November 28, 2006

NFL Week 13 Predictions

November 28, 2006, 11:39 PM | 2 Comments

Last week I finally had another respectable week with 12 correct picks. Hopefully this week things will start to sort themselves out and I’ll be able to continue with the moderate success I had last week.

We’re just about to hit December and this is when things start to get really exciting. For the playoff contenders, their match-ups will be determined over the next 5 weeks. For teams that are out of it already, they’ll all be looking to restore some sense of pride to what has been a disappointing season so far.

Monday Night Football Wrap-Up:

ESPN told us that they were playing in Seattle on Monday night, but it looked a lot more like Lambeau Field than Quest. For the first half the Packers played like they were at home and comfortable in the wind and snow but after the snow finally stopped coming down, Matt Hasselbeck started to play very well. Even though the Packers loss was disappointing to me, it still was a great game to watch.

Honestly, the Packers could have (and probably should have) won that game because of all the Seattle turnovers that they just didn’t take full advantage of. The unfortunate call for roughing the passer late in the 4^th quarter is really what put the final nail in though. Hopefully we haven’t seen the last of Brett Favre on Monday Night Football.

Note to ESPN: Jimmy Kimmel is the best celebrity interview you’ve had all season by far and Steve Young should replace Theismann in the booth next year.

Week 13 Game of the Week: Cowboys at Giants.

If it wasn’t for all the drama that’s unfolding in New York, I probably would’ve picked the Ravens game as my game of the week, but the Giants are collapsing from within and this week’s divisional match against the Cowboys is going to be one great game.

Both teams have a shot at winning the NFC East crown and both teams are on 3-game streaks. The Cowboys are coming off 3 straight wins while the Giants have dropped 3 in a row (some in dramatic fashion). These two teams seem to be going in opposite directions on several levels. Tony Romo is playing great at QB while Eli Manning has looked terrible. Tiki Barber is making more headlines than Terrell Owens for things he’s saying.

There are so many stories leading into this big game that may determine the Giants playoff chances and New York really needs to step up and turn things around. Unfortunately for them, I don’t think they’ll be able to do it because the Giants seem to lack strong leadership - both from the coaches and the veteran players in the locker room. This is their week to right the ship, if they don’t it may sink and take a lot of people down with it.

Now, here are my predictions for week 13!

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Ravens (9-3)	Bengals (7-5)	Even though the records don’t indicate it, but this really is a battle for AFC North supremacy. Baltimore has been far more consistent this season though, so I’ll have to go with them.
Cardinals (3-9)	Rams (5-7)	After last week’s win against the 49ers, the Rams got themselves back into the playoff hunt and will need to continue with a win this week if they want to have any chance.
Falcons (6-6)	Redskins (4-8)	As bad as Michael Vick and the Falcons have been over the past five games, they’re still a decent team in the NFC and should be able to beat the ‘Skins.
Lions (2-10)	Patriots (9-3)	When you turn the ball over 5 times and still win the game, that’s impressive. The Lions are going nowhere and I think Matt Millen’s days are numbered.
Colts (10-2)	Titans (5-7)	After an impressive win over the Giants last week, the Colts can’t take the Titans lightly.
Chiefs (7-5)	Browns (4-8)	The Browns defense is ranked 25th against the run. Larry Johnson and the Chiefs should literally run right through Cleveland.
Vikings (5-7)	Bears (10-2)	After a tough loss to the Steelers, the Bears should cruise through the rest of the season. Next 5 games: Minnesota, @St. Louis, Tampa Bay, @Detroit, Green Bay.
Jets (6-6)	Packers (4-8)	Both these teams have improved and have high expectations for next year at this point. Green Bay played well for about 3 quarters in Seattle and if they can play a full 4 quarters, they’ll be in this game right until the end and may eek out the victory.
Chargers (10-2)	Bills (5-7)	J.P. Losman is starting to quiet critics (for now), but San Diego’s a much better team than the Jaguars are right now.
49ers (5-7)	Saints (8-4)	Drew Brees is making stars out of guys named Copper and Henderson in New Orleans these days. Things are looking good for the Saints.
Texans (4-8)	Raiders (2-10)	If the Raiders offense shows up, they could beat the Texans, but the Raiders offense doesn’t normally show up.
Jaguars (7-5)	Dolphins (5-7)	It’s not really a good sign when every game of the last 5 is a ‘must win’ game, but Jacksonville can’t afford to lose if they want to be playing in January.
Cowboys (8-4)	Giants (6-6)	The Giants are falling apart and Eli Manning is playing about as good as Drew Bledsoe did earlier this season. Dallas is gaining a lot of momentum around Tony Romo and their entire team attitude has changed over the past month. They should be able to beat the Giants this Sunday.
Buccaneers (3-9)	Steelers (5-7)	Losing Hines Ward for any length of time is another blow to the Steelers who only have about 6 more weeks as the ‘defending’ Super Bowl champions. They need a win though and they’re at home, so I’ll take Pittsburgh.
Seahawks (8-4)	Broncos (7-5)	Seattle sure did look good last week, but lets not kid ourselves here, the Packers are not exactly a defensive juggernaut. Jay Cutler will probably add some spark to this offense, and the Broncos have had 9 days to prepare for this game.
Panthers (6-6)	Eagles (6-6)	The Panthers are running out of games that they can afford to lose. I expect Steve Smith to have a huge game on Monday Night and bring his team back over to the win column.

Check back after the games for updated standings and more thoughts about week 13. Also, check out this week’s ESPN Expert Picks.

Update: Well, 9-7 for the week isn’t as good as I was hoping, but what a finish on MNF tonight. I’ll talk about that a little bit more tomorrow when I post my week 14 picks. My running total is now up to 115-77 (or .599). A couple of big upsets this week including the Titans beating the Colts, the Redskins knocking off the Chiefs and the Cardinals embarrassing the Rams. It’s going to be an exciting final 4 weeks of the season.

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