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The holiday week means that all 32 teams will be in action. There are plenty of marquee matchups among them, including when the Ravens host the Eagles.
Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game and rank their selections for those who play in a format that requires it. The games will be grouped into locks, semi-confident picks, and toss-ups. The number listed next to the game shows my confidence level, counting down to my least confident pick. The winner picks are italicized.
Some weeks, you may see a subcategory of “Wait and See” because some platforms require all games to be selected before the kickoff of Thursday Night Football. There may still be some injury questions for Sunday and Monday games. If that’s the case, I’ll leave those games off to the side and suggest where they should be placed if a player is in or out. Let’s get to our Week 13 picks.
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Week 13 NFL Pick'em Pool Locks
The number listed next to the game shows my confidence level, counting down to my least-confident pick. The higher the number, the better. The winner picks are italicized.
- 16 – Kansas City vs. Las Vegas
- 15 – Detroit vs. Chicago
- 14 – Denver vs. Cleveland
It took a game-winning field goal as time expired, but the Chiefs knocked off the Panthers last week to improve to 10-1. They will play Friday against the Raiders, who will turn to Aidan O'Connell (thumb) again at quarterback. The Chiefs are 5-1 at home, and the Raiders are 1-5 on the road. The Chiefs should dominate.
Mahomes on the run, Mitch on the call 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/kezv2OnBwQ
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 25, 2024
The Lions and Bears will face off on Thanksgiving. Crazy things can happen when we get a divisional matchup on a short week. However, it would be a shock if the Lions don’t emerge with the victory. They have won nine straight games, while the Bears have lost five straight and are 0-4 on the road.
The Browns pulled off an upset over the Steelers on Thursday Night Football last week. That game was played in Cleveland. They will be on the road this week, where they are 1-4 this season. Their only road victory came over the 2-9 Jaguars. Don’t expect them to upset a Broncos team that has allowed just 16.8 points per game.
Semi-Confident Picks For Week 13 Pick'em Pools
13 – Houston at Jacksonville
The Texans suffered a surprising loss to the Titans last week. They are just 3-3 on the road, so this might not be as easy as things look on paper. Still, they have Nico Collins back in the fold, and Joe Mixon should be able to run all over a Jaguars defense that has allowed the seventh-most rushing yards per game in the league.
12 – Washington vs. Tennessee
Like the Texans, the Commanders were upset in Week 12. They fell at the hands of the Cowboys in a wild game that came down to the final seconds. This might not be an easy bounce-back spot against the Titans, who have allowed the fewest passing yards per game in the league. However, the Commanders are the superior team and will have the advantage of playing at home, where they are 4-2 this season.
11 – Tampa Bay at Carolina
Two weeks ago, the Buccaneers would have been the easy pick here. However, the Panthers put up a fight against the Chiefs last week and almost pulled off the upset. With that being said, the choice here is still the Buccaneers; I just won’t make them a lock. They dismantled the Giants last week and are more dangerous on offense with Mike Evans healthy again.
We ♥️ you, @bakermayfield pic.twitter.com/weqd4y4Fnc
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 24, 2024
10 – Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans
The Saints are only 1-4 on the road, but they are 3-3 at home. They have also won back-to-back games since making a coaching change. They might not be a pushover, but their weakness has been allowing the third-most passing yards per game in the league. Slowing down the healthy duo of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua will be a tall order for them.
9 – Buffalo vs. San Francisco
The 49ers were blown out by the Packers last week with Brock Purdy (shoulder) sidelined. They only scored 10 points, but their defense was the bigger problem, giving up 38 points. Even if Purdy returns, this is not a favorable situation for them to earn a victory. The Bills are well-rested coming out of their bye week, and they are 5-0 at home.
8 – Green Bay vs. Miami
This is another one of the Thanksgiving games. The Dolphins have won five games this season, but those have mostly come against bad teams. They beat the Patriots twice while also logging wins against the Raiders and Jaguars. Their only noteworthy win has come against the Rams, who haven’t exactly been great at 5-6.
Don’t expect them to win on the road during a short week against a Packers team that is 8-3.
NFL Pick'em Toss-Ups Of Week 13
7 – Seattle at New York Jets
This could be a trap game for the Seahawks. They pulled off a big win at home against the Cardinals last week to improve to 6-5. They are currently tied with the Cardinals for the best record in the NFC West.
They should be able to defeat the Jets, but the Jets are rested coming out of their bye week, and two of their three wins have come at home. The Seahawks are still the team to pick here, but the final score might be close.
6 – Minnesota vs. Arizona
The Cardinals are a difficult team to predict. Some weeks, they look like they could be one of the best teams in the league. In others, they look completely inept on offense. In four of their five losses, they scored 14 or fewer points. Kyler Murray can carry them to a win when he is hot, but the Vikings are 4-1 at home, so they should be able to win.
Sam Darnold THREW ONE OF THE 10 MOST PERFECT PASSES YOU WILL EVER SEE.
😱😱😱
INSANE.pic.twitter.com/GfDqu9cX5q
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 26, 2024
5 – Indianapolis at New England
It’s scary trying to predict the Colts with Anthony Richardson back under center. Two weeks ago, he threw for 272 yards and had three total touchdowns in a win against the Jets. Last week, he threw for just 172 yards and had no touchdowns against the Lions.
The Patriots are just 1-4 at home, and the Colts have more offensive weapons, but this game could go either way, depending on which version of Richardson shows up.
4 – Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
At 4-7, the Bengals have been one of the biggest disappointments in the league. They are a respectable 3-3 on the road, but they are just 1-4 at home.
Joe Burrow has thrown 12 touchdown passes over his last three games, but the Steelers have allowed just nine passing touchdowns all season. While the Steelers should be favored in this matchup, anything can happen in divisional matchups, regardless of records.
3 – Los Angeles Chargers at Atlanta
It will be a short week for the Chargers, who lost to the Ravens on Monday Night Football. Going on the road on a short week is difficult, but I’m still leaning towards them winning this game. They have allowed just 15.9 points per game, while the Falcons have allowed 24.9 points per game.
2 – Dallas vs. New York Giants
This is the third Thanksgiving game. It’s not a great matchup with both teams down to starting their backup quarterbacks. The Cowboys are 0-5 at home, while the only two wins that the Giants have earned this season have both come on the road.
Still, the Giants are averaging just 14.8 points per game this season. The Cowboys should be able to win this at home, but a divisional matchup between two teams starting backup quarterbacks is a true toss-up.
1 – Baltimore vs. Philadelphia
This should be a great game. The Eagles are 9-2, including their 5-1 record on the road. The Ravens are 8-4, including 4-1 at home. The Ravens will be on short rest after having played Monday, which puts them at a disadvantage.
This could go either way, but I’ll lean towards the Ravens because they will be at home, and they are allowing the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the league. If they can bottle up Saquon Barkley, the Eagles' offense could be in trouble.
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