Week 13 in the NFL officially kicks off the month of December, which means we’ll see cold weather in many places. With some teams jockeying for playoff position and other teams fighting for draft position, it should be an entertaining week.
Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings
Odds: Cowboys -3.5
The Cowboys rolled to 10-1 with a 31-26 win over Washington at home on Thanksgiving, riding the rookie duo of Dak Prescott (195 passing yards, 39 rushing yards, two total touchdowns) and Ezekiel Elliott (97 yards, two touchdowns) to another win. The Vikings fell to 6-5 after a 16-13 road loss in Detroit, also on Thanksgiving, and Sam Bradford threw for 224 yards, but no touchdowns and one pick.
The Vikings, who started the season 5-0, have now dropped five of six and wouldn’t even be in the playoffs if they started today. Their offense is averaging just 19.8 points per game this season and that’s including the 30 points they scored in Week 11. They may have a tough time keeping up with the league’s third-highest scoring team.
The Vikings are 2-3 SU and 1-4 ATS in their last five meetings with the Cowboys.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons
Odds: Falcons -3.5
The Chiefs went to 8-3 with a 30-27 overtime win in Denver on Sunday night, getting 220 yards and a score from Alex Smith. Very quietly, the Chiefs are now 8-3 and are one game behind both the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders for the top spot in the conference.
The Falcons are 7-4 after a 38-19 home win over Arizona as Matt Ryan put up 269 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. With Seattle’s loss last week, the Falcons have a great opportunity to move as high as the No. 2 seed in the conference if they can win this week. However, they have to tread carefully because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are only one game behind them, so a loss could push them out of the top six spots completely.
The Falcons are 3-2 SU and ATS (two straight wins/covers) in their last five against the Chiefs in a game between two teams that have a lot to prove.
Miami Dolphins @ Baltimore Ravens
Odds: Ravens -4
The Dolphins won their sixth in a row and are now 7-4 after a 31-24 home win over San Francisco as Ryan Tannehill passed for 285 yards, three touchdowns and no picks. With the win, they moved into sixth place in the AFC. They’ve been riding a red-hot running game, which now ranks fourth in the NFL. It will be interesting to see if they stall this week, though, as the Ravens have the league’s top-ranked rush defense.
Baltimore held on for a 19-14 win over Cincinnati at home to go to 6-5 and the star of the show was Justin Tucker, who kicked four field goals – three of which were 52 yards or more. Their offense continues to struggle as they’re averaging just 19.8 points per game (24th in the NFL) due to too much work falling on the shoulders of quarterback Joe Flacco. The Ravens running game ranks 28th in the NFL at 87.8 yards per game.
The Ravens are 4-1 SU and 5-0 ATS in their last five against the red-hot Dolphins.
New York Giants @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Odds: Steelers -5.5
The 8-3 Giants have won six straight after a 27-13 win in Cleveland to keep the Browns winless. Eli Manning threw for 194 yards and three scores – two to Odell Beckham Jr. It’s hard to get too excited about their winning streak, though, as their last three wins have come against teams that are a combined 5-28-1.
The Steelers are 6-5 after a 28-7 Thanksgiving rout of Indianapolis on the road. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns, all to Antonio Brown. The Steelers are 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS in their last five against the streaking Giants.
Carolina Panthers @ Seattle Seahawks
Odds: Seahawks -6.5
It looks like Carolina’s season is over after a 35-32 loss in Oakland. They fell to 4-7 and are now in 13th place in the NFC. Cam Newton had three total touchdowns on the day, but also threw a crucial pick-six.
The 7-3-1 Seahawks fell 14-5 in Tampa Bay in a game where Russell Wilson was picked off twice and sacked six times on the day. The Seahawks had averaged 29.3 points per game during their three-game winning streak going into the matchup but just when we thought the old Seahawks were back, they put up another clunker. It was the fourth time in 11 games that the Seahawks have not scored a touchdown in a game.
Seattle is 3-2 SU and 1-3-1 ATS in their last five meetings with the Panthers, who have won and covered in each of the last two meetings, including last season in the playoffs.