Tim Ajmani
The Corsair
Thanksgiving Day football provided us with a lot of drama, both good and bad. The Packers victory over the Lions was overshadowed by the remarkably immature and questionable actions of Ndamukong Suh. Suh forced a Packer offensive lineman’s head into the ground and stamped on his shoulder. He was suspended two games by the NFL this Monday. The showdown between the 49ers and Ravens played out predictably as a hard-fought defensive battle, with Baltimore coming out with a win.
Overall, I had a pretty good week picking games. I missed on my upset pick because Tom Brady destroyed the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary with a great passing performance. For the week, I went 11-5 in my picks. However, there are many tricky games to pick in Week 13 of the NFL season. Without further ado, here are my picks for this week…
Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) @ Seattle Seahawks (4-7) – Thursday 7:20 CT
The pick: Eagles 27, Seahawks 24
Atlanta Falcons (7-4) @ Houston Texans (8-3) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Falcons 21, Texans 17
Tennessee Titans (6-5) @ Buffalo Bills (5-6) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Bills 28, Titans 20
Kansas City Chiefs (4-7) @ Chicago Bears (7-4) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Bears 23, Chiefs 6
Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Steelers 31, Bengals 20
Denver Broncos (6-5) @ Minnesota Vikings (2-9) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Broncos 24, Vikings 14
Indianapolis Colts (0-11) @ New England Patriots (8-3) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Patriots 41, Colts 10
New York Jets (6-5) @ Washington Redskins (4-7) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Jets 27, Redskins 17
Carolina Panthers (3-8) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) – Sunday 12:00 CT
The pick: Buccaneers 28, Panthers 21
Baltimore Ravens (8-3) @ Cleveland Browns (4-7) – Sunday 3:05 CT
The pick: Ravens 35, Browns 13
Dallas Cowboys (7-4) @ Arizona Cardinals (4-7) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: Cowboys 31, Cardinals 14
St. Louis Rams (2-9) @ San Francisco 49ers (9-2) – Sunday 3:15 CT
The pick: 49ers 27, Rams 10
Detroit Lions (7-4) @ New Orleans Saints (8-3) – Sunday 7:20 CT
The pick: Saints 34, Lions 24
San Diego Chargers (4-7) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8) – Monday 7:30 CT
The pick: Chargers 28, Jaguars 16
My Upset Pick:
Oakland Raiders (7-4) @ Miami Dolphins (3-8) – Sunday 12:00 CT
Oakland is flying sky high with a three game winning streak. They are in first place in the AFC West division, one game ahead of the Denver Broncos. Oakland has been impressive on the road this season, but they still have penalty problems. Miami fought hard against Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, and despite the loss, is playing the best football of its season. Matt Moore has been one of the more impressive quarterbacks in the AFC over the last month. On Sunday, I look for the Raiders to come out flat in the first half, attempt a second half rally, and fall just short…
The pick: Dolphins 24, Raiders 21
Game of the Week:
Green Bay Packers (11-0) @ New York Giants (6-5) – Sunday 3:15 CT
More and more NFL analysts are boarding the “Packers-finish-undefeated” bandwagon. There isn’t much of a case against them. Green Bay is playing lights out offensively, and their defense is starting to show signs of them getting back to their Super Bowl level of last year. The Giants had a tough Monday night game against New Orleans. Despite Eli Manning throwing for over 400 yards, the Giants struggled to put any pressure on Drew Brees and the Saints offense. The Giants have lost three straight games, and a fourth would be highly damaging to their playoff chances. I expect the Giants to come out fired up, and give the Packers all they can handle, but it won’t be enough…
The pick: Packers 38, Giants 24
On the season:
Overall picks: 11-5
Upset picks: 0-1