With only two teams on a bye, NFL Week 13 offers 14 more thrilling NFL matchups to savor upon this weekend. Last week, we boldly predicted that rookie quarterback Jared Goff would have his first three-touchdown performance, and he did. This is what makes predictions so fun because sometimes the unlikely actually takes place.
In Week 13, there are sure to be some underdog teams projected to lose that will rise up and come out on top. The Seattle Seahawks are heavily favored to win at home. But after watching that crew tank its last game and score only five points, we have another prediction in mind. Read more about that and enjoy what we have boldly predicted for NFL Week 13.
1. Tom Brady goes for six touchdowns at Rams expense
The Los Angeles Rams just got rolled by the New Orleans Saints to the tune of 49 points, as Drew Brees and Co. put up seven touchdowns. Now on tap for the a struggling Rams squad is another brutal road game against the New England Patriots.
If there was a quarterback who could top Brees in scoring against Los Angeles, it is Brady. Brees passed for four scores and also rushed one in. Wide receiver Willie Snead got in on the action and threw a touchdown as well. In similar fashion, we are calling for Brady to top Brees by one passing touchdown. And, putting those Clydesdale-like legs to good use, Brady will also rush in a score as well. If this all sounds too easy, we must keep in mind that Brady will be without his star tight end, Rob Gronkowski.
Since entering the league, Brady has squared off against the Rams only three times. He has seven touchdowns against them so far. This stat will nearly double once Brady is finished on Sunday.
Jared Goff and the Rams will put up a fight, but the Patriots could easily post a 50-burger as a departing gift when they send the Rams back to California.
2. Kenneth Dixon put up his first 100-yard game
Dixon’s fans have been waiting patiently all season for the Louisiana Tech product to have that major breakout game.
Dixon might just be primed to deliver that performance in Week 13. His usage has been increasing and he saw a season-high 17 touches last week. Dixon actually had more field time than fellow back Terrance West who looks to be getting weened from his starting role.
Dixon has posted a combined 80 yards twice, but has failed to score his first career touchdown. Therefore, the Miami Dolphins will be the first team to award Dixon his first score as well as 100 total yards.
The Dolphins rank 30th against the run and have given up 132.2 yards on average on the ground. It would not be too surprising to see Dixon tally upwards of 80 rushing yards and add another 30 through the air.
3. Lions and Saints hit the century mark
This NFC showdown should produce plenty of high scores to be had by both teams.
We already know that Brees plays lights-out at home. Last week’s five touchdowns were a fine example of his capabilities. Now, Brees and his receivers will go up against a Detroit pass defense that has ceded an average of two passing touchdowns per game as well as a 74 percent completion mark and the highest quarterback rating in the NFL.
Since we are talking about Brees here, he could easily throw for four. Between Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower, one of them should be able to score once or twice as well.
Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford will be doing his own damage through the air. The Saints’ defense is improving, but it just allowed a rookie quarterback making his second career start to throw three touchdowns last week.
We see Stafford easily taking advantage and possibly scoring four or five touchdowns himself. The Lions’ rushing offense is bad, but somehow it finds a way to score against a Saints defense that has given up 13 on the ground.
Throw in a few field goals and 100 points could be tallied by both parties once the dust settles in New Orleans.
4. Taylor Gabriel repeats another two-touchdown performance
The Atlanta Falcons have a sneaky playmaker in the mix in that of third-year receiver Taylor Gabriel.
Gabriel has only seen 18 targets over his last four games, but has turned those touches into gold. On 13 catches, Gabriel has tallied 271 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns came from his performance last week against the Arizona Cardinals. The shifty receiver, with the speed of lightning, is averaging a whopping 42 yards per catch.
Next up for Gabriel could be another two-touchdown performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. Surely the Chiefs will have their best defenders glued to Julio Jones. This will leave room for Gabriel to use those legs and score twice against a Chiefs secondary that has given up 20 receiving touchdowns.
5. Kirk Cousins won’t get lucky in Arizona
Cousins has been a touchdown-scoring machine, posting 11 of those bad boys since Week 7. He and the Redskins will hit the road to battle with the Cardinals in Week 13. But, will Cousins’ hot streak continue?
Arizona will certainly have all hands on deck in the attempt to slow down Cousins’ fast-paced offense. Part of the Cardinals’ motivation to stop Cousins from scoring will be to snap their two-game losing streak.
There is a good chance the tide could shift this Sunday when Cousins struggles to score more than just one touchdown. After all, the Cardinals’ defense has given up a league-low nine scores through the air in 11 games.
Where Washington might find success is on the ground. The Cards are not nearly as efficient against running backs after allowing 13 rushing touchdowns. Arizona should be the team posting the win this time around.
5. Green Bay goes down when the Texans come to town
The Packers finally won after four disappointing losses. Green Bay looked more like itself after dismantling Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles.
This week, we are calling for an upset when Brock Osweiler and the Houston Texans come to Lambeau. Houston’s defense can be quite menacing and Rodgers is nursing a gimpy hamstring. Once he injured it last Monday, he shut down his run game.
On the defensive side, the Packers have allowed nine passing and seven rushing touchdowns in the last four weeks. There is little to suggest that DeAndre Hopkins and Lamar Miller score less than four touchdowns under these circumstances.
Meanwhile, Houston’s defense will force the Packers’ offense back into its old habits. The Texans pull off a victory somewhere to the tune of 31-20.
7. Shady McCoy drops 200 on Oakland but the joke is on the Bills
LeSean McCoy and the Buffalo Bills head to California to attempt to keep their playoff dream alive. This week’s game is a must win for Buffalo against the scorching-hot Oakland Raiders.
Buffalo relying on McCoy a ton here should definitely be in the game plan. The Raiders’ rush defense ranks within the bottom 10 and gives up an average of 116.9 rushing yards per game. It has also yielded 12 rushing touchdowns.
McCoy is a top-10 running back and has had some quite spectacular performances this season. Back in Weeks 5 and 6, he rushed for 150 and 140 yards respectively. Last week also saw McCoy break out the big run (watch here).
While we are projecting a massive 200 combined yards out of McCoy, Oakland is not going to simply lie down. The Raiders’ offense ranks sixth-best in the league and should prove to be quite the challenge for Buffalo’s defense to keep under wraps. Oakland wins, 31-28.
8. New York Giants own Big Ben after three interceptions
The Giants spent some very generous money rebuilding last year’s horrendous defense. As of late, their investment appears to be paying off exceptionally well.
In Week 13, the Giants head to Pittsburgh in the attempt to extend their six-game winning streak. Ben Roethlisberger and Co. should be actually be nervous. In the Giants’ last five games, their defense has tallied eight interceptions.
Big Ben has not thrown a pick since Week 9. This stat will change when he falls victim to the Giants’ defense not just once or twice, but three times this Sunday. Roethliserger will have to attempt more than the 20 passes he did when the Steelers faced a soft Indianapolis Colts defense and backup quarterback Scott Tolzien on Thanksgiving.
More attempts means more opportunity for the Giants’ defenders to force turnovers from Big Ben.
9. Panthers avoid the noise at CenturyLink
The Carolina Panthers are not having the most fortunate of seasons. Currently, the Panthers own the basement-level status in the NFC South with a paltry 4-7 record. They just lost narrowly to the Raiders after a valiant 32-point effort.
Surely wanting to correct the wrongs of last week and post a much-desired win, Cam Newton and the Panthers head to CenturyLink to play the Seahawks. The positive here is the Panthers have won their last two games against Seattle. This includes a regular season tilt at Seattle’s noisy stadium last October. So, we know Cam can handle the outrageous noise that the fans are going to drum up.
Considering Seattle has put up some horrendous performances this season, including last week’s brutal loss to Tampa Bay, it is no sure bet to handle the struggling Panthers come Sunday night.
10. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jets pull off Monday night miracle
On thin ice a lot this season for some poor performances, Fitzpatrick has a chance to further redeem himself in Week 13. Fitzpatrick and his New York Jets host Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in Monday Night Football.
Indianapolis is slightly favored in a game it must win to remain relevant in the AFC South race. Meanwhile, the Jets pretty much have nothing to lose with only three wins under their belt.
This is when Fitzpatrick will come to the rescue. He faces a Colts defense that is allowing 278.7 passing yards per game. Furthermore, this unit has yielded 22 passing touchdowns and a 100-plus quarterback rating on the season. Fitzpatrick shouldn’t find it too difficult to connect with Brandon Marshall and Quincy Enunwa for a few touchdowns. Perhaps even Matt Forte will score a couple of times as well.
Even with Luck back in the picture, we are calling for a sizable win for the Jets against a defense that just got destroyed by Pittsburgh.