Lessons Learned Week 13 on the NFL

Ho hum, another 3-1 week and a record of 13-2 in my last 15 NFL picks on DeadhitSports! Are you kidding me? We are locked in and you the reader are benefiting. So spread the word!!! We gained yet another few key nuggets of information from last week’s games. Here we go:

Lessons Learned Week 13

1. Chip Kelly is no offensive whiz. He had a nice run that lasted a couple of years and then the league caught up to him. Pure and simple. The 49ers are a mess and not worth taking again this season – no matter the money line incentive.

2. The Bengals are not back and ready to contend, but they could play spoiler down the stretch and really ruin it for some contenders. Don’t sleep on them.

3. The Lions are for real, whatever they are. No one is really giving them a chance to compete for the Super Bowl. But stranger things have happened. They continue to laugh in the face of oddsmakers. I love betting them as the underdog.

4. The Patriots are on cruise control and once again won’t be truly tested within their own division. This is not a good thing come playoff time. But we’re not in the postseason just yet, so continue to ride them, regardless of the high spreads.

5. It looked a little shaky for the Raiders in the first half versus Buffalo, but they turned it on in the second half and prevailed. I’m still wary of the defense being good enough for them to take on New England, but at least you know the over is always a good bet in their games.

6. The Chiefs won a game with a defensive two-point conversion in Atlanta. It doesn’t get any more clutch and unlikely than that. This team is good. Their own Achilles appears to be the deep ball, as Alex Smith is a short passer. But it hasn’t hurt them thus far. Their confidence is growing.

7. Boy, Trevor Siemian is clearly miles ahead of Paxton Lynch right now in terms of their development. The Broncos got back into a playoff spot, but it was predictably on the strength of their defense. With New England, Kansas City and Oakland all still to come, it’s going to be tough for the defending champs.

8. Coming into week 13 experts said that the Giants defense racked up good performances against bad offenses. I didn’t want to believe it. But after seeing how they defended this past week I am inclined to now agree.

9. I really thought that Washington would win in Arizona. I thought that this team’s loss to Dallas on Thanksgiving was due to miscues only. But I just can’t defend how poorly Kirk Cousins continues to look in the first half each week. Can someone give this guy some coffee or something before he hits the field? They can’t make the postseason if they’re always coming from behind. That wears you down.

10. Are the Steelers all the way back after their latest win? Well, perhaps at home, yes. I still have my doubts about Pittsburgh’s ability to win on the road in big games. But as long as Big Ben is healthy they will contend. But that’s a big IF the style that he plays.

11. The Ravens smoked Miami and basically told me to shut up after I picked against them because they had lost to a few good teams this season. Wow. If their running game can reach 110-120 yards consistently a week, then they will win their division.

12. I don’t know what’s more sad: the Dolphins winning six in a row to reach a playoff spot this late in the season for the first time in a long time or the Bills leading on the road late in the second quarter in a must win and then getting blown away in the second half. Miami is better than Buffalo, but not by much. Neither of these clubs are playoff calibre. My prediction is that the teams currently holding AFC playoff spots right now will keep them the rest of the way.

Matthew Ross is a sports commentator and a radio host on TSN 690 Radio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Follow him @MatthewWords.

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