There’s only six weeks to go in the NFL season and for some teams, it means they are running out of chances to make a push for the playoffs.
It’s a massive weekend of action ahead of us with several heavyweight bouts in the AFC taking centre stage,
It all kicks off with the Bengals hosting the Chargers before the Ravens and Steelers will renew hostilities followed by the Chiefs battling with the Broncos.
Then the action rounds out with Buffalo looking to squash the resurgent New England Patriots on Tuesday.
We’ve found our best value bets for every NFL Week 13 game in our preview so see who we have taken below!
It looks like the Saints will pull the plug in Trevor Siemian and turn to their former jack of all trades Taysom Hill as their primary option at quarterback.
Having sat through Siemian’s last start on Thanksgiving it’s tough to argue with that move however it may not be enough, even with the likely return of Alvin Kamara who makes any quarterback’s job significantly easier.
Dallas will be getting healthier as well with Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb back in the lineup to make their already potent offence even stronger.
At this point you just can’t trust the Saints however I am expecting a high scoring affair so I’ll back the Cowboys to cover and the over.
Assuming the Cardinals get their star weapons back, this line is far too small considering the major mismatch between the two teams.
Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins last played in Week 8 and while the Cardinals have impressively managed to go 2-1 in their absence, they need to get them back sooner rather than later to lock up the first overall seed.
As for Chicago’s quarterback situation, it really does not make a difference who starts as Justin Fields still looks like a rookie and Andy Dalton is Andy Dalton.
Based on the injury information available at the moment, it looks like the Cardinals will get their weapons back so take them at the line.
The Colts are a better team than their 6-6 record might indicate, especially with MVP candidate Jonathan Taylor bowling over defenders for fun most weeks.
Houston… well they’re about as good as their 2-9 number says they are.
Indy won the first meeting 31-3 and with how both teams are travelling, another blowout looks like it will be on the cards.
If there is one early window game to tune in to as a neutral this is the choice with the Bengals and Chargers battling for spots in the AFC Wild Card race.
Consistency has eluded LA all season with the side alternating wins and losses since coming out of their bye.
We know their offence can light it up when it has to and this may be the day for it with the Bengals going to a whole other level, putting up over 30 points in four of their last five games.
Get ready for a shootout and I’ll give the edge to the more complete team which is Cincinnati.
If the Vikings want to be taken seriously, they need to not only beat the Lions, but blow them out of the water.
When they met earlier this season the Vikings were made to work by a scrappy Detroit outfit and needed a last second field goal to win the game.
Detroit to their credit have not given up in spite of being overmatched in every game this season but this could be ugly.
The original lead story for this game was on two quarterbacks whose teams are going to try and replace them in the coming offseason.
Then came the news that Daniel Jones will miss this game with a neck injury, thrusting Mike Glennon into the starting role, making it an even less exciting prospect.
Miami is actually on a roll and while it has partially come from beating up on bad teams, this is another chance to do that and I’ll back them to pick up the victory.
Philadelphia still technically has a path to the playoffs and to keep their dreams alive they will need to take care of business against the Jets here.
The big question is whether or not you can trust them and an injured Jalen Hurts after last weeks calamitous performance at this same venue against the Giants.
I can’t and I don’t trust the Jets either.
Stay away.
Tampa Bay made short work of the Falcons last time they met with Tom Brady torching them to the tune of five touchdown passes.
A similar story looks set to unfold here with the Falcons really struggling to field an NFL calibre roster with injuries and other absences depleting their team.
While the Buccaneers are still missing Antonio Brown, Brady has no shortage of targets to aim for and Atlanta just won’t be able to keep pace.
Vegas finally showed signs of life in Dallas on Thanksgiving, battling through a mistake filled contest to pick up an overtime win.
The good news is that if their offence can get rolling like they did in Week 12, Washington will have a hard time keeping pace.
However the big question is whether or not their offensive line will hold up.
I’ll take Vegas with a not so confident pick, after all, they are the better team and at home.
Are we sure that the Rams are still a Super Bowl contender?
That’s three straight defeats and they seem locked into a Wild Card spot after a rough November.
If they are to kick-start their assault on the Lombardi Trophy, this is the perfect launch pad.
The Jaguars are horrendously overmatched and if the Rams play anywhere close to their potential, they will blow them out.
After all, this is a locker room that has definitely heard the external noise.
Not to sound like an old curmudgeon, but if you want to go back to the glory days of the NFL, this is going to be the game for you.
And by glory days, I mean basically anything pre-2010 when hard hits became a penalty-worthy play.
Admittedly the likely defensive dominance that will come out of this one is down to the struggles of the offences as much as it will good play on the other side of the ball.
But that just sets up for a low scoring arm wrestle and that’s where the tip for this game is headed.
Cross them off, take them out of the oven, pull the plug, whatever phrase you want to apply will be fine, the Seahawks are done.
It’s time to end the Carroll-Wilson era but they still have to get through a few more games before they can officially turn the page.
San Francisco has something to play for and is starting to get on a nice little roll.
Plus they will be looking for revenge after losing to Seattle in Week 4 21-28 at Levi’s Stadium.
Add in all of those factors, plus the fact the 49ers are actually better on the road than they are at home, and this one could get ugly.
Don’t be surprised if Trey Lance gets a few series at the end of the game in mop up duty.
It’s all setting up for the Chiefs to go on a run and make a third straight Super Bowl, however this time it will be down to their suddenly stout defensive unit.
On the back of four straight wins they are now in charge of the AFC West and have a huge opportunity to re-insert themselves into the mix for a first round bye with a win against the Broncos.
Denver will be happy for this game to turn into a low scoring arm wrestle with their limited offence and their opportunistic secondary will be eyeing off a couple of Patrick Mahomes interceptions.
With both teams happy to play in a game like that, it takes a blowout off the cards, but I’m still not backing against the Chiefs.
For most of the last 20 years, this would have been an automatic “back the Patriots at all costs” but they head into this game with more questions than the Bills.
Even after a long winning streak, there are real questions about how their defence will handle a versatile Bills offence that presents all sorts of matchup problems.
Buffalo has been underwhelming at times this season (see scoring six points against Jacksonville) but they still have the talent on their roster to be a Super Bowl contender.
After having a get right game against New Orleans and 11 days to prepare for what could be the biggest game of their season, I’ll take the Bills to get the job at home.