 13-10 Cowboys)
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QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense will be slowed down significantly by the improving New Orleans defense. Meanwhile, QB Drew Brees and WR Michael Thomas will lead the Saints to victory despite the Dallas defense’s shut down of the Saints RB duo. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
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Look for Miami to hold on for a home victory against a young Bills defense that is not great but can be pesky at times. QB Ryan Tannehill will lead the Dolphins here, even without WR Danny Amendola. QB Josh Allen and his offense will perform better than they usually do, but expect them to just fall short in Miami against a mediocre, but not putrid Dolphins defense. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
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Look for the Atlanta defense to step it up against rookie QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, especially with RB Alex Collins on IR. QB Matt Ryan won’t have an amazing game against this strong Baltimore D, but it will be enough thanks to the improving Falcons defense. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
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The Broncos will ride the momentum to a third straight win as the defense dominates against a banged-up Cincinnati pass offense that will miss QB Andy Dalton, especially since WR A.J. Green is not 100%. The Broncos will be alright offensively without TE Jeff Heuerman, as QB Case Keenum finally begins to rely on his receivers more in the Denver victory. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
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Expect QB Deshaun Watson to put up another strong game against the inexperienced Browns defense. Meanwhile, the Texans D will do a respectable job in shutting down QB Baker Mayfield and this young Browns offensive core. The Texans will win triumphantly as they play strong football all around. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
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Expect the Jaguars to win by a surprisingly large margin as they host the Colts. They came close in Indy, so I expect a win in Jacksonville. QB Cody Kessler will also help the Jags improve as he outperforms QB Blake Bortles. QB Andrew Luck and his receivers will struggle to handle the Jags strong D, but they’ll still manage to score a couple TDs. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
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QB Eli Manning will have to dig into New York’s WR depth here to even score a TD against this improving Chicago defense. The Giants’ experienced defense will limit the QB Chase Daniel-led Bears offense, but Daniel will still throw multiple TDs in the victory. |
| Sunday, 1:00 PM EST
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The Packers should manage to win at home here, but as they nearly blow it, the “fire Mike McCarthy” campaign will just get louder. QB Aaron Rodgers will rely on his younger receivers as they just barely get by the Cardinals. QB Josh Rosen will find his receivers more easily against a struggling Green Bay secondary, but it won’t quite be enough. |
| Sunday, 4:05 PM EST
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QB Josh McCown should struggle regressively as his receivers are out done by a Titans secondary that is no more than average. This will highlight the Jets’ flaws as the Titans win by multiple TD. A strong all-around offensive game as well as a clutch defensive performance will help Tennessee in the home win. |
| Sunday, 4:05 PM EST
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The Chiefs won’t be at full strength after the release of RB Kareem Hunt. But QB Patrick Mahomes II will still lead the Chiefs to victory though, with 3 TD and 0 INT. The Raiders will come close though as QB Derek Carr relies on his younger receivers (since WR Jordy Nelson is struggling). |
| Sunday, 4:25 PM EST
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Neither offense will be up to full speed here as both defenses thrive. But QB Tom Brady will lead the Pats to get by at home as he uses his WR depth, something New England has at full health. The Vikings will make this close, led by QB Kirk Cousins and his receivers. |
| Sunday, 4:25 PM EST
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The Seahawks will be able to get by here, but the 49ers will come close to an upset and play the better all around game, as young QB Nick Mullens throws multiple TD against the young Seattle D. The Seahawks, however, will find a way to win thanks to veteran QB Russell Wilson. |
| Sunday, 8:20 PM EST
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The Steelers offense will look good here, as QB Ben Roethlisberger tosses multiple TD. But even without RB Melvin Gordon, QB Philip Rivers and his deep WR corps will be too much for the Pittsburgh D to handle as they outperform the Steelers significantly. The Chargers will be able to handle Pittsburgh’s offense a little easier, helping their case in a road primetime victory, handing the Steelers their second straight loss. |
| Sunday, 8:15 PM EST
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Expect the Eagles to win in a shootout thanks to the strong game by QB Carson Wentz and his receivers. QB Colt McCoy will outperform his expectations though, tossing multiple TD and making this close. But the Eagles will still get past McCoy’s Redskins as their run game thrives in addition to the pass offense. |
That’s all for today’s picks. Stay tuned for more posts soon, including Part 3 of my MLB free agent predictions.
Boston Sports Mania 