NFL Game Picks: Week 13

Story posted December 2, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Joe Tuman

The NFL season is nearing its final stretch run, as the playoff picture is becoming clearer by the week.  Looking ahead to a mostly boring Week 13, here are some picks for this week’s slate of games.

Dallas Cowboys (7-4) @ New Orleans Saints (5-6)

The Saints are going in the wrong direction, as their quarterback situation continues to go downhill with Taysom Hill’s apparent re-emergence.  If the Cowboys are healthy at receiver, they should win this game handily.

Prediction: Cowboys 31, Saints 9

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

Jonathan Taylor has been on a tear all season, and his status as the NFL’s top runner this season should remain intact against a subpar Texans team.

Prediction: Colts 42, Texans 13

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

Misery, misery, misery! That’s what the winless Lions have chosen this season, and against a high-powered Vikings offense, their losing ways should only continue.

Prediction: Vikings 35, Lions 10

Giants (4-7) @ Miami Dolphins (5-7)

The Dolphins are starting to heat up again, and while the Giants did earn a Jalen Reagor-assisted win over the Eagles last week, chances are they can’t replicate that success here.

Prediction: Dolphins 24, Giants 13

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

The Falcons still have some hope to crawl back into the NFC playoff race, but they’ll have to beat their old nemesis Tom Brady this week. That seems like a tall task, to say the least.

Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Falcons 3

Philadelphia Eagles (5-7) @ New York Jets (3-8)

The Eagles lost to one New York team last time out, but the hope from Eagles fans would be that they can kickstart their playoff push this week against the Jets.

Prediction: Eagles 21, Jets 10

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

Congrats to the Bears for defeating the Lions by a whopping two points on Thanksgiving. They won’t have much to be thankful for in Week 13.

Prediction: Cardinals 34, Bears 14

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

The Chargers started off the season red-hot, but they’ve faded a bit over the past month.  While they certainly will put up a fight against the Bengals, their efforts just won’t be enough this time around.

Prediction: Bengals 27, Chargers 24

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

Cooper Kupp could have 300 yards in this game and it wouldn’t be that surprising.

Prediction: Rams 41, Jaguars 8

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

While both teams are coming off major wins, particularly the Raiders over Dallas, for some reason this feels like a strange affair waiting to happen. The Raiders should continue to build momentum with a win here.

Prediction: Raiders 19, Football Team 16

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

The Ravens are favored at Heinz Field for the first time in the Big Ben era, and with good reason.  The AFC’s top seed will keep on rolling in this divisional showdown.

Prediction: Ravens 31, Steelers 17

San Francisco 49ers (6-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (3-8)

It is hard to sugarcoat how poorly the Seahawks played against Washington, and their longtime rivals in San Fran will be sure to capitalize on Seattle’s misfortune.

Prediction: 49ers 27, Seahawks 10

Denver Broncos (6-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)

The Chiefs have an opportunity to prove they are back in contention this week against Denver in primetime.  It is hard to believe they’ll waste it.

Prediction: Chiefs 35, Broncos 20

New England Patriots (8-4) @ Buffalo Bills (7-4)

The Patriots and Bills are set for the first of their two crucial December showdowns this Monday.  While both teams certainly have a reason to believe they’re the better squad, when push comes to shove Bill Belichick will always own Buffalo.

Prediction: Patriots 24, Bills 21


Joe Tuman is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email him at joentuman@gmail.com.