NFL Week 13 picks

Record ATS:
Overall: 9-7
Best Picks: 4-2
Other Picks: 5-5

Best Picks:

Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Jacksonville is a team on the rise and Indy is a team whose offence is a little bit overrated at the moment. Marvin Harrison is not what he used to be and this should allow the Jaguars to key on Reggie Wayne and push Peyton Manning to try and force the ball. This could result in some interceptions for the Jaguars defence. On offence, Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard has been good all year and with a big performance against the Colts could start getting some recognition as one of the NFL's best at his position. These are two of the top three teams in the AFC and should be a tough game. Don't expect the Colts to run away with it.
Take Jacksonville +6.5

San Diego -6 at Kansas City Chiefs

Brodie Croyle's available for this game is in question and that means the Chiefs might start Damon Huard in this one. It shouldn't matter much though because the Chargers have twice as much talent as K.C. and should beat them easily even on the road. Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers got some confidence back against the Ravens last week and should have another good day throwing the ball. The Chiefs are poorly coached and can't score points. That's a bad combination against this San Diego team.
Take San Diego -6

San Francisco at Carolina -2.5

Carolina should not be favourite against anyone and may be the worst team in the league at this point of the season. With either David Carr or Vinny Testaverde at quarterback, I honestly don't know how they expect to score points against anyone. Trent Dilfer and Frank Gore both looked good in a win over the Cardinals last week and expect them to extend their winning streak to two games in Carolina on Sunday.
Take San Francisco +2.5

Cleveland at Arizona pk

The Browns are 7-4 and have the talent to make the playoffs, while the Cardinals lost a home game to the 49ers last week. Look for the Browns defence to force the Warner-led Cards into some turnovers and for Derek Anderson to continue to put up big numbers. This game should be an easy win for the Browns, as Arizona will be playing without their top defender in safety Adrian Wilson. Make some money off of this one.
Take Cleveland pk

Denver -3.5 at Oakland

Denver's loss against the Bears last week was agonizing to say the least, but I'm backing them again anyways on the road against the Raiders. Jay Cutler is passing the ball well and with weapons like Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall at his disposal, should have no problem running up the score on a Raiders defence that is average at best. The Broncos will make sure that their defence can't blow this one.
Take Denver -3.5

Tampa Bay at New Orleans -3

Jeff Garcia isn't healthy and the Bucs cannot continue to win without him being close to 100 percent. New Orleans has won five of their last seven and should be able to throw the ball at home against Tampa Bay.
Take New Orleans -3

New York Giants -1.5 at Chicago

The Giants need to forget about their awful performance last week against the Vikings and get back to how they were playing earlier in the year. Chicago's defence has looked average for most of the year, but looked better last week in a win over Denver. When gambling, never read too much into one week.
Take New York -1.5

Other Picks:

Atlanta at St. Louis -3

St. Louis' offence should have no trouble scoring on Atlanta's defence, but must stay away from DeAngelo Hall. Look for Stephen Jackson to have a big day for the Rams, while St. Louis' defence looked improved last week against the Seahawks.
Take St. Louis -3

Buffalo at Washington -5.5

The Redskins will be playing this game for Sean Taylor so look for a huge effort from them at home. Buffalo is making the right move by going back to rookie quarterback Trent Edwards, but he faces a tough task trying to score on an inspired Washington defence and will likely be without his top offensive weapon, Marshawn Lynch.
Take Washington -5.5

Detroit at Minnesota -4

The Vikings could sneak into a wild card position if they run the table and star rookie running back Adrian Peterson will be making his return this week. This game will come down to how much time Minnesota gives Kitna to throw the ball. If Kitna has time, it could be a long day for the Vikings secondary. However, Detroit's offensive line has looked terrible and this game should turn into a sackfest for the Vikings defence. Minnesota should have no trouble running on Detroit's defence and if Tarvaris Jackson can play a half-decent game, covering this spread won't be a problem.
Take Minnesota -4

Houston at Tennessee -3.5

Tennessee's defence has struggled mightily without defensive MVP candidate Albert Haynesworth, but look for the defensive tackle to return to action in this game. This means Houston will have to pass if they plan on staying in this game and if they can figure that out, Matt Schaub could have a big day against the Titans secondary. Take the points in a game that could easily be won by either team.
Take Houston +3.5

New York Jets at Miami -1

This should be a tough game that goes down to the wire, but I just have that feeling it's time for Miami to finally win. In a matchup of two terrible teams, look for the home side to edge out the Jets.
Take Miami -1

Seattle at Philadelphia -3

Seattle just doesn't play well on the road and needed a second half comeback to beat the Rams last week. The Eagles can either look great or terrible, but if forced to wager on this game, I prefer to side with the home team after an inspiring performance against the Patriots last week.
Take Philadelphia -3

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh -7

This game features two teams who seem to be going in opposite directions in recent weeks. The Steelers lost to the Jets two weeks ago and then barely squeaked by the winless Dolphins at home by a score of 3-0 in what has got to have been the ugliest game of the year so far. The Bengals have won two of their last three, including a 35-6 victory over the Titans last week. Chad Johnson predicted that Cincy would run the table to finish the year and their recent play has gotten people talking about whether this might actually happen. While I don't buy into the hype on either front, the fact that the Steelers will likely be without wide receiver Santonio Holmes and safety Troy Polamalu make taking the points more attractive then giving them. Holmes is Roethlisberger's main deep threat and stretches opposing defences, while Polamalu is the Steelers best player on defence.
Take Cincinnati +7

New England -20 at Baltimore

Make no mistake about it, the Ravens are one of the worst teams in the league right now. New England will be fired up to show the world that their close game against the Eagles last Sunday night was an anomaly and should embarass the Ravens in their own backyard on Monday Night Football.
Take New England -20