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  • Linus O'Howell

NFL Week 13 Preview and Predictions: Part 1

Teams on a Bye:

Arizona Cardinals (4-8)

Carolina Panthers (4-8)



(8-3) Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots (6-5)


This week's Thursday Night Football sees two rivals battle in their aims to make the playoffs. The New England Patriots suffered a defeat against the Minnesota Vikings last week (26-33) that could really hurt their playoff chances. As it stands, the Patriots sit bottom of the AFC East and if the season ended today, the Pats would just miss out on a spot in the playoffs. As for Buffalo, they picked up their second consecutive win at Ford Field after defeating the Detroit Lions 28-25. The win means Buffalo sit second in the AFC East and if the season ended today, Buffalo would be the number 5 seed. Overall, I am going with the Patriots. I think this will be a fun and close Thursday Night Football matchup and I think the Patriots could pull out the surprise victory.



(4-7) Pittsburgh Steelers @ Atlanta Falcons (5-7)


The Atlanta Falcons suffered a defeat against the Washington Commanders which has pretty much showcased the fact that the Falcons aren’t good enough to finish in the playoffs. As it stands, the Falcons sit second in the NFC South and if the season ends today, the Falcons would miss out on the playoffs. As for Pittsburgh, they picked up a good win on the road in Indianapolis (24-17). As it stands, the Steelers sit bottom of the AFC North and if the season ended today, the Steelers would finish as one of the worst teams in the AFC. Overall, I am going with the Steelers to pick up the win. I said they would beat the Colts last week and they did so I’m going to stick with them again this week.



(4-8) Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears (3-9)


The Chicago Bears loss against the New York Jets last week means the Bears are currently on a 5-match losing streak. As it stands, the Bears are bottom of the NFC North and if the season ended today, the Bears would be sitting with the number 2 pick in the draft. As for Green Bay, they suffered a defeat last week which 150% means that the Packers aren’t making the playoffs. As it stands, Green Bay sit third in the NFC North and if the season ended today, the Packers would finish a long way behind the playoff spots. Overall, I am going to pick the Packers to win this game. A loss here would be the nail in the coffin in one of the worst seasons in recent Packers memory.



(4-7) Jacksonville Jaguars @ Detroit Lions (4-7)


The Detroit Lions’ winning run came to an end last week against the Buffalo Bills (25-28). However, that performance showcased just how far the Lions have come. As it stands, the Lions sit second in the NFC North and if the season ended today, they would be in the top 10 NFC teams of the season. As for Jacksonville, they picked up a famous victory against the Baltimore Ravens and they will hope to make it two wins in a row this time around. As it stands, the Jaguars sit third in the AFC South and if the season ended today, they would be ranked 11th in the AFC. Overall, I am going with the Lions. The Lions have been playing some good football recently and I think it can continue against the Jags.



(7-4) New York Jets @ Minnesota Vikings (9-2)


What a game we have in store in Minneapolis as the Vikings take on the Jets. The Minnesota Vikings made sure they got back to winning ways last week against the New England Patriots (33-26). As it stands, the Vikings are top of the NFC North and if the season ended today, the Vikings would be the number 2 seed in the NFC. As for New York, they got back to winning ways in style as they managed to defeat the Chicago Bears 31-10. The win now means that the perfect record of the coin toss no longer exists, let’s see what effect that has on this team. As it stands, the Jets are sitting third in the AFC East and if the season ended today, the Jets would be the number 7 seed in the playoffs. Overall, I believe the Vikings will win this game. It should be fun and the Jets will definitely push Minnesota all the way but, in the end, they should just have enough.



(7-5) Washington Commanders @ New York Giants (7-4)


A massive NFC East clash takes place as the Giants welcome the Commanders to MetLife Stadium. The Giants were looking great but two straight defeats (including the Cowboys last week) has put their playoffs hopes slightly on the edge. As it stands, the Giants sit third in the NFC East and if the season ended today, the Giants would take the number 6 seed. As for Washington, their win against the Atlanta Falcons last week extended their winning streak to 3 games. As it stands, the Commanders still sit bottom of the NFC East but if the season ended today, the Commanders would make the playoffs as the number 7 seed. Overall, I am going with the Commanders in this one. The Giants steam is starting to cool down whilst the Commanders are reaching boiling point. This should be a fun game and a win/loss here is massive for both team's playoff hopes.



(7-4) Tennessee Titans @ Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)


The Philadelphia Eagles picked up an important victory last time out on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers (40-33). As it stands, the Eagles sit top of the NFC East and if the season ended today, the Eagles would get a bye to the Divisional round. As for Tennessee, they suffered a loss at home to the Cincinnati Bengals last week (20-16) and it has hurt them a bit when it comes to finishing as the number 1 seed. As it stands, the Titans sit comfortably at the top of the AFC South and if the season ended today, the Titans would find themselves as the number 3 seed. Overall, I am picking the Eagles to win this one. It’s another tight one for me but it just feels like the Eagles will have enough to get over the line.



(3-8) Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens (7-4)


The Baltimore Ravens’ appalling loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week is a reminder that even though this team is really good, they are also unreliable. As it stands, the Ravens would just about be in first place in the AFC North and if the season ended today, the Ravens would be the number 4 seed. As for Denver, they suffered another loss, this time at the hands of Carolina (10-23). As it stands, the Broncos are alone at the bottom of the AFC West and if the season ended today, the Broncos would finish with the 4th worst record in the entire league. They were meant to have the 4th best record! Overall, I am going with the Ravens. Both of these teams annoy me and I will be even more annoyed if the Broncos win this one.

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