NFL Pro Football 2006 Week 13 Picks early games

NFL Pro Football 2006 Week 13 Picks

Fearless Rick's NFL Week 13 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | 11/29/06

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday and Monday night games.

Thursday, November 30

8:00 pm Baltimore at Cincinnati (-3, 43.5) - Excellent game which only about 40% of America will get to see thanks to the spat between the NFL owners (NFL Network) and cable giants like Time Warner. Billionaires battle over $$$ and fans lose. Sad, very sad.

The game may not have much meaning for the Ravens, as they hold a 3 game lead on the Bengals, but Baltimore may be eying a top seeding for the playoffs with their 9-2 record is tied for 2nd in the AFC with San Diego.

The Ravens won the first meeting, 26-20, at home and now must prove their mettle on the road. The Bengals will attack by land and air, though the Ravens defense is rock solid.

The Ravens are 3rd in scoring defense, the Bengals 4th in scoring offense, so this game really will turn on which unit gets the job done. With the Bengals in danger of being left out of the playoffs, they will pull out all stops for the win.

Prediction: Bengals 27 Ravens 21

Sunday, December 3

1:00 pm Arizona at St. Louis (-6.5, 46.5) - The Rams finally ended their 5-game losing streak with a win over San Fran last week, 20-17 and are still alive in the playoff hunt. What better time to get the worst team in the NFC on your home turf?

Arizona is searching for wins, draft choices, coaches and fans, and are simply playing out the string, getting Matt Leinart more playing time. Edggerin James has been a total bust and the Rams should roll over these patsies.

Prediction: Rams 35 Cardinals 17

1:00 pm Atlanta at Washington (-1.5. 38.5) - The Redskins shocked Carolina last week, winning at home, 17-13, but, at 4-7 are probably going to miss the post season. Atlanta isn't in much better shape now that they've dropped four straight and find themselves at 5-6. Both teams are struggling on both sides of the ball, but the difference maker has to be Michael Vick who needs some help from his receivers (they've dropped a games' worth of passes this season). If Atlanta can hold onto the ball, they can get back into the winning column and make a run at the playoffs.

A rare road win will do the Falcons a world of good.

Prediction: Falcons 20 Redskins 17

1:00 pm Detroit at New England (-13.5, 41.5) - Every bad team, like Detroit, for instance, needs to get their doors blown off every now and then, so here's a great place for that to happen. The Lions' worst loss this season was back in September, when the Bears clobbered them 34-7 in Chicago.

The Lions are still at the bottom of the league, while the Patriots are creeping closer to a playoff berth. Their most lopsided win was just two weeks ago at Green Bay - a 35-0 whitewash. Look for more of the same. The Pats have held opponents to 10 or less 4 times this season. This could make that 5.

Prediction: Patriots 28 Lions 10

1:00 pm Indianapolis (-7.5, 47.5) at Tennessee - The Titans have won 4 of their last 6, including last week's come-from-behind 24-21 win over the Giants. Vince Young is gaining experience and confidence weekly, but he's got a long way to go before people will compare him to Indy's Peyton Manning.

While the Colts can be victimized by the run game, their secondary is pretty good and should limit the Titans' scoring opportunities. These teams met back in October, in Indy, and the Colts escaped with a 14-13 win.

The Titans may not be able to keep up with Manning and Co., but due to some key injuries to the Colts, they should keep the score close.

Prediction: Colts 30 Titans 24

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1:00 pm Kansas City (-5, 36) at Cleveland - The Chiefs improved their playoff hopes by knocking off Denver on Thanksgiving, 19-10 and have gotten their defense together over the past four weeks. That's bad news for the punchless Browns, who are averaging only 15.5 points per game - 30th in the league. Cleveland was blown out by Cincy last week, 30-0, and appear headed for another big loss here.

Prediction: Chiefs 28 Browns 14

1:00 pm Minnesota at Chicago (-9.5, 36) - The Bears haven't been playing great, but their defense continues to win games and they still hold a two-game lead in the NFC at 9-2.

The Vikings high preseason hopes have been hampered by a sputtering offense which is recording only 18 points per game. Their defense is solid, however, and they should be able to hang in against their NFC North opponent.

Back in September, the Vikes had the Bears on the ropes, but lost 19-16 on a couple of key 4th quarter plays. This looks to be a similar low-scoring affair, but the Vikings will be hard-pressed to get a December win in Chicago.

Prediction: Bears 17 Vikings 13

1:00 pm NY Jets (-2, 42.5) at Green Bay - The Jets have done everything right this season and can make a playoff run if they win in Green Bay. After this game, they play Buffalo, Minnesota, Miami and Oakland remaining, all games the Jets can win. If they do that, they'll finish at 11-5, a record deserving of a playoff spot.

The 4-7 Packers cannot afford another loss, though they are 1-4 at Lambeau this season, their only win coming against the lowly Cardinals. The Packers have struggled all season, and the Jets are playing well enough to win this handily.

Prediction: Jets 24 Packers 14

1:00 pm San Diego (-6, 43.5) at Buffalo - The Chargers have won five in a row but their streak is in jeopardy against the surging Bills, who have found an identity and have won 3 of their last 4.

Buffalo was impressive at home last week, besting the Jaguars 27-24 and improving to 5-6. In his first game back from a rib injury, RB Willis McGahee was a one-man wrecking crew in the red zone, scoring twice and gaining 63 yards on just 12 carries. He'll get more touches this week. JP Losman has cut down on his turnovers as well, another positive for Buffalo.

Of course, the Bills defense will have to deal with LT, Philip Rivers and the Chargers' potent offense, but the cold and possibly snow may slow down the Bolts a bit.

Both of these teams are playing with plenty of confidence, but the Bills know they can make a big statement with a win here. It may take a Herculean effort and maybe some trickery, but the Bills will hold at home.

Prediction: Bills 23 Chargers 21

1:00 pm San Francisco at New Orleans (-7, 45) - The Saints should win this one with relative ease as the 49ers fantasy ends. New Orleans simply has too many offensive weapons for San Fran to handle and if their defense shows up, it could be lights out early on in the Superdome.

Prediction: Saints 31 49ers 14

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday and Monday night games

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