NFL Week 13 Odds and Predictions: Best Picks Against the Spread
Here’s a quick look at all Week 13 games, played Sunday unless noted.
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, Thursday
Second straight Thursday game for both as they each played on Thanksgiving, with Buffalo winning a wild one in Detroit and New England blowing a fourth-quarter lead in a loss at Minnesota. It’s the first meeting of the season between AFC East rivals. They played three times last season with each winning on the road in the regular season and then Buffalo trouncing the visiting Pats 47-17 in a wild-card round game.
Pick ATS: New England
Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons
Pittsburgh kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a 24-17 win at Indianapolis on Monday. Benny Snell Jr. rushed for the winning score with about 10 minutes remaining. Snell hadn’t had a carry this season until Week 12. No. 1 tailback Najee Harris limped off the field in the first half and rookie backup Jaylen Warren didn’t play due to injury. Atlanta lost 19-13 at Washington on Sunday. Marcus Mariota was intercepted in the Commanders’ end zone with 58 seconds left.
Pick ATS: Pittsburgh
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Green Bay looks for yet another season sweep of Chicago as the Packers beat the Bears 27-10 in Week 2. Aaron Jones rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown and caught a scoring pass from Aaron Rodgers. Will Bears QB Justin Fields play this week? He sat out Sunday with a shoulder issue at the Jets and Chicago was terrible offensively with Trevor Siemian under centre. Green Bay lost 40-33 in Philadelphia. Rodgers just isn’t the same this year and had only 140 yards passing with two picks. He also injured his ribs in the game. Too early to know if he will play here.
Pick ATS: Green Bay (alternate line of -2.5)
Jacksonville Jaguars at Detroit Lions
Detroit played really well on Thanksgiving but lost 28-25 at home to Buffalo on a last-second field goal to see a three-game winning streak snapped. Detroit had tied it on a 51-yard field goal with only 23 seconds left. Jamaal Williams continued his breakout season with another rushing TD and leads the league with 13 rush scores. Jacksonville came out of its bye and rallied to beat Baltimore 28-27. Trevor Lawrence hit Martin Jones on a 10-yard TD pass with 14 seconds left and then hit Zay Jones for the winning 2-point conversion.
Pick ATS: Detroit
New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings
The Jets turned to former third-string QB Mike White on Sunday vs. Chicago, and it was the right move for one week at least as the Jets won 31-10 behind 315 yards and three scores from White. Clearly he’ll start again this week. Minnesota beat visiting New England 33-26 on Thanksgiving night. Kirk Cousins threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns, the last a go-ahead score to Adam Thielen with 9:34 left.
Pick ATS: Minnesota (alternate line of -2.5)
Washington Commanders at New York Giants
Very interesting scheduling for Washington as it will play the Giants in back-to-back games – but split up via a Week 14 bye for the Commanders. The Giants do play in Week 14. Washington won for the sixth time in seven games Sunday, 19-13 vs. Atlanta. Rookie Brian Robinson Jr. ran 18 times for a career-high 105 yards and averaged 5.8 yards an attempt three months after being shot twice in an attempted armed robbery. New York lost its second in a row on Thanksgiving, 28-20 in Dallas. Saquon Barkley was held to 39 yards rushing with a 1-yard TD behind a makeshift offensive line missing three starters because of injury.
Pick ATS: New York (alternate line of +3)
Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles
Possible Super Bowl 57 preview. The Titans didn’t look very super on Sunday, though, in losing 20-16 at home vs. Cincinnati. Derrick Henry was held to just 38 yards rushing. The Titans equaled their most points allowed since a Week 2 loss at Buffalo as their two-game winning streak ended. The Eagles beat Green Bay 40-33 on Sunday as Jalen Hurts threw for two scores and also rushed for 157. Miles Sanders had 143 on the ground and two scores as Philly totaled a whopping 363 yards rushing.
Pick ATS: Philadelphia
Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
Denver’s offensive issues continued Sunday in a 23-10 loss at a bad Carolina team – there’s really no way Coach Nathaniel Hackett will return next season. Carolina’s defence limited Russell Wilson to 19 of 35 passing for 142 yards and sacked him three times. Baltimore’s four-game winning streak was snapped in a 28-27 loss at Jacksonville on Sunday as the Jags went for the 2-point try and win in the final seconds. Justin Tucker then missed a 67-yard field goal.
Pick ATS: Baltimore
Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans
The big story of the week arguably is from this game as Deshaun Watson will make his Cleveland Browns debut off suspension and face his former Texans team. Watson’s last game that counted was the regular-season finale for Houston in 2020. This summer, Houston traded Watson and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024; a third-round pick in 2022; and a fourth-round pick in 2024.
Pick ATS: Cleveland (alternate line of -6.5)
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams
First meeting of the season between NFC West rivals. Seattle was upset Sunday, 40-34 at home in OT by Las Vegas. The Raiders’ 576 total yards were the third-most ever allowed by the Seahawks. Geno Smith was good in the loss, throwing for 328 yards and two scores. The Rams lost their fifth in a row Sunday, 26-10 in Kansas City. Again without QB Matthew Stafford, Bryce Perkins made his first career start and threw for just 100 yards with a touchdown pass and two interceptions.
Pick ATS: Los Angeles
Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers
Could be a Super Bowl preview. Miami come out of its bye on Sunday and won a fifth straight, 30-15 over Houston. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 299 yards and a TD and didn’t even play the fourth quarter. The 49ers won their fourth in a row Sunday, 13-0 over New Orleans. The Niners are fifth team since 1991 to go four straight games without allowing a second-half point.
Pick ATS: Miami
Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals stunned the Chiefs in Kansas City in last season’s AFC title game, 27-24 in overtime. The Chiefs were up 21-3 late in the first half. KC is the new favourite to win Super Bowl 57 and won a fifth in a row Sunday, 26-10 over the Rams. Patrick Mahomes threw for 320 yards and a TD and the defence allowed just 198 yards. Cincinnati rallied for a 20-16 win at Tennessee on Sunday. Joe Burrow threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins with 13:42 left to put the Bengals ahead to stay.
Pick ATS: Kansas City
Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders
The Chargers opened the season with a 24-19 home win over the Raiders. Justin Herbert had three TD passes and Khalil Mack three sacks. Jacobs finished with a franchise-record 229 yards rushing and two scores. He also had six catches for 74 yards, and his 303 yards from scrimmage were the most in franchise history and the seventh-most in a game in the Super Bowl era. The Raiders won their second straight game on Sunday, 40-34 in OT in Seattle. Josh Jacobs finished with a franchise-record 229 yards rushing and two scores. He also had six catches for 74 yards, and his 303 yards from scrimmage were the most in franchise history and the seventh-most in a game in the Super Bowl era. The Chargers won 25-24 in Arizona. Herbert threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Austin Ekeler with 15 seconds left, then hit Gerald Everett for the decisive 2-point conversion.
Pick ATS: Las Vegas
Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys
Sunday night game. Short week for Indianapolis as it lost 24-17 at home to Pittsburgh on Monday. Interim head coach Jeff Saturday is taking some heat for some iffy clock management late in the game. Dallas won 28-20 on Thanksgiving over the Giants. Dallas pass-rushing star Micah Parsons had his sixth two-sack game of the season, accounting for all of his team-leading 12.
Pick ATS: Dallas
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday
Tampa Bay beat New Orleans 20-10 in Week 2. There was a skirmish in the game that led to the ejections of Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore and Bucs receiver Mike Evans. Those two have a history so monitor that closely. Both teams lost in Week 12 and looked quite bad offensively in doing so. The Bucs also lost All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs for a while to an ankle injury.
Pick ATS: Tampa Bay (alternate line of -3)