Week 13 is ultra-important. A lot of teams, Atlanta, Oakland, Dallas, etc., could take another step towards division titles. Other teams, like Denver and Philadelphia, will be looking to get back onto the winning track. See below for a preview of NFL Regular Season Week 13 preview.
Editors Note: Check also Week 13 Betting Picks by Matt Ross
NFL Betting – Regular Season Week 13 Preview
Thursday, Dec. 1
Dallas Cowboys -3.5 at Minnesota Vikings (8:30 pm ET)
The Vikings’ defense is great. But, it’s up against it versus Dallas’s offense. The Cowboys can pass or rush the football equally well. What a lot of football analysts my not be paying attention to in this game is how well Dallas’s defense has played in 2016.
With the Cowboys’ defense able to pretty much shut down anything that the Vikings attempt on offense, I have to side with the Boys in this battle. I like Dallas to cover the spread.
Sunday, Dec. 4
Kansas City Chiefs at Atlanta Falcons -4 (1:00 pm ET)
I know Atlanta continues to win games while KC dropped a game to Tampa Bay in Week 11. I’m just not sold on the Atlanta defense. Arizona hasn’t been right all season long. So, Atlanta beating Arizona 38 to 19 doesn’t impress me that much. KC’s defense was terrific when beating Denver on the road in Week 12. I think the Chiefs rock it in the Georgia Dome in Week 13. I’m taking the 4 points in this AFC vs NFC battle.
Miami Dolphins at Baltimore Ravens -3.5 (1:00 pm ET)
I have no idea why the Baltimore Ravens are over 3-point favorites against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13. The Ravens are in first place in the AFC North. But, Miami has won 6 straight. The Dolphins are winning with their defense and with their offense. Baltimore’s offense isn’t very good. It’s going to have a heck of a time keeping up with Miami if Fins’ QB Ryan Tannehill is on. I’m all over the Miami moneyline.
San Francisco 49’ers at Chicago Bears -2.5 (1:00 pm ET)
It’s time for San Fancisco to win another game straight up. The 49’ers haven’t won since dominating the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. I believe that against Chicago this Sunday on Soldier Field, San Francisco gets its second win of the season. It all has to do with the play of Colin “The Kneeler” Kaepernick. Kap may not be historically aware, some of the things he says appear to contradict what his beliefs, but he’s definitely football aware. Kaepernick should have no trouble leading San Francisco to a win over the Bears, who may not be as talented as SF.
Philadelphia Eagles -2.5 at Cincinnati Bengals (1:00 pm ET)
If Philadelphia faced any other team as a favorite on the road in Week 13, I’d have to side with the other team. That’s how bad Philadelphia was when losing 13 to 27 to Green Bay in Week 12. Luckily for the Eagles, they get to take on the biggest quitters in the NFL this season, the Cincinnati Bengals. What a bunch of schlubs the Bengals are playing like in 2016! They’re terrible. Flat out terrible. It’s hard to put into words how bad the Bengals are. That’s how bad they are. It’s wordless. In any case, you have to like the Eagles to bounce back, right?
Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers -4.5 (1:00 pm ET)
I’m just not a fan of either one of these teams this season. At first, I was ready to jump onto the Texans. This is especially true since the Packers are -4.5 home favorites and not -3 home favorites. But, then, Houston was atrocious against San Diego in a 13 to 21 loss while the Green Bay Packers’ defense was terrific against Philadelphia in Week 12. Green Bay’s D won’t have trouble stopping the Texans from putting up enough points to cover the spread. Green Bay all the way.
Denver Broncos -5 at Jacksonville Jaguars (1:00 pm ET)
Denver’s defense felt embarrassed after wasting a brilliant performance by Broncos’ QB Trevor Siemian in Denver’s 27 to 30 loss to Kansas City this past Sunday night. The Broncos’ D has a ton of pride to go along with their exceptional talent. Blake Bortles has no shot of throwing less than 2 interceptions, and he might go all the way to 4, versus Denver in this game. I like the Broncos to win by at least 14 points.
Los Angeles Rams at New England Patriots -13 (1:00 pm ET)
The good news for the Rams is that QB Jared Goff appears capable of being a starter in the NFL. He’s not likely to blossom into a truly capable starter until late next season. He does have all the tools to be a decent QB in the pro league, though.
The bad news for the Rams, at least when it comes to Week 13, is that they must battle New England on the road only 7 days after giving up 49 points in a horrible 28-point loss to the New Orleans Saints. If Brady is healthy, New England should beat the Rams by at least 24 points in this game.
Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints -5.5 (1:00 pm ET)
Detroit had better enjoy the time that they’re having while in first place in the NFC North. It could go south for the Lions in a hurry. There’s no way that the Saints’ defense doesn’t play well against Detroit because the Lions have no rushing game. The Saints’ offense is the best in the NFL. It’s averaging 434 yards and 30 points per game. New Orleans wins this one by at least 10 to 17 on Sunday.
Buffalo Bills at Oakland Raiders -3 (4:05 pm ET)
I know. I get it. Oakland is a good football team. They’re so good, in fact, that ESPN has Oakland at 2 in their NFL Power Rankings. I think the Raiders are overrated. I still contend that either Denver or Kansas City wins the AFC West Division. Unless the Raiders fix their defense, they could lose 4 out of their next 5. The first straight up loss should occur on Dec. 4 against the Buffalo Bills.
Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals -2.5 (4:25 pm ET)
You can say whatever negative things you want to about Washington. Say that they don’t have the coach. Say that they don’t have the right QB. In both cases, you’d be wrong. Kirk Cousins isn’t just a good QB. He’s a great QB. Cousins’ TD to INT ratio in the past 6 weeks is 13 to 2. He’s thrown only 1 pick in the past 5 weeks. Cousins should demolish the Arizona Cardinals’ secondary this Sunday. I like Washington on the moneyline.
New York Giants at Pittsburgh Steelers -6 (4:25 pm ET)
The Giants travel to Pittsburgh to battle the Steelers in a game that could lead to the yearly NYG implosion. After losing to Pittsburgh in Week 13, the Giants could lose to Dallas at home. Oh, and then they play Detroit before tackling Philly and Washington on the road. The G-Men could lose all 5 of those games. The truth about the Giants’ defense is that it’s susceptible to the pass. Big Ben should be on fire versus the G-Men secondary on Dec. 4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Diego Chargers -4 (4:25 pm ET)
It’s 52% to 48% on the side of the Bucs to cover the spread in this game on Sunday. I’m part of the 48%. I understand that Tampa Bay beat Seattle straight up in Week 12. But in that game, Russell Wilson threw 2 picks. How often does Russell do that? San Diego might be in the lead in the NFC West if they played in that division. Tampa has only a small hope of stopping the Chargers’ offense while San Diego’s defense could force Tampa Bay into at least 2 turnovers.
Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks -7 (8:30 pm ET)
The Panthers head to the Great Northwest to battle Seattle. Both teams need a win although out of the 2 squads Carolina is the much more desperate team. The Panthers figure to play like a desperate team on Sunday night. Seattle tends to play down to its competition. If it does that against Carolina, it could lose its second straight game. In any case, I’m all over the Panthers at +7 in this battle.
Monday, Dec. 7
Indianapolis Colts -1.5 at New York Jets (8:30 pm ET)
This one’s easy. If Andrew Luck plays, the Colts are the pick no matter the spread. If Andrew Luck doesn’t play, the Jets are the pick no matter the spread. This is why NFL ratings are down this season. They keep putting crap games like this in primetime.