RJ's NFL Picks, Week Thirteen
Written by RJ Elliot   
Thursday, 29 November 2007

I went 10-6 last week. That puts me at 111-65 for the season. For a comparison, check out the "experts" over at ESPN. Here are my picks for the NFL's Week 13: 

*Thursday, November 29, 2007*

RJ'S GAME OF THE WEEK THAT YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SEE BECAUSE IT'S ON THE NFL NETWORK, WHICH OUGHT TO REALLY GRIND YOUR GEARS: Green Bay 10-1 at Dallas 10-1 - 8:15 pm (Sheridan's line: Dallas by 7)

Dallas has won five in a row, and Green Bay has won six straight. The Cowboys are 5-1 at home, and the Packers are 5-0 on the road. The winner of this matchup will almost certainly wind up with home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The loser will have to console themselves with a playoff bye and a Divisional Round home game. I think it'll be close.

RJ's Pick - Dallas by 3

*Sunday, December 2, 2007*

Atlanta 3-8 at Saint Louis 2-9 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: No line)

This one is a real yawner. The Rams have been playing pretty well since their bye week, so I predict they'll get the win here.

RJ's Pick - Saint Louis by 7

Buffalo 5-6 at Washington 5-6 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: Washington by 6)

After having clawed their way back into the playoff hunt, the Bills have been humiliated in their last two outings. Meanwhile, the Redskins have lost three straight, and now one of their star defensive backs, Sean Taylor, has been murdered. (Apparently - and this was news to me - a severed femoral artery isn't the kind of injury you can just walk off.) This has been a tragic season for both teams, with Bills TE Kevin Everett having suffered a severe neck injury in the opening week. Anyway, this one could go either way, but I like the upset.

RJ's Pick - Buffalo by 1

Detroit 6-5 at Minnesota 5-6 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: Minnesota by 3)

The Lions have lost three in a row, yet would still make the playoffs if the season ended today. (You gotta love the NFC!) The Vikings have won two in a row, and rookie running back/superhero Adrian Peterson is expected to be healthy enough to play this week. A loss for either team would almost certainly doom their postseason hopes. And I'm a Lions fan, so y'all know what I'm about to do.

RJ's Pick - Detroit by 4

Houston 5-6 at Tennessee 6-5 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: Tennessee by 4)

Houston needs a victory in order to stay alive in the AFC Wild Card race. Pretty much the same thing could be said for the Titans, who have dropped three straight.

RJ's Pick - Houston by 2

RJ'S GAME OF THE WEEK THAT WILL ACTUALLY HAVE MORE THAN FOURTEEN PEOPLE WATCHING IT: Jacksonville 8-3 at Indianapolis 9-2 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: Indianapolis by 7)

Well, the Colts finally look like themselves again. After losing two close games to the Patriots and Chargers, and barely beating the Chiefs at home, Indianapolis spanked the Falcons last Thursday in Atlanta. And WR Marvin Harrison could finally be back in the lineup this week. They'll need to bring their 'A' game against the Jaguars, who have won three straight and are looking to grab a share of the lead in the AFC South with a win in this one.

RJ's Pick - Indianapolis by 3

RJ'S LAME-GAME OF THE WEEK: New York Jets 2-9 at Miami 0-11 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: No line)

I weep for the Dolphins, and first-year head coach Cam Cameron. Eleven games, eleven losses - and six of those defeats were by exactly three points, including a 31-28 loss in Week Three at the hands of the Jets. This week is revenge time.

RJ's Pick - Miami by 4

San Diego 6-5 at Kansas City 4-7 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: San Diego by 4.5)

San Diego is just 1-4 on the road. But Kansas City has lost four in a row, and is just 2-4 at home. Hmmm. I predict the Chiefs keep it close and pull out a late win in a low-scoring affair.

RJ's Pick - Kansas City by 2

Seattle 7-4 at Philadelphia 5-6 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: No line)

Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid will probably give QB Donovan McNabb the start this week instead of A. J. Feeley, unless Eagles fans riot in disgust and mindless rage - always a possibility! But whoever starts under center for Philly, Seattle should win this one. They've won three in a row, and QB Matt Hasselbeck has been solid pretty much all season. (There's no quarterback controversy in Seattle!) The Seahawks are just 2-3 on the road this year, but the Eagles are 2-3 at home.

RJ's Pick - Seattle by 8

San Francisco 3-8 at Carolina 4-7 - 1:00 pm (Sheridan's line: Carolina by 2.5)

Yuck. Carolina hasn't won a game since Eid, and is still winless at home. The 49ers are an embarrassment as well. Why couldn't this game be on the NFL Network???

RJ's Pick - San Francisco by 6

Cleveland 7-4 at Arizona 5-6 - 4:05 pm (Sheridan's line: Arizona by 1.5)

The Browns have won four of five since their bye week. The Cardinals have lost four of their last six. University of Phoenix Stadium is usually not a fun place to play for visiting teams, but I'm going to go with the Brownies anyway.

RJ's Pick - Cleveland by 5

Denver 5-6 at Oakland 3-8 - 4:05 pm (Sheridan's line: Denver by 3.5)

Denver just completely blew it against the Bears last Sunday. That was a real nut-crushing kind of loss. Just totally, absolutely horrible. Meanwhile, the Raiders actually won a game last week. I hear head coach Lane Kiffin was so excited, his testicles finally descended.

RJ's Pick - Denver by 7

New York Giants 7-4 at Chicago 5-6 - 4:15 pm (Sheridan's line: New York Giants by 2)

The Giants were slaughtered at home by the Vikings last week. QB Eli Manning completed just 43% of his passes and threw four interceptions. He's had just one good outing in his last five games - and that was against Detroit's pass defense, so it almost doesn't count. The Bears somehow got a 'W' last week, despite not having a running game, a passing game, or cheerleaders.

RJ's Pick - Chicago by 4

Tampa Bay 7-4 at New Orleans 5-6 - 4:15 pm (Sheridan's line: New Orleans by 3)

This is it: If Tampa Bay wins this game, the NFC South is essentially theirs. However, I picked New Orleans to win the division, and I just know the Saints aren't going to make a liar out of me. (At least not this week...)

RJ's Pick - New Orleans by 6

Cincinnati 4-7 at Pittsburgh 8-3 - 8:15 pm (Sheridan's line: No line)

The Bengals are certainly capable of putting a lot of points up on the board, but I don't think they will against Pittsburgh. Especially on that field...

 

RJ's Pick - Pittsburgh by 10

*Monday, December 3, 2007*

New England 11-0 at Baltimore 4-7 - 8:30 pm (Sheridan's line: No line)

The only question I have for this one is: What will the point spread be? After the Patriots barely beat the Eagles 31-28 in a home game where they were 24-point favorites, how will the oddsmakers respond? The Ravens are pathetic; they've dropped five in a row. Will the spread be a semi-reasonable 15 points? Or an eye-popping 25? We'll find out soon enough...

RJ's Pick - New England by 29

(If you're interested, you can check out the full list of Danny Sheridan's Odds and ESPN's NFL "Expert" Picks.)

 

 

 

 

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