NFL Week 13 Picks: Seattle Seahawks To Win Marquee Monday Night Game

Green Bay (5-5-1) at Detroit (6-5)

The Lions haven't won on Thanksgiving in nine years. That's a scary fact for a team that gets a home game on this day. They should own it.

The Packers also bested the Lions earlier this season.

It's time to turn those fortunes around though.

Detroit is 3-2 at home and the Lions defensive line has played very well this season. They should be able to get after Matt Flynn (Green Bay's fourth QB this season) and cause some havoc.

Detroit wins.

Oakland (4-7) at Dallas (6-5)

The Cowboys have been inconsistent this season, but they do have two wins in their past three games, including a big win for momentum at Met Life against the rival Giants last week.

The Raiders have lost three of their last four and are 1-4 on the road this season.

The Cowboys are 21-15-1 on Thanksgiving.

Dallas wins.

Pittsburgh (5-6) at Baltimore (5-6)

The Ravens have won two of their past three, both wins coming at home.

Neither team has been impressive nor consistent are this season and both are coming off wins.

At home, the Ravens should have the edge.

Baltimore wins.

Tennessee (5-6) at Indianapolis (7-4)

The Colts have alternated wins the past four weeks, losing two of their previous three.

They are 3-0 against the rest of the AFC South, however, and defeated the Titans on the road just two weeks ago.

The Colts running game has struggled mightily in recent weeks, which has affected the team's record. Tennessee has one of the worst rushing defenses in the league however and should be a good place for the Colts backfield to get on track.

Indianapolis wins.

Jacksonville (2-9) at Cleveland (4-7)

The Jaguars have enjoyed two wins on the road in the past three weeks. Can they string together consecutive victories?

The Browns are 3-3 at home this season. While the offense has been out of sync lately, the defense has played well this year and the secondary should fare well against Jacksonville's passing game.

Cleveland wins.

Tampa Bay (3-8) at Carolina (8-3)

The Buccaneers are surprising winners of three games in a row but they run into the hottest team in all of football, and on the road no less.

The Panthers are winners of seven games in a row, and they also have a four-game home winning streak. In their seven-game win streak, Carolina already bested Tampa Bay on the road by 18 points. It should be a similar result this time around.

Carolina wins.

Chicago (6-5) at Minnesota (2-8-1)

While Chicago has struggled in the past three weeks as well as on the road this season, the Vikings have struggled this season and still have a home record under .500.

The Bears need a win to stay in the NFC North lead and they should take advantage of a weak Vikings squad.

Chicago wins.

New England (8-3) at Houston (2-9)

The Patriots definitely were the benefactors of some luck when they beat the Broncos last week, yes. But they did have to do some work to put themselves in a position to be able to benefit from it. Down 24-0, they clawed their way back when most counted them out.

The Texans, meanwhile, failed to score a single touchdown at home against the Jaguars of all teams. Houston isn't showing the ability to win games like New England is.

New England wins.

Arizona (7-4) at Philadelphia (6-5)

Both teams are on a role in recent weeks and have been fun to watch. Both are throwing the football well during their streaks as well.

Nick Foles has been particularly good, however. He has 16 TD passes in eight games and has no interceptions this season.

Philadelphia wins.

Miami (5-6) at New York Jets (5-6)

Both teams are still in the playoff hunt despite inconsistent performances and subpar offenses.

The difference in this game is that the while the Dolphins are inefficient and get sacked a lot (no one in the league has been sacked more than Ryan Tannehill) the Jets turn the ball over at an alarming rate. Geno Smith has a number of multiple interception games.

Sometimes taking a sack is better than risking the pick-six.

Miami wins.

Atlanta (2-9) at Buffalo (4-7)

The Bills may have a record below .500 but they are 3-3 at home.

The Falcons have lost five in a row and have zero wins on the road. There’s just no reason to think this will be the time they win against a decent Bills team.

Buffalo wins.

St. Louis (5-6) at San Francisco (7-4)

The Rams have won two in a row but are 1-2 in the division, including an early season loss to the 49ers at home.

The 49ers took care of Washington last week with one of their better passing games all season. Adding to 49ers good fortune is the return of Michael Crabtree. He may not be ready to be an every down player, but his presence will open up the passing game. It should be another good day in the air for the 49ers as they go up against the Rams’ 22nd ranked passing defense in yards allowed per game.

San Francisco wins.

Cincinnati (5-6) at San Diego (7-4)

The Chargers are 27th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game. That should mean good things for Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. The Bengals entered their bye week with a big 21-point victory after two tough overtime losses. It’s a good sign that they won before an extended break to keep morale in good shape.

The Chargers picked up a huge win against the Chiefs on the road last week. That being said it was their first win in four weeks. The Bengals pass defense should nullify the Chargers passing offense.

Cincinnati wins.

Denver (9-2) at Kansas City (9-2)

Both teams gave up leads last week and lost heartbreakers. But the Broncos were up 24-0 at the half. They got 224 yards from Knowshon Moreno. How did they let that one slip?

It was because of mental mistakes, turnovers, penalties and a defense that ranks 30th in the league in passing yards allowed per game and is 26th in points allowed per game.

The Chiefs may have lost to the Broncos two weeks ago and lost at home last week, but they are still 5-1 at home this season with a long history of being strong at home.

The Chiefs do have lots of talent all over the field and despite some injuries, I expect them to come out more prepared for Denver this time around.

Kansas City wins.

New York Giants (4-7) at Washington (3-8)

The Giants had their four game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Cowboys last play of the game. They fought back in the second half, but they put themselves really in too deep of a hole to start.

That being said, the Redskins have really been poor this year. They have lost three in a row, and four of their previous five games. Five of their eight losses this season have been by at least 10 points. Mike Shanahan and Robert Griffin III are both coming under heavy criticism.

This is a good place for the Giants to grab a victory before they hit another tough stretch of games to end the season.

New York Giants win.

New Orleans (9-2) at Seattle (10-1)

This is a match-up of two teams that have legitimate chances of reaching the Super Bowl. While both teams have strong passing defenses, Seattle’s best asset on offense is its running game. The Seahawks secondary should make a bigger impact in this game.

The Seahawks are 5-0 at home this season and also have a strong track record playing in Seattle. They also have the benefit of coming off their bye week, getting to rest up Marshawn Lynch and prepare longer for New Orleans.

Seattle wins.

Last Week: 6-8

Overall: 108-68

NFL Week 13 Picks

On Twitter on Thursday I picked the Falcons over the Saints

BUFFALO over Jacksonville

CHICAGO over Seattle

San Francisco over ST. LOUIS

New England over MIAMI

NEW YORK JETS over Arizona

DETROIT over Indianapolis

GREEN BAY over Minnesota

Houston over TENNESSEE

KANSAS CITY over Carolina

DENVER over Tampa Bay

Cleveland over OAKLAND

Cincinnati over SAN DIEGO

BALTIMORE over Pittsburgh

DALLAS over Philadelphia

New York Giants over WASHINGTON

Last Week: 10-6

Season: 113-62

NFL Week 13 Picks: Aaron Rodgers and the Packers Will Put Up Big Numbers Against the Giants

Philadelphia over SEATTLE – I incorrectly picked the Eagles on Twitter on Thursday.

TAMPA BAY over Carolina – There was a time earlier in the season when the Buccaneers were a contender for a playoff spot. They’ve lost five in a row and that ship has since sailed. They are 2-1 in the division however, beating both New Orleans and Atlanta. Josh Freeman is inactive but the Bucs are high on Josh Johnson.

PITTSBURGH over Cincinnati—The Bengals have been a pleasant surprise this year and it seems like there is a good foundation for the future. The Steelers are arguably the best team in the AFC, however, and just beat the Bengals by a touchdown in Cincinnati. Heinz Field is a difficult place for away teams to play in so it looks like Pittsburgh has the upper hand here.

Atlanta over HOUSTON – Houston is down to its third quarterback this season, and while their running game is the third best in the league, the Falcons are second-best in rushing yards allowed per game (83.5). The Falcons will key on stopping Arian Foster and co. and force T.J. Yates to beat them, which I don’t see happening.

New York Jets over WASHINGTON –The Jets are 1-4 on the road this year and 1-8 against the Redskins in their previous nine meetings. Still, this Redskins team struggles at almost every facet of the game except for the pass defense and doesn’t have the same talent on the field as the Jets do. It hasn’t been pretty this year, but it’s not time to count out the Jets yet.

NEW ENGLAND over Indianapolis – Bill Belichick has gone about this game the predictable, yet proper way. He has said in the media that this has been a great rivalry over the years against a team that has given them fits and that he expects them to do the same here. I do not coach the Patriots, I am not worried about getting the Patriots overconfident or giving the Colts locker room material so I can say I fully expect the Patriots to dominate in this game.

Oakland over MIAMI – Even without Darren McFadden the Raiders are still getting it done on the ground. Michael Bush has 335 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the previous three games, which all were wins. The Dolphins had a nice little run, but Oakland is playing to win its division.

Denver over MINNESOTA – Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos are rolling, winning four straight. Adrian Peterson is out and the Vikings have lost three straight. Go with the team on the upswing.

BUFFALO over Tennessee – The Bills looked better against the Jets than they had in recent weeks and Stevie Johnson was more productive against Darrelle Revis than he was against a number of other guys lately. At home they should be another average team in the Titans.

CHICAGO over Kansas City – Ridicule Jay Cutler all you’d like, but are you anywhere near as confident about the Bears success with Caleb Hanie at quarterback? You know who Hanie may just be better than, though? Tyler Palko.

Baltimore over CLEVELAND – Not a tough decision here. The Browns struggle to get anything going offensively and the Ravens still have a stingy defense.

Dallas over ARIZONA – The Cowboys are hot, winning four straight games, and had a few extra days to prepare for the Cardinals. The Cowboys rank in the top half of the league in passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, passing yards allowed per game and rushing yards allowed per game.

Green Bay over NEW YORK GIANTS – The Giants laid an egg last week against the Saints and it only gets tougher against the undefeated Packers. It looks like another late-season collapse is in store for Tom Coughlin and the Giants, as they have lost three consecutive games.

SAN FRANCISCO over St. Louis – The Thanksgiving day loss to the Ravens was a small setback for the 49ers. They are 9-2 and that is with playing only two games against NFC West rivals, whom are all under .500. San Francisco should be licking its chops to bounce back against the NFC West bottom feeders.

NEW ORLEANS over Detroit – The Saints demolished the vaunted Giants pass rush last week and should be happy to hear that Ndamukong Suh’s suspension appeal has been denied and he will have to sit out this one.

San Diego over JACKSONVILLE – Can things get any worse for the Chargers? They’ve lost six consecutive games and have dropped from first to worst in the AFC West standings. Jacksonville just fired its coach and the ownership sold the team though so the organization is in a state of flux. Can the Chargers finally capitalize on someone else’s misfortune?

This Week: 0-1

Last Week: 9-7

Season: 110-67

Photo Credits.
Aaron Rodgers: AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

NFL Week 13 Picks

AP Photo/Julie Jacobson

It’s the beginning of the last month of the season and teams are jockeying for playoff position.

Some games with big playoff implications include Philadelphia-Atlanta, Houston-Jacksonville, Dallas-New York Giants, Minnesota-Arizona, and Baltimore-Green Bay.

Here are my picks for week 13. Comment and tell me who you think will come out victorious and who you think is in good position to be playing in the playoffs.

NY Jets (5-6) at Buffalo (4-7)

They were able to pull out a sizable victory last week against all odds, overcoming an injury decimated front-line against a good pass rush and Ricky William’s 115 yards rushing. Still, there just isn’t much reason to buy much stock.

Buffalo’s porous run defense faces another top rusher this week in the Jet’s Thomas Jones.

Terrell Owens has been more effective the past couple of weeks, but he will face Darrelle Reevis, who has been one of the top shutdown cornerbacks all season.

I’ll take the Jets to win this weekend.

Philadelphia (7-4) at Atlanta (6-5)

Atlanta’s pass defense is not very good, but they will catch a break this week. Not only is running back Brian Westbrook out because of injury, but it looks like Philadelphia’s top receiver, DeSean Jackson, will also miss the game because of the concussion he received last week.

Philadelphia has not looked very sharp the past four weeks, even though they have won two games in a row (against Washington and Chicago).

The Falcons are also 5-0 at home this season.

I’ll take Atlanta to win this game.

St. Louis (1-10) at Chicago (4-7)

The Bears are reeling, having lost four games in a row and six out of their last seven.

Jay Cutler leads the NFL in interceptions (20), but is tied for 12th in touchdowns (16).

St. Louis, however, is tied for 23rd in the league in interceptions (8), and they do not rush the quarterback very well, ranking 29th in the NFL in sacks (18). Also, only ten teams have given up more yards passing then they have (2,482). Add those facts to their ranked fifth worst rushing defense, and this should be a game where Chicago can make up for their mistakes and get back into the win coloumn.

Bears win.

Detroit (2-9) at Cincinnati (8-3)

Detroit is 0-5 on the road and has given up the most points in the league (335), while only scoring more points than seven other teams in the league (193, 38 of which came against the Cleveland Browns).

Bengals will win.

Oakland (3-8) at Pittsburgh (6-5)

The Steelers are a better team when Ben Roethlisberger plays. But Dennis Dixon did a decent job in first first NFL start, minus the interception he threw in overtime. Dixon went 12-25 for 145 yards and a touchdown, and rushed three times for 27 yards and a touchdown before that crucial late-game interception. Still, not a terrible outing; there is some optimism there.

Pittsburgh has the benefit of playing this game at home, where they are 4-1. Also, since 2000, the Steelers are 28-11 in December.

A game against Oakland is the perfect opportunity for them to get back to their winning ways and make a last-second postseason push.

Pittsburgh wins.

Tennessee (5-6) at Indianapolis (11-0)

Vince Young has won five games in a row since being inserted as the starting quarterback, which really must have Tennessee fans puzzled over why Jeff Fisher stuck with Kerry Collins for so long.

Chris Johnson is the league’s top running back right now. If Young can really use this season as a launching pad for the rest of his career, Tennessee has a very good core on offense to build around with Young, Johnson, and rookie receiver Kenny Britt.

If the Titans were home here, I would strongly consider them to be the first team to knock off the Colts. However, the game is in Indy, and the Colts have just been too strong all season.

The Colts have scored 80 more points and given up 105 fewer points than the Titans.
The Titans also only have two road wins in six games.

It should be an entertaining game, but I’m going to go with the team that has been great all year over the team that has been the flavor of the month.

I’ll pick the Colts to win.

Denver (7-4) at Kansas City (3-8)

Big win for the Broncos last week against the Giants.

Denver is also 2-1 in the division and 5-3 in the conference. Kansas City has losing records at home (1-4), in the division (1-3), and against the conference (2-5).

Broncos win.

New England (7-4) at Miami (5-6)

The Patriots are vulnerable and have only one road victory this season (even then, that win came against Tampa Bay in London, so it’s not like the Buccaneers had home-field advantage really).

However, New England has not lost back-to-back games this season.

They also have two of the top five in receiving yards and the second most passing yards in the league, going up against one of the bottom-10 passing defenses.

Patriots win.

New Orleans (11-0) at Washington (3-8)

This could be a trap game. New Orleans’ victory over the Patriots was huge, and they could let their guard down against a weak Redskins team.

What Washington does have is a good pass defense that could potentially keep leading passer Drew Brees in check.

However, their run defense is ranked 25th in the league, while the Saints have a top five rush offense and have scored the most rushing touchdowns (18) out of any team in the league.

Also, while the Saints have scored a league-high 407 points, the Redskins have only managed to score 170 points.

Washington will not be able to keep pace with New Orleans ground attack.

The Saints will win.

Tampa Bay (1-10) at Carolina (4-7)

Believe it or not, Tampa’s pass defense is in the top half of the league, and Jake Delhomme is tied for second in the NFL in interceptions thrown.

Their rush defense is nothing to brag about at all, and DeAngelo Williams is one of the best in the league.

Even so, Tampa’s offense has put up only 18 fewer points over the season and they actually have more passing yards than Carolina.

I will take the Buccaneers in an upset.

Houston (5-6) at Jacksonville (6-5)

Jacksonville was embarrassed last week against San Francisco. Yet Houston has lost three games in a row (although in fairness, two of those losses came to Indianapolis).

The Jaguars do get the job done at home however, with a 4-1 record in Jacksonville, and against the conference, with a 5-2 record against the AFC.

Houston, meanwhile, is a paltry 1-4 against the AFC South. Their rushing defense also ranks in the bottom half of the league and will be put to the test against Maurice Jones-Drew, one of the top rushers in the league this season.

Jacksonville wins.

San Diego (8-3) at Cleveland (1-10)

The Chargers have won six games in a row. The Browns have lost six games in a row.
The Chargers are 4-1 on the road. The Browns are 0-4 at home.

The Chargers are third in points scored in the NFL. The Browns are second worst in points scored in the NFL. Cleveland is also fifth in most point allowed in the league.

These two teams are like night and day.

Chargers win.

Dallas (8-3) at NY Giants (6-5)

Eli Manning is 10th in the NFL in interceptions thrown and there is continuous debate over the health of his foot.

The Cowboys meanwhile have won six of their last seven games, and will come after Manning hard. Dallas is tied for seventh in sacks (28). Hurrying an injured and turnover prone quarterback will really hinder the Giants ability to get anything going.

Tony Romo hasn’t fared much better this season, however his team has pulled away from games victorious, while the Giants have been unable to make up for their quarterback’s mistakes and have lost five of their last six games.

I’ll take Dallas to win.

San Francisco (5-6) at Seattle (4-7)

While San Francisco has struggled at times this season, especially on offense, one arena where they dominate is against the NFC West. In the division the 49’ers are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 78-26, including a 23-10 victory over Seattle in the two teams’ first meeting.

Seattle’s only two victories in the division have come against the Rams. In three meetings against the 49’ers and Cardinals, the Seahawks have lost by double digits.

San Francisco wins.

Minnesota (10-1) at Arizona (7-4)

Minnesota has been rolling this year. They are 8-0 against the NFC, and have scored more points than and given up fewer points than Arizona.

They are firing on all cylinders as Adrian Peterson is third in the chase for the rushing title, Sidney Rice is third in the league in reception yards, Jared Allen is second in the league in sacks, and Brett Favre has made himself an MVP candidate.

Arizona has gotten inconsistent performances from their running game, receivers Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston have been banged up since week 1, and starting quarterback Kurt Warner is still questionable after suffering a concussion in week 11.

Vikings win.

Baltimore (6-5) at Green Bay (7-4)

Aaron Rodgers has been a star this season. He’s third in quarterback rating, fourth in touchdown passes thrown, eight in completion percentage, and fourth in passing yards. He has also thrown only five interceptions all season.

The Packers are also 4-2 at home, while the Ravens are 2-3 on the road.

What really benefits the Packers here is that their rush defense is extremely stingy. They have allowed only three rushing touchdowns all season and are fourth in rushing yards allowed.

Running back Ray Rice has been what makes the Ravens offense go, but he will have his hands full against such a strong rush defense.

I’ll take Green Bay to win.

Last week: 11-5

Season: 99-45