Week 13 NFL Picks: Titans Beat Browns, Cardinals Bounce Back Against Rams

Will Ragatz's prediction for every game in the NFL Week 13 slate.

Another unusual, COVID-affected week of football is upon us in the NFL. There was no Thursday night game this week, but there are 12 games on Sunday, two on Monday, and one on Tuesday. Adding to the intrigue is that the calendar has turned to December and we're in the heat of the playoff race. Browns-Titans and Cardinals-Rams have major postseason stakes, and almost every game involves one team that's at least in the hunt.

Let's get to my picks.

Note: home teams in BOLD. Record last week: 10-4

Noon games

Saints over FALCONS

I was tempted to make this an upset special since the Falcons have won four of their last six and blew out the Raiders last week, but I think the Saints are a tough matchup for them (The Saints won 24-9 when these teams met just two weeks ago). Taysom Hill should be able to do enough to get the win, especially with Todd Gurley and Julio Jones both questionable for the Falcons.

BEARS over Lions

Mitch Trubisky won't have to do all that much on offense to outscore a Lions team missing Kenny Golladay and possible D'Andre Swift. The Bears' defense should be in for a bounce-back week after being shredded by the Packers.

TEXANS over Colts

The Texans might be just 4-7, but Deshaun Watson is playing like a top-5 quarterback and their only loss in the last four games came during a monsoon. Watson will keep rolling against the Colts.

DOLPHINS over Bengals

Whether it's Tua Tagovailoa or Ryan Fitzpatrick starting at QB, the Dolphins won't have much trouble against Brandon Allen and the Bengals. Brian Flores's defense will feast.

VIKINGS over Jaguars

On paper, the Vikings are much better than the Jaguars and could win by a lot. But they've only blown one team out all year and that was the Lions, who are so bad they fired their coach not long after. Plus, Jacksonville hung with the Packers and Browns in recent weeks before ultimately losing. I think they can keep things close by getting a solid game from Mike Glennon and leaning heavily on James Robinson, but the Vikings shouldn't have much trouble putting up points. It's also a must-win game for the Vikings, so they won't take it lightly.

Raiders over JETS

If the Jets are going to win a game this year, now would be a good time to do it. The Raiders are without Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram and just got destroyed by the Falcons last week. I can see this being close, but...I just can't bring myself to pick the 0-11 team here.

TITANS over Browns

The Titans are hitting their stride again after losing three of four, looking impressive in wins over the Ravens and Colts. With Derrick Henry gashing opponent and A.J. Brown making big plays every week, this is an outstanding offense. I bet they keep rolling against Baker Mayfield and the Browns.

Late afternoon games

CARDINALS over Rams

This a huge one for both of these teams as well as the Vikings, who are just one game back of the Cardinals in the NFC wild card race. Kyler Murray has been slowed by a shoulder injury the past couple weeks, and it'll be tough for him to bounce back against this elite Rams defense. But I think he'll do it anyways. That's how good Murray has been this year. I trust him more than I do Jared Goff.

SEAHAWKS over Giants

The Giants have quietly won three games in a row. However, those wins came against the Washington Football Team, the Eagles, and the Bengals. The Seahawks present a slightly more daunting task, and Russell Wilson is going to put an end to that winning streak.

PACKERS over Eagles

This is another mismatch. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' offense are on fire right now. Carson Wentz and the Eagles, not so much.

Patriots over CHARGERS

This is a tough one to call. The Chargers have a more explosive offense behind Justin Herbert, but they haven't been able to close out games this year. I'll take the Patriots to keep this one low-scoring and pull it out in the end like they did against the Cardinals and Ravens in recent weeks.

Sunday Night Football

CHIEFS over Broncos

I'm not entirely the Chiefs aren't just going to roll to their second straight Super Bowl victory this year. They look pretty unstoppable on offense with Patrick Mahomes leading the way. Kansas City certainly isn't going to lose to this Broncos team, even though they actually have a quarterback this week.

Monday Afternoon

STEELERS over Washington Football Team

The Steelers are knocking on the door of an undefeated season. They've still got a few tests remaining with games against the Bills, Colts, and Browns, but I doubt they slip up this week against Washington.

Monday Night Football

Bills over 49ERS

I can see the 49ers keeping this game close and maybe even pulling off the upset like they did last week against the Rams. I just think the Bills have more firepower on offense and will get the job done on MNF.

Tuesday Night Football

RAVENS over Cowboys

Lamar Jackson should be back for this one, and that's all the Ravens need to take care of the Cowboys. Their defense should frustrate Andy Dalton and complete a winless Week 13 for the NFC East.

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