NFL 2022 Week 13 Prequel
Thursday, December 1, 2022, 8pm
Buffalo Bills (-5 1/2) at New England Patriots — With these AFC rivals, anything is possible especially in cold or bad weather. Josh Allen is better than Mac Jones, but Raimondre Stevenson provides balance. Both defenses are more than competent. The spread is too high for a road team that is facing Bill Belichick and his ability to slow games down to a crawl. Bills win but fail to cover
Sunday, December 4, 1pm
Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons (-1 1/2) — Neither of these teams are playing good football. Marcus Mariota at this point is better than Kenny Pickett. Cordarelle Patterson is a game-breaker. Falcons cover
Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens (-8) — The Broncos are a mess while the 7-4 Ravens have blown fourth quarter leads in all of their losses. The Broncos have a very good defense and an anemic offense. The Ravens do not put teams away and the Broncos losses are one-sore games. The spread is too high given those variables. Ravens win but fail to cover
Green Bay Packers (-2 1/2) at Chicago Bears — Last year Aaron Rodgers screamed that he owned the Bears. If ever there was a year to revoke that claim, this would be it. Rodgers is injured, the Packers are down, and Justin Fields has improved. However, the Bears are not very good either. Despite having bad ribs, Rodgers is determined to play. If this is his swan song in Green Bay, he will find a way to gut out a win over the team he loves to hate. Packers cover
Jacksonville Jaguars at Detroit Lions (-1) — The Jaguars just got a huge emotional home win over Baltimore with a gutty two point conversion. The Lions offense rolls but their defense reels. The Jaguars may not have a letdown, but Jared Goff is playing well enough in recent weeks to get the job done at home. Lions cover
Cleveland Browns (-7) at Houston Texans — The Texans are the worst team in the NFL, but the Browns are an uneven team. The high spread is due to the fact that after two years out of football, DeShaun Watson finally returns to the field. Watson will have extra motivation facing the team that benched him. Yet as talented as Watson is, there will have to be some rust. Browns win but fail to cover. Also, the Texans blame the Watson debacle for their decline, giving them incentive as well. Browns win but fail to cover
New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings (-3) — The Jets are a good team, but the Vikings are a better team. Outside of one miserable game a couple of weeks ago, the Vikings have been a well-oiled machine on offense. The Jets have a good defense, but at home trust Kirk Cousins finding Justin Jefferson and handing the ball to Dalvin Cook. Vikings cover
Washington Commanders (-1 1/2) at New York Giants — The Giants got off to a strong start but have regressed in the last couple of weeks. The Commanders have gone 6-1 since their 1-4 start. The Commanders defense is shaping up in the image of Ron Rivera and Taylor Heinecke has been more than competent. Daniel Jones can be pressured into mistakes. Go with the hot team. Commanders cover
Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles (-5 1/2) — The Titans suffered another gut punch home loss to Cincinnati. The Eagles are 10-1 but have had close games the last three weeks. If Jalen Hurts can get the Eagles out to an early lead, it may take Derrick Henry out of the game and force Ryan Tannehill to try and beat them. The Titans know how to grind a game in the trenches and keep things close. Eagles win but fail to cover
4pm
Seattle Seahawks (-5 1/2) at Los Angeles Rams — Despite a stunning home loss to the Raiders, the Seahawks still put 34 points on the board. Geno Smith is playing well and has plenty of weapons to choose from. The Rams are an injured mess. Matthew Stafford is out again. Aaron Donald is missing the first NFL in his storied career. Sean McVay is even considering shutting down his top players on both sides of the ball as the season winds down. While these are not the same Rams, McVay and Pete Carroll know each other well and make for a great chess match rather than a blowout. Seahawks win but fail to cover
Miami Dolphins at San Francisco 49ers (-3 1/2) — Tua Tagovailoa and Jimmy Garoppolo both experienced some vindication this year. They both have weapons to spread the ball around. They both have good defenses. This makes for a close game that could come down to the final play. 49ers win but fail to cover
Kansas City Chiefs (-2 1/2) at Cincinnati Bengals — This AFC Title Game rematch has been anticipated since the Bengals stunned the Chiefs in overtime at Arrowhead to advance to the Super Bowl. The Bengals are coming off of a huge emotional win at Tennessee. Patrick Mahomes has more healthy weapons right now the Joe Burrow. The Bengals defense is still tough but betting against Walrus Andy Reid and Mahomes is often unwise. Expect Reid to pull out all the stops. Chiefs cover
Los Angeles Chargers (-2) at Las Vegas Raiders — The Raiders have won two straight games, both in overtime. The Chargers won at Arizona last week when Brandon Staley opted for a two point conversion with only seconds remaining. The Chargers tend to underachieve. Justin Herbert can sling it, but Derek Carr has been superb thanks to significant help from battering ram Josh Jacobs. Jacobs had 303 all-purpose yards last week. The Chargers defense is great on paper but underperforms. Khalil Mack will try to greet Carr early and often, but if Josh McDaniels sticks with Jacobs, the Raiders can win. Upset special, Raiders win outright
8pm
Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys (-9 1/2) — Matt Ryan has taken a beating. Jonathan Taylor has not been himself. Dak Prescott has Tony pollard and Ezekiel Elliott as well as wide receivers who stretch the field. The spread is high, but the Colts offense is too anemic and the Cowboys offense too potent to ignore the mismatch. Cowboys cover
Monday, December 5, 2022, 8pm
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4) — The Buccaneers were on the verge of finding their footing until stumbling last week against Cleveland. The Saints got blanked at San Francisco, but their defense only gave up 13 points. Dennis Allen was interim coach for the Saints when they shut down and shut out Tom Brady in Tampa 9-0. The Buccaneers are the better team, but the Saints defense always gears up for Brady. He is burning for revenge, and the Saints offense is not what it used to be. Buccaneers win but fail to cover