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The Armchair Quarterback’s Guide To The NFL: Week 13

By Lyle Graversen

Nov 22, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) takes a bite of turkey drumstick after the game against the New York Jets on Thanksgiving at Metlife Stadium. The Patriots won the game 49-19. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 22, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) takes a bite of turkey drumstick after the game against the New York Jets on Thanksgiving at Metlife Stadium. The Patriots won the game 49-19. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Armchair Quarterback’s Week 13 Predictions

Nov 18, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) runs after a catch against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Packers beat the Lions 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 18, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) runs after a catch against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Ford Field. Packers beat the Lions 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

I’ll keep this short because I don’t want to talk about last week. It was bad, real bad. I went 5-9 (counting the Packers/Vikings tie as a incorrect pick). That puts me at 113-63. Still better then some national writers, but I want better. Let’s try this again……

Packers at Lions

It sounds like Aaron Rodgers won’t be back for this one. That makes this a MUST win for Detroit if they want to win the division. If they lose at home to the Packers without Rodgers they will have squandered a golden opportunity to take control of the division. I think the Lions will rebound from their loss last week.

Packers 23
Lions 27

Raiders at Cowboys

The strength of the Cowboys is their passing attack. The weakness of the Raiders is their pass defense. The game is in Dallas. Cowboys look like the pick here.

Raiders 20
Cowboys 31

Steelers at Ravens

This is a huge game in the AFC Wild Card race. These teams are both 5-6 and there is a big difference going forward between 6-6 and 5-7. The Steelers have been better on offense, but the Ravens have been better on defense. I think this is a toss up game, but in the interest of picking a winner, I’ll go with the home team.

Steelers 20
Ravens 21

Titans at Colts

A few weeks ago this would have been a no brainer. Now I find myself scared to pick the Colts even at home. They just don’t look right at all since they lost Reggie Wayne. If Tennessee still had Jake Locker, I’d pick them here, but I just can’t pick Ryan Fitzpatrick over Andrew Luck.

Titans 17
Colts 20

Jaguars at Browns

I really considered picking the Jaguars for the first time all season. They have won two out of three, but the Browns still have a pretty good defense, and I’m not sure the Jags will have an answer for Josh Gordon. I’ll take the Browns at home.

Jaguars 16
Browns 23

Buccaneers at Panthers

I’ve been really impressed by the Bucs these last few weeks, but the Panthers are just playing too well lately to pick against, especially at home. The Bucs will be in this game, but Cam Newton and the gang will get it done.

Buccaneers 17
Panthers 20

Bears at Vikings

The Bears got handled by the Rams last week, but the Vikings defense isn’t near as good as the Rams. Then again, the Bears defense has been a mess as well. Bottom line, I think the Bears have more offensive weapons and will win a high scoring game.

Bears 34
Vikings 27

Patriots at Texans

I refuse to pick the Texans with how many times they’ve let me down, plus New England has been playing well. I’m sure this means Houston will play their best game of the year and pull the upset (sigh).

Patriots 30
Houston 20

Cardinals at Eagles

I think that Chip Kelly may have some shenanigans worked up over the bye week, so watch for some creative play calling early on. This should be a great game. Cardinals fans, I’m doing you a favor and picking the Eagles to win. That means you’re pretty much a lock to pull this one out.

Cardinals 27
Eagles 28

Dolphins at Jets

I like the match up of the Jets front seven against the Miami offensive line. That having been said, the Dolphins have really shown a lot of fight these last few weeks and have the better QB. This is another toss up game. When in doubt, I go with the home team.

Dolphins 17
Jets 18

Falcons at Bills

The Bills defense is tied for the league lead in sacks. I think they’ll continue that trend against Atlanta’s offensive line. The Bills are tough at home and the Falcons are finished.

Falcons 20
Bills 27

Rams at 49ers

I have a LOT of respect for Jeff Fisher and the Rams, but Colin Kaepernick looked much better against the Redskins on Monday night and the 49ers easily handled the Rams in St. Louis earlier this season. The 49ers are the smart pick here, but the Rams keep surprising me.

Rams 23
49ers 27

Bengals at Chargers

The San Diego offense looked great against KC, but their defense looked horrid. The Bengals have had their bye week to prepare and I like their defense more than the Chargers. This should be a good game, but I think the Bengals are the more complete team.

Bengals 31
Chargers 27

Broncos at Chiefs

(Homer Alert) This game will likely decide the AFC West and home field advantage in the playoffs. If KC had a healthy Tamba Hali and Justin Houston, I’d take KC here. However, the Chiefs defense looked awful without them. It hurts a little, but I’m picking the Broncos.

Broncos 30
Chiefs 24

Giants at Redskins

The Redskins pass defense is just plain awful. Eli Manning may be having a down year, but the Redskins have a way of making QBs look really good. The Giants defense may not be elite, but they are definitely better than Washington.

Giants 30
Redskins 27

Saints at Seahawks

What a great game to end the week on. I think these teams are pretty evenly matched. I think it really comes down to home field advantage. If this game was in New Orleans I’d take the Saints, but it’s in Seattle so I think you have to take the Seahawks. This game screams possible NFC title game match up. Make sure to watch this one.

Saints 23
Seahawks 24

Now onto the Armchair Quarterback odds and ends of the week…….

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