Week 13 predictions
Friday 1:20am
Philadelphia Eagles 23-17 Seattle Seahawks
At the start of the season, this one would be seen as a no-contest, but now, in week 13, it’s as even a game as there will be all week. The Eagles’ problems are well documented, while Seattle have found a way to play some good defense and some economical offense. While I am tempted to say at Qwest Field, the ‘Hawks will pull something out, the talent in the Eagles team, Mike Vick or no Mike Vick, cannot keep playing at this poor standard. Eventually something will click, and without Sidney Rice, I think the Eagles defense will be able to focus on stopping the Seahawks run game (Marshawn Lynch), while leaving Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel to man cover receivers. This could be tight, but I’ll side with raw talent.
Sunday 6:00pm
Tennessee Titans 27-23 Buffalo Bills
Buffalo have had a real ‘game of two halves’ season, getting off to a fantastic start and then fading fast. The Titans have the CJ2K they know and love back, and their young receivers have stepped up to fill the gaping hole left by Kenny Britt’s season ending injury. Without Fred Jackson, the Bills’ run game has all but disappeared, with CJ Spiller not yet showing the potential that made him a first round pick. This means more to Tennessee, with a playoff spot still up for grabs, so I’ll take the Titans in another tight affair.
Kansas City Chiefs 13-20 Chicago Bears
The Chiefs defense was awesome last week against Pittsburgh, but Tyler Palko let them down in a game that they arguably had a chance to win. With the signing of Kyle Orton, the Chiefs have a level headed, calm presence back in the pocket, and he has to start. Nothing can be worse than another week of Palko. As for the Bears, Caleb Hainie took his time to grow into the game against the Raiders, but by the end of it, looked relatively O.K. Both teams will have to rely on their defense more than their offense, but with KC’s D-line as beat up as it seems to be, Matt Forte could be the difference. And they still haven’t given him a contract yet!
Atlanta Falcons 27-20 Houston Texans
TJ Lang looked better than Matt Leinart last week, so let’s stop the panic Texans fans. But he is a rookie with no NFL experience that has to now come up against an Atlanta team that is improving on both sides of the ball. Their offense is an array of weapons, while their defense is clicking at the right time. Having said that, Arian Foster and Ben Tate is as scary a combination of running backs as you will find in the league, and the Texans will do more than lean on them to try and drag them into the playoffs. Atlanta will stack the box, double cover Andre Johnson and dare Lang to throw the ball, a tactic that, with Michael Turner running well, should result in an Atlanta win.
Oakland Raiders 23-24 Miami Dolphins
These two teams are a lot more evenly matched than you might think when looking their records. Miami did nothing wrong last week in their tight Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys, while Oakland’s defense stepped up to take down Caleb Hanie and the Bears. The Raiders need this more than the Dolphins, but I just have a sneaking feeling that if Miami can stop Michael Bush and the run game, their efficient offense, especially in the passing game, could grab them a surprise win.
Denver Broncos 16-9 Minnesota Vikings
How is Tim Tebow doing this? He seems to drag teams down to playing the game that he wants to, and Denver’s defense is relishing the fights that ensue. Von Miller, Champ Bailey and Elvis Dumervil are the real heroes on this team, they are all playing at Pro Bowl level right now, which is way too much for Christian Ponder and an Adrian Peterson-less Vikings offense. Tebow might even pass it a bit this week, with Minnesota’s banged up secondary. The result will be another step towards the playoffs for Denver. Can’t believe I just said that.
Indianapolis Colts 16-41 New England Patriots
Bill Belichick came out this week and said he would be taking the winless Colts as seriously as if they were 11-0. Look away now Colts fans. This rivalry is one that the Hoodie would love to pull out a huge victory in, and I can’t see anything else happening. The Colts have Dan Orlovsky replacing Curtis Painter at QB this week, and have also fired their defensive co-ordinator, i.e. Indianapolis is in turmoil and are already planning for next season. The questions will be, how many snaps will Brady need to finish the game? And is it possible that Indianapolis can take some advantage of the Pats’ poor pass defense? They might get some points, but there is no way they will score as many as the resurgent New England offense.
Cincinnati Bengals 17-27 Pittsburgh Steelers
I would normally say that the Steelers at home would have no trouble with this game, but after seeing last week’s efforts against Kansas City, a shred of doubt has entered my mind about this game. Having said that, the Bengals only just crept past the Browns last week in an unimpressive showing. I think the biggest factor in this game could be that Leon Hall is out for the Bengals, giving the Steelers a much better chance of throwing on Cincinnati, something Mike Wallace will no doubt take advantage of. If Roethlisberger’s thumb really isn’t causing him any problems, then Pittsburgh should take this one.
Carolina Panthers 21-30 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carolina’s run defense is awful. The Bucs have LeGarrette Blount. That’s all I should have to say really. Tampa also have ball-hawking safeties and it will be interesting to see how Cam Newton approaches this game, whether he airs it out as normal, or plays a more conservative game. But whatever he does, I can’t see Carolina winning this one.
New York Jets 24-13 Washington Redskins
The ‘Skins have made some improvements over the last couple of weeks, while the Jets seem to be stuck in the doldrums, despite beating the Bills last Sunday night. I don’t think either of these teams will make the playoffs, but this game still holds some significance for the Jets, and their defense is still a good unit.
Sunday 9:05pm
Baltimore Ravens 27-7 Cleveland Browns
Joe Flacco and the Ravens are a hugely frustrating team, and after their impressive win over San Francisco at thanksgiving, it would be just like them to let down their guard and lose to Cleveland. But with the AFC’s no.1 seed up for grabs now, Baltimore will be more focussed than they were a few weeks ago. Cleveland’s offense is just not a good enough unit to cause the Ravens too many problems.
Sunday 9:15pm
Dallas Cowboys 30-23 Arizona Cardinals
This is another one of those games that you would expect the better team (Dallas) to win, but I have another one of those bad feelings that an upset could be on the cards. Speaking of the Cards, Beanie Wells had a career best day last Sunday, and that was despite his knee injury causing him issues. A week’s rest will do him the world of good, and getting Kevin Kolb back could also better Arizona’s cause. The Cowboys made very hard work of beating Miami, and Tony Romo looked like he was slipping into his notorious December form a week early. Despite all this, the game means more to Dallas, and their defense under Rob Ryan is improving at a rate of knots, despite not having the most talented secondary roster. I have to side with the Cowboys, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they let this one drop either.
Green Bay Packers 35-27 New York Giants
Everyone is making such an issue of how the Giants have a habit of stopping undefeated streaks, but if they play the way they did against Drew Brees and the Saints, Aaron Rodgers will have a thoroughly enjoyable time. I just can’t see the Packers being beaten, at all. Eli Manning may throw for around 350 yards, but as we saw last week when Vince young threw for 400 yards against the Pats, it may mean diddly squat without a running game.
St Louis Rams 13-27 San Francisco 49’ers
The 49’ers shouldn’t have any trouble beating the Rams, with Frank Gore going up against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. The only real question in this game for me is how the Rams offense will play. They have a few of the right pieces in place with Steven Jackson and Brandon Lloyd, but if the offensive line can’t protect Sam Bradford, then the Rams will continue to have little success. They will have to throw the ball, so if Lloyd is a true number one receiver, he should have a decent day, but it will be in a losing effort.
Monday 1:20am
Detroit Lions 30-38 New Orleans Saints
When we talk about ‘shootouts’, this was the game it was meant for. This could become messy for both defenses, very very quickly with Drew Brees in mercurial form, and Calvin Johnson connecting with Matt Stafford better than any receiver/QB combo in the league. After watching what New Orleans did to the Giants on Tuesday morning, you can’t bet against them at this moment in time, but Detroit will put points on the board.
Tuesday 1:30am
San Diego Chargers 23-17 Jacksonville Jaguars
Don’t stick a fork in the Chargers yet, they’re not done. They can still finish 9-7 and win the division, even though it would be very tough with Denver’s defense playing the way it is and Oakland already at 7-4. Let’s face it, they’re not as talented a squad as they once were, but they still have some dangerous players. If Philip Rivers realises that Vincent Jackson is on his team a bit more often, then San Diego can still have success. Their running game is a nice one-two punch as well with Ryan Matthews and Mike Tolbert. Jacksonville have sacked Jack Del Rio, with rumours that he had ‘given up’ on the team, and this can’t help the week before a game. Maurice Jones Drew could keep the Jags in the game, but the Chargers should be able to grind this one out and hang in the race for the AFC West
