Week 13 NFL Preview and picks
Boy, if my life depended upon me getting these weekly predictions right, guess I wouldn’t have much time left on this earth. But then again, no one is perfect. Oh wait there are some who are….the Saints and Colts are still perfect on the season. These two teams have just a few short weeks left to make NFL history. That would be both the NFC and AFC having undefeated teams at the end of the regular season. Can they do it? We’ll see.
Jets at Bills - The Bills have had four straight losing seasons, and stand at 4-7 right now, you would think the Jets might have no problems. But remember this, the Bills are coming off of a really big win against the Dolphins last week. After scoring on an average of 12.3 points per game, the Bills beat the Dolphins in the 4th quarter with 24 unanswered points. With Ryan Fitzpatrick the kid out of Harvard connecting with TO, the Bills offense is actually beginning to gel. On the other side of the ball, the Jets at 5-6 and their offense floundering, it will be up to the defense to try and help this team fight for it’s very slim playoff chances.
Prediction - Bills 20 Jets 17
Patriots at Dolphins - Both these teams are reeling from games they lost last week. But the Patriots loss has got to be the most painful since they were humiliated by Drew Brees and his Saints on prime time TV last week, 38-17. The totally manhandled Pats are in dire need of this road win to rebuild confidence in themselves. Problem is, they’re going to Miami with a team that is not too happy themselves for getting beat by the Bills last week. With the Dolphins being just one game behind the Pats in a tight AFC East race, this game is crucial for the Dolphins. In the Dolphins favor, the Patriots have yet to win a game on the opponents field, London doesn’t count since neither team was at home. Important game for both teams.
Prediction - Dolphins 24 Patriots 21
Saints at Redskins - This is just a no brainer. If you haven’t guessed by now, the Saints are marching in on a mission and that mission is the Super Bowl. Should they continue to play the way they have been playing, and barring injury to any key players, they have a reservation for the big game. With that being said, the Saints should have no problem going into Washington D.C. and continuing on their quest for a perfect season and a trip to the Super Bowl. The Redskins simply do not have enough offensive fire power to keep up with Drew Brees and his Saints. It’s true that the Saints have lost their last two meetings against the Redskins but that was a better Skins team and the Saints who are averaging 37 points a game is playing just too perfectly to not be able to beat the Redskins this year.
Prediction - Saints 40 Redskins 17
Raiders at Steelers - The defending Super Bowl champs are on the verge of not making it to the playoffs, let a lone a repeat to the Super Bowl. They need to correct what is wrong with them sooner than later or they’ll be sitting at home as soon as the season is over. Even though they beat the Ravens last week it all came down to an overtime game after they allowed the Ravens to drive 84 yards to tie it up. This should be discerning to the team at the least. But it is the Raiders that are coming to town and they are truly one of the dreadful teams out there. So the Steelers may get a start in righting their ship. Something they must continue to do the rest of the season if they don’t want to be left behind.
Prediction - Steelers 21 Raiders 13
Broncos at Chiefs - The Broncos have a few things to fix on offense if they want to continue to push the Chargers and get into the playoffs. But, they’ll get a chance to do that against the Chiefs who are ranked 30th over all in defense and 28th in scoring defense. So even though it is being played in one of the toughest stadiums at Arrowhead, the disarray that the Chiefs are in this season should be a huge factor. The Broncos should have no problem with making it past the Chiefs.
Prediction - Broncos 35 Chiefs 21
Texans at Jaguars - Both teams are in a tight race in their division and neither team has any room for errors in this game or in any other game in the future. One of the Texans biggest faults is although they play teams tough, they can’t seem to finish off the game when it is needed. Going into Jaguar territory isn’t going to help that situation either. The Jaguars are still stinging after a 20-3 loss in San Francisco last week. This should be a close game and the team with the least amount of errors this time will come out the victor.
Prediction - Jaguars 20 Texans 17
Titans at Colts - What a daunting task the Titans have, especially having to go to the Colts home field. Even though the Colts had to come from behind last win in order to win, it doesn’t matter, a good team will always find a way to win and that is exactly what the Colts continue to do. It is highly unlikely that the Titans who are beginning to slide again will be able to pull off a win, especially in enemy territory. Look for the Colts to continue on striving for NFL history along with the Saints.
Prediction - Colts 37 Titans 28
Lions at Bengals - The game with two big cats, Lions and Bengals, only problem with this scenario is that the Lions are more like lion cubs facing fierce Bengal tigers. Almost like lambs to the slaughter. The Bengals have been on fire and well, the Lions have simply been weak and feeble. Even the thought of an upset here is a long shot. The Lions simply can’t seem to finish out games. They can score but it just isn’t enough to end the game, the other team just seems to be able to reach the finish line first. Cedric Benson will probably have a great game against the Lions and that alone will probably help the Bengals to their 9th win.
Prediction - Bengals 31 Lions 21
Rams at Bears - The Bears are on a 4 game losing streak as the hapless Rams come to Soldier Field. The Bears are hoping desperately to stop this skid and at least finish the season with a respectable record. Look no further Bears, the Rams should be more than willing to accommodate you wishes, since the Rams seem to find a different way to lose each and every week. Jay Cutler should have a decent game against the Rams and the Bears should feel safe to run any guy that is considered a running back against the Rams. Who knows maybe one of their unknowns will become a super star against a team that makes every running back a household name.
Prediction - Bears 35 Rams 21
Buccaneers at Panthers - Last month the Buccaneers changed quarterbacks hoping this would help change things for them. Standing at 1-10, looks like that experiment didn’t work so well. Now the Panthers who are seeing their playoff hopes dwindling minute by minute, may be changing their quarterbacks as well since Delhomme has a broken finger. Enter Matt Moore who hasn’t played a game in two years. Fantasy players, hope you don’t have anyone that’s on either of these teams. Not much going to be happening here.
Prediction - Panthers 13 Buccaneers 10
Eagles at Falcons - Two birds of prey facing down each other. One at 7-4 (Eagles) the other at 6-5 (Falcons) and both still not out of the playoff race as of yet. This is a vitally important game for the Falcons who have no hopes of catching up to the Saints and need to try and get a wild card spots and the only way to do that is to gain ground on either the Eagles or the Packers. Playing at home and with that much on the line, the Falcons should have the advantage. Matt Ryan has become their new franchise quarterback and they have a major weapon with Michael Turner. On the other side, the Eagles need this win just as bad as the Falcons so this shoot be one heck of a shoot out.
Prediction - Eagles 30 Falcons 28
Chargers at Browns - Oh here’s a challenge for the Chargers, the 1-10 Browns. One of the worst teams in the NFL hosting the division leading Chargers. The Browns have one of the worst defenses in the NFL and since the Chargers are bowling over opponents left and right, it is doubtful that the anemic defense of the Browns can do anything to stop them. The Browns offer no threat on offense either. Tomlinson, Rivers and the crew should breeze through this game.
Prediction - Chargers 35 Browns 13
49ers at Seahawks - The resurging 49ers who are trying to bring it back to .500 will go into a stadium that probably has some of the most unruly and well, vulgar fans in the NFL. Sure that’s a great 12th man for the team not having to deal with it. So this might be a tough one for the 49ers. It is not that the Seahawks are the better team, that couldn’t be further from the truth, it is just that it is one of the worst places to play at. The Seahawks really don’t have much to brag about this season are only lucky they are at 4-7 because two of those were against the Rams, enough said there. It may be a tough game, but, the 49ers probably have more offensive power than the Seahawks do at this time.
Prediction - 49ers 23 Seahawks 20
Cowboys at Giants - Both teams have seen their quarterbacks suffering some one from injury, one just in a slump. Despite the fact the Cowboys are 8-3 it still has been a tough season for Tony Romo. The Giants on the other hand, don’t stand as pretty in the same division as the Cowboys and continue to fade out of contention in the NFC East. The Cowboys are probably out for a little revenge since the Giants ruined their first game at their new stadium by beating them 33-31, now the Cowboys look to return the favor. If Romo can keep his interceptions down and Eli comes up lame, the Cowboys should be able to gain one more game on first in the NFC East.
Prediction - Cowboys 28 Giants 21
Vikings at Cardinals - The Vikings go into Arizona to face a Cardinals team who may or may not be with Kurt Warner. The Vikings are missing a perfect season by one game and the old man Favre just continues to burn opponents. Both teams have receiving threats that are far superior than those of other teams. It will probably all depend upon which quarterback leads the Cardinals.
Prediciton - Vikings 31 Cardinals 28
Ravens at Packers - In this final month of the regular season, both teams find themselves right in the middle of a big race to the finish line and the playoffs, in each of their conferences. So, it is vitally important for both teams that they play with little to no errors in this upcoming game. The Packers are coming off of a Thanksgiving Day route over the toothless Lions and are hoping that they can make this one their 4th straight win. The last time these two teams played was back in 2005 and the Packers really gave it to them with a final score of 48-3. It is unlikely that the score will be anything like that in this game. The Ravens are a far improved team and the Packers will probably have their hands full. Advantage though, they are in Lambeau Field.
Prediction - Packers 21 Ravens 17
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