NFL Week 13 game picks Packers top Patriots Broncos prevail
It’s . Time to pick between cranberries (thumbs down) and stuffing (thumbs up). It’s also time to pick some games, and thus I present you with the Week 13 picks below.Before we get to that, we have a little accounting to do. This Power Rankings tweet came acro s from :ICYMI: The remain atop ‘s latest Power Rankings NFL (@NFL) First off, “Movember” ends Monday. And on the topic of hair, are those numbers on his chest, or gro s squiggly chest fur? Oh, and he should really lower his weight and increase his reps — he’s getting a little boxy. The ladies like the shredded look, like a . I do recommend the onesie he’s sporting, however.I also recommend watching the , whom our NFL Hans is clearly pushing skyward. They deserve it, and I think that trend continues Sunday. For my explanation of that notion — and analysis on the other 15 contests — take a look below. And, as always, feel free to share your take … is the place.Elliot Harrison went 12-3 on , giving him a record of 116-59-1 so far this season. How will he fare in Week 13? His picks are below. win, barring seriously strange circumstances, or going OFF. You know, this game would have been awesome on the schedule in 2012. Until , this was to be only the seventh QB matchup since the AFL-NFL common draft in 1967 in which the first overall pick faced the second overall pick. And just like vs. , none of them has been particularly enticing. Jim Plunkett faced Archie Manning three times, but not in a year when both were good. Ryan Leaf vs. reeks of, well, vs. Luck. And then there was Rick Mirer vs. Drew Bledsoe — presented without further comment. No matter: All that is irrelevant, as we now get , whom most feel gives the the best shot of winning right now. hasn’t posted a selfie on Instagram or LinkedIn since when these two clubs met in . Watt aside, Jake Odorizzi Jersey Tenne see could not stop in their most recent matchup. Foster had 173 yards of offense with three total touchdowns that day. And he’s rushed for at least one score in five straight games against Tenne see. He is expected to play Sunday. OK, back to Watt: He has 10 sacks in seven career games against these guys. Is better than ? What do you guys think? ( ) Who is more likely to start in 2015? Over the last five games, Hoyer has been a hair better than Charlie Frye but short of Kelly Holcomb. By the way, did you know this is a matchup of the two teams with the longest current playoff droughts? Holcomb darn near led Cleveland to a win in a 2002 AFC Wild Card Game. What a battle that was. Cookies n’ Cream, this is a hard game to pick. Dad-gummit, I’m taking the at home. While having back is certainly a boost for the Bolts, Baltimore has . Speaking of the ground game — and in case you mi sed it in the , or you only read your team’s blurb (shame on you) — shares the company of and as the only players to have at least 65 scrimmage yards in every game this season. I wanted to go 10, Jags 8, but factoring in the high propensity for a pick six … (pi/6) x (8^45 x 97) + Bortles = G-Men on top 26-14. Eli is part of that equation somewhere. Also worth noting: This is the – REVENGE Bowl. Is that the narrative for this, uh, stellar matchup? Jennings is healthy now and Jacksonville features the 28th-best run defense in the league. Coughlin has returned to Jacksonville only once (back in 2006) since his departure after the 2002 season. The had just 25 yards rushing that day. “John Henderson and Marcus Stroud aren’t walking through those doors.” — the fake Rick Pitino. Cincinnati is firing on all cylinders right now, particularly its defense, which doesn’t seem to mi s . In yet another player-versus-former-squad game (there are several this Blake Parker Jersey weekend), we have Johnson, who’s been a disappointment in Tampa, in his first game against the . I don’t have insider knowledge within the Bucs’ front office, but I’m gue sing Tampa’s bra s anticipated getting more than 18 tackles and three sacks after shelling out $8 million per year for the defensive lineman. running back has the most rushing yards (448) in the NFL this November. This is the We-both-played-in-LA-20-years-ago-and-left-for-money-and-we-might-come-back-and-try-to-make-more Bowl. Coming off the , the are looking to take back-to-back games for the first time since October of 2012. More hyphenation: The oft-pesky have 21 sacks in their last six games, after recording only one in their first five. (In case you’re wondering, the origin of the hyphen is thought to date back to 1455 Germany.) This game might come down to how effectively the protect , who is getting sacked only once per game. I like Pittsburgh here. The NFC South is 1-10-1 versus the AFC North this season. The two non-lo ses: , when mi sed a 36-yard field goal that would have won the game, and , thanks to a with just seven seconds remaining. Other than that, the NFC South has fared worse than Andrew Dice Clay at Lilith Fair. Just go to and watch the second half of . Also worth noting that has won six straight games coming off a bye. Yep, we’re going with some unusual scores this week. I still remember when Carolina played at Minnesota to open the 2001 season. A relatively unknown rookie named took the opening kickoff back to the house. Meanwhile, the known rookie — Chris Weinke — led Carolina to its only win all season. He was before was cool. Fast-forward to today, and rookie quarterback is trying to keep his team competitive. Did you know that, after not throwing a single touchdown pa s in his first three games, Bridgewater has to sed one in each of his last five starts? With as coach, Arizona is 6-1 following a lo s. That is definitely a product of his leadership and his wicked collection of newspaper-boy hats. Unle s the can Jason Castro Jersey somehow muster a run game against this group, I don’t trust at home enough against a team that has continually won against all odds. That said, and are going to have to ball out. Hey, here’s all you need to know regarding this game: The are 4-7 this season — 4-0 against their division and 0-7 versus everybody else. The game of the week features the in the NFL. It also features the most combined career touchdown pa ses (603) between two starting quarterbacks playing against each other for the first time. And here’s another impre sive stat: Rodgers has thrown 29 touchdown pa ses at home since his last interception. The key to me is for the Pack to attack the on the ground. ‘s 25 carries represented the first time he’s received more than 17 totes all season. Also, keep in mind that will probably be a signed to , while will get some help with . It’s a formula that means this contest might be a little more about the running games, and slightly le s about the famous quarterbacks. Since arriving in Denver in 2012, is 5-0 versus the . He’s also 10-1 lifetime. Oh, and he’s beaten Kansas City twice in the playoffs. Eddie Rosario Jersey That said, this is a very difficult game to pick for three major reasons: **A)** The played Denver tough on the road earlier this year. It was . **B)** You know Kansas City’s players, coaches and everyone else right down to the cleaning staff will want to win this game . **C)** Berry is also quite integral to what the do defensively. This might be an evening in which the loud crowd and a dash of do just enough to pull off an all-important division win, though I’m leaning the other way with my pick. This is Miami’s chance to remain relevant in December (and potentially in January, too). The is loaded, but the and are playing each other … the are battling the … and the host the . However those games play out, three teams the are competing with for a wild-card spot will suffer a lo s. Thus, consider this meeting with a reeling team an opportunity from the Football Gods that Miami must capitalize on. Now, maybe can have a 100-plus pa ser rating in this one. Of course, he’s only done that once in his short career, and it was against the ‘ defense. (So it doesn’t really count.) Going to the Josh Donaldson Jersey other side of the ball, will find the going tough against a stout run defense, so this might be a game in which needs to create plays … ALREADY COMPLETED Did you know the first time the played on Day was 80 years ago? It was 1934, and they played … you gue sed it, the . The won 19-16 despite two Ace Gutowsky touchdowns for Detroit. Unfortunately, Gutowsky did not get $47.6 million guaranteed to be a middling quarterback. He was a running back, but we’re making a subtle point. Speaking of, I really wanted to pick the to win this game, but they’d need to have a huge day. Don’t see it happening against the league’s . ALREADY COMPLETED is really @#%*$^& good on . He’s 6-1 with 18 touchdowns against just six interceptions. Only Dandy Don Meredith was better by winning percentage, having won all three of his contests. The can ill afford turning the ball over in this game. With the way the limit po se sions by running the football, Philly simply won’t have opportunities to overcome multiple mistakes. Dallas ranks fifth in the league in time of po se sion and opponents’ total po se sions. ALREADY COMPLETED The last time Seattle won at San Francisco, was a redshirt freshman at N.C. State. The quarterback was Seneca Wallace. In fact, the were so banged up at WR during that 2008 season, Wallace played wideout briefly before he got hurt. Those were the final days of the Holmgren empire. The handled their in one of the better games of 2013, and beat the when nobody could hold on to Wilson’s pa ses. Wilson will not be able to run all over the field in this one. Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter .