NFL Week 13 Picks– Super Bowl Champions Rise In Wake of Titan’s Loss
With the Chargers, Panthers, Dolphins, Broncos and Browns all losing this past weekend, the playoff picture is starting gain some clarity. And it’s about damn time! Do you know how erratic this list has been all season? It’s about time that we had some definitive contenders on the road to Superbowl XLIII.
Before we get to the Furious Seven, there are some things you need to understand. The Giants get the top billing because they’re undefeated against their division. Same goes for Tampa Bay, which has the best conference record at 7-2 SU in the NFC South, while boasting the best division record with a 2-1 SU record. The division and conference records serve as the tie-breakers when it comes to teams entering the big dance at the end of the season.
1. New York Giants (10-1)
The Giants get the nod because they haven’t lost to their own conference yet. Eli Manning has averaged 6.88 yards per pass this season, while lofting up 18 touchdowns and shredding any secondary that stands in his way. He’s a long time gone from the days of the “Eli Pouty Face” and is now one of the elite quarterbacks in the league.
The loss of Brandon Jacobs is alarming, but the Giants simply leaned on their defense in times of need while dismantling the Cardinals. They’ll have a stiff challenge against the Redskins’ defense this weekend, but the Giants are well on their way to clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Is that necessarily a good thing considering that they won the Superbowl in four consecutive road games last year?
Next Matchup: NYG -3 vs. Washington
2. Tennessee Titans (10-1)
It was bound to happen. When you are consistently grinding out victories, you’re destined to give up one blowout game. The funny thing about this loss is that it’s just what the Titans may have needed. Now the pressure of perfection is off their shoulders and they can focus on taking care of the horrific Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
Tennessee’s defense, while giving up an absurd amount of point up to Leon Washington and the Jets are still ranked second in the league in points against (15.0) and have the best road passing defense with only 155.2 pass yards against per game on the road. Have fun, Daunte!
Next Matchup: Tennessee -11 vs. Detroit
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3)
Steeler Nation got a massive lift last week after they destroyed Cincinnati in some brutal weather 27-10. With Roethlisberger finally getting Willie Parker back in the fold with fourteen touches for 37 yards. It’s not the best production ever, but Parker is an integral part of this team’s balanced offensive attack. Again, the case for Pittsburgh will always be made because of their outstanding defense, which allows a league best 14.6 points against. They’ll get their stiffest test to date when they face the 400-yard man himself, Matt Cassell and the New England Patriots.
Next Matchup: Pittsburgh vs. New England -1
4. New York Jets (8-3)
Ok, I’ll bite. Between a quarterback like Brett Favre, a bulldozer like Thomas Jones and a breakaway threat in Leon Washington, the Jets have landed, baby. There was a rampant fever surrounding this team heading in to the season, but being the squad that took down the Mighty Titans has delivered the street cred, and betting credence, the Jets have felt they have deserved. It’s a mighty good thing that Favre had to brave the Wisconsin winters now that mother nature has turned in to a cold, hard bitch with the snowfall arriving early this year. The Jets are balanced, confident and 7-4 ATS on the season. Two weeks ago they vanquished the Patriots. This week they toppled the Titans. Now they get to put the Broncos out to pasture.
Next Matchup: Denver vs. NYJ -7
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3)
The Bucs are your official “under the radar” team of 2008. Responding to the dismal loss to Dallas a month ago, the Bucs have ripped off three wins. Granted, they’ve been against KC, Minnesota and now Detroit, but wins are wins. For the easy-schedule Bucs, they’ve made the most of it. The good fortune for the Bucs is two-fold. They lost Earnest Graham but got back the guy he replaced as Cadillac returned this past weekend. It’ll take some time before Caddy gets his confidence back. The other part of their good fortune has to do with Carolina sputtering in to the dirt with Jake Delhomme’s elbow falling off and the Saints getting off to another pitiful start. Well guess who’s on the table this week? That’s right – Drew Brees and the Saints. Let’s see how good this Tampa Cover-2 really is…
Next Matchup: New Orleans vs. Tampa -3.5
6. Indianapolis Colts (7-4)
The Colts are damn lucky that the rest of the AFC is burning down to the ground. With a tight win over the Chargers, the Colts have thrust themselves in to the Wildcard picture. Peyton Manning has returned to being himself, and with that the running game has once again opened up. Addai put up 70 effective rushing yards and Manning had five receivers with 5+ catches each on the weekend. The surprising part? Reggie Wayne only had two catches.
Next Matchup: Indianapolis -4 vs. Cleveland
7. Dallas Cowboys (7-4)
Yep, those Cowboys. Tony Romo threw for 341 yards against San Francisco, nothing three touchdowns. Terrell Owens counted for 213 of those yards as the high-flying Cowboys offense returned to form to crush their long-time foes, the 49ers. Dallas has to run the table to secure a spot with teams like Atlanta, Arizona, Washington, Minnesota and Chicago all in the mix to notch a playoff spot. The Cowboys were our favorites for the NFC heading in to the season, so they get the nod. But that defense has to get it’s act together before we take them seriously as a solid sports betting play again.
Next Matchup: Seattle vs. Dallas -12.5
