Week 13 NFL Game Picks: Kyler is back! AFC East Game of the Year?

 Just six weeks remain until playoffs for the NFL and the playoff picture is starting to take shape but also has a lot of sorting out to do. It's crazy we are already at this point in the year and it's only going to get better for these next few weeks. Let us get into the game picks for week 13!

Week 12 Predictions Record: 6-9
2021 Season Overall: 104-75-1

Thursday Night Football - Dallas Cowboys (7-4) at New Orleans Saints (5-6)

Two teams a week removed from playing on Thanksgiving night and losing will square off and try and amend it. The Cowboys come in getting healthier while the Saints come in seemingly more hobbled than they were before. They will be without both elite starting tackles Armstead and Ramcyzk, and star RB Alvin Kamara. The Cowboys get back CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper and also have cleared Zeke to play fully. This has the feel of a defensive game early, but the Cowboys should end up winning with some comfort as they look to bounce back from a rough month. 

The Pick: Cowboys 26, Saints 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3) at Atlanta Falcons (5-6)

The records of both teams indicate that this could be an intriguing NFC South showdown with major playoff implications, but it couldn't be further from the truth. With a cakewalk schedule, the Falcons have barely even managed to hover around .500. The Bucs are rounding into form with the run game coming alive and the defense playing hungry football even if they haven't been necessarily amazing at all times. This one won't be close. At all.

The Pick: Buccaneers 34, Falcons 21

Indianapolis Colts (6-6) at Houston Texans (2-9)

Not talking about this one much. The Colts are playing really good football right now and just barely lost to the defending champs a week ago. They head to Houston to face the dumpster fire Texans. Hopefully you aren't playing against Jonathan Taylor this weekend in fantasy...

The Pick: Colts 36, Texans 17

Minnesota Vikings (5-6) at Detroit Lions (0-10-1)

Another one I will save time on. The Lions almost beat the Vikings last time around, but it won't be the same here. They never can find a way to win and I won't pick an upset with them winning until I see that first W come...it may never.

The Pick: Vikings 25, Lions 16

New York Giants (4-7) at Miami Dolphins (5-7)

The Mike Glennon-led Giants will head to Miami to face the suddenly hot Dolphins. This one might be one that is close early with some sloppy offense but I expect the Dolphins to pull away. Their offense has been finding some rhythm lately while their defense has been scorching hot. They embarrassed the Panthers last weekend, why wouldn't they do it to Mike Glennon? I expect some sort of defensive score in this game. Do the Dolphins have playoff chances?

The Pick: Dolphins 27, Giants 14

Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) at New York Jets (3-8)

Philly travels to MetLife Stadium for the second weekend in a row to face the Jets this time. They hope to have better luck than they did last week when they lost to the Giants in a crusher. They were held under 10 points and played their worst all around game all year. I expect a major rebound. Jalen Hurts has been killing it all year and there is no reason to think he will suddenly hit a major wall. The Jets defense is one of the worst in the league and will struggle to contain his dual-threat ability along with the perimeter speed of Devonta Smith and Quez Watkins that Philly boasts. Eagles get back on track and keep their playoff aspirations in play.

The Pick: Eagles 28, Jets 18

Arizona Cardinals (9-2) at Chicago Bears (4-7)

The Cardinals have kept rolling even without DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray in the lineup for over a month now. Both are poised to return to action this Sunday at Soldier Field where they will face a poor Bears squad that looks ready to be steamrolled. The Cards are a wildly impressive 6-0 on the road this season and should have no issues continuing that here. Bears simply aren't ready to win against this kind of opponent. 

The Pick: Cardinals 29, Bears 15

Los Angeles Chargers (6-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)

The long-awaited Justin Herbert vs Joe Burrow professional debut. Two of the best QBs from the 2020 draft class who have been debated so heavily already over their first two years will finally go at it. This has potential to be the first meeting of many over the next decade or so with both teams also on the come-up. This has to be a preview of a future AFC championship! Both teams come in fighting for playoff spots and will have a major leg-up on the rest if they can take this game. I think we see a wildly entertaining, high-scoring affair at Paul Brown on Sunday. I've gotta go with the much more trustworthy Bengals for now though.

The Pick: Bengals 33, Chargers 30

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) at Los Angeles Rams (7-4)

What a perfect get-right game for the Rams. They need it. They've dropped 3 straight and no longer look like the Super Bowl shoe-in we all once perceived them as. The chemistry on this team has been decreasing with each and every loss. They need this free win to get back on track. If they blowout the Jags, maybe it's enough to get this star-studded crew gelling.

The Pick: Rams 34, Jaguars 13

Washington Football Team (5-6) at Las Vegas Raiders (6-5)

This is a fun one. Two teams that appear to be hitting their strides with their eyes set on playoffs. The Washington offense has been on fire lately with Taylor Heinicke while Derek Carr leads the NFL in passing yards as he too has their offenses rolling. This is going to be another scoring doozy with little defense. I'm not gonna pick against the red-hot Reds...football team right now! Mini-upset pick here. 

The Pick: WFT 27, Raiders 25

Baltimore Ravens (8-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5-1)

It might seem weird, but the Ravens are the current 1 seed in the AFC playoff picture, and they will put in on the line in Pittsburgh for a big divisional battle. One of the best rivalries in football, it's always good when they go at it, regardless of the record. The Steelers desperately need a win to stay alive in both the AFC North race and the wild card race. A loss would set them back so far it may be safe to say it's all over. This is going to be a good one. I think it will be relatively low scoring but I have to take Lamar and the Ravens after seeing the Steelers get blown out vs Cinncy last week.

The Pick: Ravens 23, Steelers 19

San Fransisco 49ers (6-5) at Seattle Seahawks (3-8)

Flexed out of the SNF spot, this game won't be as exciting as we all anticipated it to be. Just like Steelers/Ravens, it's always fun when these rivals get together, but it's almost always with big playoff implications. There are some for the Niners, but the Hawks are surprisingly all but out of it. Wilson and the Hawks offense will be hungry to prove they can still play, but I'm not picking Seattle's way again after they've disappointed for weeks in a row. The shorthanded Niners go into Seattle and come away victorious and with their eyes set towards finishing strong and getting to the playoffs.

The Pick: 49ers 26, Seahawks 22

Sunday Night Football - Denver Broncos (6-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)

While the Broncos continue to refuse to go away, I don't see them winning this one. The Chiefs have their swagger back and are going to be hard to beat on the road in primetime for Denver. I think we see another big Mahomes game here along with the banged up Denver offense struggling. I'm very confident Chiefs take this one.

The Pick: Chiefs 31, Broncos 21

Monday Night Football - New England Patriots (8-4) at Buffalo Bills (7-4)

What a way to finish off the week. This has potential to be one of the best games of the YEAR. The Patriots had a rough start to the season in which the Bills looked like they would run away with the AFC East. Then the Pats got hot, and the rest, so far, is history. The Pats have rattled off 6 straight wins and head into Buffalo as the division leaders for the moment. Their stifling defense will look to lock up Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. This game has everything, playoff implications, storylines, thriller potential. We can't wait! I could see this going either way, but I can't pick against the hottest team in the sport right now. Patriots grind out a win just like they've been doing lately as Bellichick's reign of terror over Buffalo continues.

The Pick: Patriots 28, Bills 24