Week 13 NFL Picks

We’re here to guide you with weekly picks against the spread every week, and we’re still hanging in above .500 approaching home stretch. Here are 15 fresh takes for Week 13, with odds coming from Draft Kings and FanDuel Sportsbooks.

Get the latest NFL odds and matchup reports on every one of these games to handicap your Week 13 predictions.

DALLAS COWBOYS (-5) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: COWBOYS

The Cowboys are getting healthier, while the slumping Saints appear to be running out of gas. They’re also down to Taysom Hill at quarterback without Alvin Kamara in the backfield. This is a lot of points on the road, but I just can’t get behind New Orleans for less than seven right now.

NEW YORK GIANTS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (-4.5): DOLPHINS

Miami is really putting it together. At home, a well-coached and desperate team should extend its winning streak against an opponent that is likely to be without its starting quarterback.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (-8.5) AT HOUSTON TEXANS: TEXANS

The Texans took down the Titans on the road two weeks ago. Surely they can hang with the Colts on the road. Indy also hasn’t been reliable enough for me to confidently lay more than a score.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (-7) AT DETROIT LIONS: VIKINGS

Detroit is feisty, well-rested and at home. The Vikings have won just a single game this season by more than seven points and are without Dalvin Cook on the road. This is a no-brainer.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (-6.5) AT NEW YORK JETS: EAGLES

The Eagles have some fight in them as well, while the Jets are simply so low on talent that it’s hard to see them stringing together consecutive wins. Wish this was closer to a field goal but I’m still on the Eagles. The Jets have lost five games but 15-plus points.

ARIZONA CARDINALS (-7.5) AT CHICAGO BEARS: BEARS

The Cards have won every road game they’ve played this season by double-digit margins, but every streak eventually has to end and the Bears are also well-rested coming into this one at home. I’m shying away from that hook.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (-3): CHARGERS

Both teams have been up and down. The Chargers were recently down, the Bengals recently up. Let’s keep rolling with that trend, especially considering that the former needs this more and the latter still lacks big-game experience.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (-11) AT ATLANTA FALCONS: BUCCANEERS

This is a lot of points for a divisional road game, but the Bucs were legendary on the road down the stretch last year and they’ve outscored the Falcons by 40 points in their last two meetings. I’m not overthinking this.

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (-2.5): RAIDERS

These teams are extremely evenly matched, so I’m happy to lay less than a field goal with the home squad on extra rest.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (-12.5): RAMS 

This is the perfect opportunity for the experienced Rams to bust out of a losing streak with a statement against an opponent that has lost 13 consecutive road games. It’s easy to overlook Jacksonville, but L.A. can’t afford to do that here.

BALTIMORE RAVENS (-4.5) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS: STEELERS

The Steelers always find a way to compete, so I don’t think they’re going four weeks in a row without a win. But even so, they’ll hang at home with a familiar foe that has not been blowing out many teams this season.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (-3.5) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: SEAHAWKS 

The 49ers have been hammered by the injury bug and you never really know when Russell Wilson’s going to put it together. I’m not giving up that hook with San Francisco on the road.

DENVER BRONCOS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (-10): CHIEFS

The Chiefs are rolling now, they’re usually pretty sweet in prime time and they’ve averaged 38.3 points per game in their last three post-bye outings. You never know in a divisional matchup like this, but 10 points isn’t bad.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT BUFFALO BILLS (-3): BILLS

This is a gut pick. The Bills are the better team on paper and I have to imagine they have their duds out of the way. Meanwhile, the Pats are due for a letdown.

Archived NFL Week 13 picks article from Dec. 4, 2020

2020 RECORD: 86-82-5

CINCINNATI BENGALS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (-11.5): DOLPHINS

The Bengals look toast without Joe Burrow and have been outscored 56-19 in their last two road games. I don’t totally trust the Dolphins as such a large favorite, but Miami does have four 17-plus-point victories already this season.

CLEVELAND BROWNS AT TENNESSEE TITANS (-5.5): BROWNS

The Titans have started to win games more handily and Cleveland is extremely inconsistent, but this number still feels a little too high. Both teams keep finding ways to win and I expect the Browns to battle in a game that should be settled by a field goal or less.

DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS (-3): LIONS

I don’t get the impression the Lions are torn up over Matt Patricia’s firing, which could mean they’ll be fired up to make a statement against a hurting division rival. Detroit is operating on extra rest while the Bears are a mess on offense and dealing with some crucial injuries on D. Lions win outright.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (-3.5) AT HOUSTON TEXANS: TEXANS

Deshaun Watson has 15 touchdown passes and zero interceptions in his last six games and the Texans haven’t lost by more than three points since Week 7. Throw in injuries to Philip Rivers and Anthony Castonzo along with the fact the Texans have had extra time to prepare and Houston is the obvious pick.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (-10): JAGUARS

The Vikings have been outscored 58-56 by two weak opponents the last two weeks at home, so I don’t know why anybody expects them to beat the bad but feisty Jaguars by a double-digit margin in this spot. Three of Jacksonville’s last four games have been decided by four or fewer points, and the Jags won’t have to deal with a fully healthy Dalvin Cook if Cook plays at all on Sunday.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (-8.5) AT NEW YORK JETS: JETS

That’s too many points considering how abysmal the Raiders looked last week in Atlanta. It’s fair to wonder if they’re experiencing another late-season free-fall, while the winless Jets have at least covered in three of their last five games. I wouldn’t spend a lot of hard-earned cash here either way.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (-3) AT ATLANTA FALCONS: FALCONS

Atlanta continues to play well, and now it will have time to prepare for Taysom Hill after losing to the Saints when Hill made his first-ever NFL start two weeks ago. That should help, but this is admittedly a gut pick. Worst case, the Falcons at least make this a field-goal game at home.

LOS ANGELES RAMS (-2.5) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS: CARDINALS 

I’d consider buying half a point here in case this is settled by a field goal, but I also believe the home team is simply better than the road team in this game. The Rams are overrated and should be an underdog in this spot.

NEW YORK GIANTS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (-10): SEAHAWKS 

If Daniel Jones were healthy and Jamal Adams and Shaquill Griffin were still out, I’d be all over the Giants in this spot. But Colt McCoy against a rejuvenated Seattle defense isn’t a good scene for New York. This should be a blowout for the home squad.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (-1) AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: PATRIOTS

You’re offering me basically a pick’em between Bill Belichick in a desperate spot for the Patriots and Anthony Lynn in a meaningless game for the Chargers? No-freaking-brainer, especially considering the lack of home-field advantage for Los Angeles.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (-8.5): EAGLES

I’m sure I’ll regret this but I like Miles Sanders against the Green Bay run defense, I’m wary of the Packers’ propensity for sudden dud performances and I’m concerned about Corey Linsley’s injury for Green Bay. This spread is simply too large as the Eagles fight for their lives.

DENVER BRONCOS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (-13.5): CHIEFS

The Chiefs have smashed the Broncos in each of their last three meetings and I’m not sure Denver will have much left in the tank for a prime-time meeting with Patrick Mahomes and Co. K.C. knows how to blow out weak opponents and is due for a one-sided win after cutting it close the last few weeks. I have a full breakdown of the Broncos Chiefs matchup over here.

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (-8.5): WASHINGTON

I’ll probably regret this NFC East pick, too, but Washington is operating on extra rest and Pittsburgh is coming off a short week due to COVID-19 issues. The WFT hasn’t lost by more than a field goal since Week 5, while the unbeaten Steelers have made a habit of cutting it close. Five of their 11 wins have come by five or fewer points. Throw in the loss of edge defender Bud Dupree and I’m all over Washington.

BUFFALO BILLS (-1) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: BILLS

The 49ers keep beating the Rams but are 0-5 with an average scoring margin of minus-14.2 points this season in matchups with every other team they’ve played that has a winning record. They’re still completely depleted by injuries and won’t even get to play this game in the Bay Area. Why the hell are the Bills laying merely one point? I’ll take that value.

DALLAS COWBOYS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (-7.5): RAVENS

You might want to await word on Lamar Jackson’s status here, but if you’re confident he’ll suit up against a Cowboys squad in brutal shape there’s definitely some line value at 7.5. Regardless, this is a must-win home game for Baltimore and it’s pretty hard to justify picking the Cowboys as a one-score underdog right now.