Week 13 Picks!

It is pretty simple for the Broncos with four games left. Take care of business at home and find a way to win two critical games on the road, and they will at least get a bye come playoff time. The home games are Buffalo and Oakland, and the road games are San Diego and Cincy. If Denver were to lose those two road games, then they could be in trouble of squandering a first round bye, but also the division. We all know about the tiebreaker with the Pats, but the Bengals or even the Colts could surpass them for a bye, and even the Chargers are still lurking in the division. As far as Sunday's games are concerned, if you are going to scoreboard watch, then root against Cincy against the Steelers, and root for the Browns to knock off the Colts. Also, it would be nice if the Cardinals beat the Chiefs. For the Pats-Chargers game on Sunday night, I don't think you can try to project the #1 seed just yet, so I guess we have to root for a Chargers loss, and then hope to knock them off next week in SD. Take care of the division first, then worry about the bye and home field.  Nothing is certain for Denver with four games to go. The Broncos have to keep winning and let everything else sort itself out.

Here are the picks for Week 13...

Last Week's Record: 6-10
Overall Record: 97-89-6
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

MIAMI (-3) over Baltimore: I see the Ravens losing this game, dropping to 7-6, and then winning out to finish at 10-6. Right now, I think Miami makes it at 10-6, but we know how the Dolphins tend to screw things up down the stretch.

Pittsburgh (+4) over CINCY: You really can't trust the Steelers this year at all. They are 7-5 and they have losses to the Jets, the Bucs, and last week's debacle to the Saints on their resume. I don't like this matchup for them, but I think we are due for a classic Andy Dalton stinkfest this week at home for the Bengals.

CLEVELAND (+4) over Indy: I liked the Colts all week, but I could see the Browns pulling the upset here. The Colts are 8-4, and they haven't beaten any of the really good teams on their schedule. At 7-5, the Browns provide a challenge here, and I just see a fired up Cleveland defense in front of their home crowd finding a way to make life a little miserable for Andrew Luck and the Colts offense on Sunday.

Houston (-4) over JACKSONVILLE: The Jags got their second win of the season last week over the Giants, so they will go back to their losing ways this week with the Texans coming to town. If Houston wins then they are 7-6 and lurking in the AFC Playoff picture.

TENNESSEE (PICK) over New York Giants: Worst game of the day. The Titans find a way to win their third game of the season, as the Giants and their fans prepare to usher the Tom Coughlin era out the door.

Carolina (+10) over NEW ORLEANS: The Saints will win this game, but it will be closer than the spread indicates. Can you really trust the Saints laying 10 to anyone this year? Although the Panthers are dreadful, you would think that they will give the Saints some type of game on Sunday.

Tampa Bay (+10) over DETROIT: The Lions will win, but look for the Bucs to put a scare in them. The Lions schedule is very friendly, and their Week 17 game at Green Bay could actually work out in their favor because the Packers might have everything locked up by then. If the Lions don't make the playoffs this year, then they might never make the playoffs ever again.

St. Louis (-3) over WASHINGTON: Take the Rams on the road over the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL-or maybe in all of sports. How do like the stories coming out of Washington everyday? How about Jay Gruden basically gift wrapping RG III out of Washington for next year? I still can't believe how far RG III has fallen off in just two years. If I was a team in need of a QB, I would try to trade for RG III. I still think he can be saved.

MINNESOTA (-5) over New York Jets: Take the Vikings at home over the second most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL-J E T S JETS JETS JETS!!!!!! How great are all the stories about Eric Decker's unhappiness in his first year in New York? His wife has gotten involved on social media, and there are even sources within the organization that are questioning why the Jets gave him big money to sign as a free agent. Did we not see this coming? What did Decker expect leaving Peyton Manning and the defending AFC Champions to sign with Geno Smith and the Jets? I love it. Also, I think Rex Ryan does television for a year before jumping back into the coaching pool. On the flipside, the Vikings are my sleeper pick for next year. I'm calling it already.

ARIZONA (PICK) over Kansas City: Just when everyone doubts the Cardinals, they come back to life.

San Francisco (-7) over OAKLAND: The 49ers are in disarray on offense and off the field right now, but they put it together and bury their crosstown rivals this week.

Seattle (+1) over PHILLY: Good matchup with plenty of playoff implications. It looks like Seattle's defense is clicking one again, and you have to believe they will do what it takes to shut down the Eagles just enough to take this one on the road.

New England (-3) over SAN DIEGO: The Pats simply don't lose two in a row, and they will play this game with a chip on their shoulder after last week's loss to the Packers. They will do what it takes to win this game on Sunday night.

GREEN BAY (-11) over Atlanta: Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are rolling to the #1 seed in the NFC, and the Falcons are just another victim in their path.

Buffalo (+10) over DENVER: This could be a tricky game for the Broncos. The Bills defense is for real, and the Broncos might not be able to run the ball like they did the last two weeks. It will be interesting to see if the Denver offensive line can hold up to the challenge that the Bills defensive line presents. I think Denver's defense will matchup well against Kyle Orton and the Bills offense. I see a low scoring game with the Bills giving Denver some real trouble in certain areas.

Final Score: Broncos-24 Bills-19