Week 13 Panel Picks: Lions and Texans Expected to Bounce Back, Browns are in Trouble
What were we all thinking picking the Lions to win a Thanksgiving game? The 29-22 loss to the Packers is their 7th straight loss on the national holiday, and frankly, we should not be surprised. Someone must have laced Dan Campbell’s stuffing prior to kickoff because he looked like a deer in headlights, making rogue 4th down calls that ultimately cost his team the game. I’d blame the Detroit’s defensive issues on the turkey, but they’ve been in a coma for over a month, allowing 31 PPG in November. and slipping to 28th in ESPN’s football power index.
Week 13 wasn’t all bad for the panel, though. In fact, there was a lot of good. Everybody finished with a winning record, and Theo, Ray, and I went 12-5, 12-5, and 13-4, respectively. Overall, we were 76-43 which was a tick better than our average for the season. This is after the minority vote won seven of week 12’s 16 games, so all things considered, it was a good week of picks. Here are the ATA standings two thirds of the way through the season.
Primetime Games
Early Window
Late Window
Most alike picks: 12 of my 13 picks aligned with Theo’s.
Least alike picks: Jackson had five different picks from George and I.
Most upsets picked: In a week where there weren’t many great options for upsets, Jackson led the panel with three.
Fewest upsets picked: Due to some confusion surrounding the 49ers and Eagles line, Ray and Theo only picked one upset each. That will be made up for next week.
Most picks with majority: Ray, George, and Theo were in the majority in all but one game.
Most picks against majority: Jackson’s Seahawks, Patriots, an Browns picks were all minority picks.
What Stands Out?
Though it initially raised eyebrows, the oddsmakers’ decision to favor the 49ers by three points on the road against the 10-1 Eagles seems right. Five of the seven panelists think San Francisco will win this week.
This is the 4th time in five weeks that a single panelist has voted for the Jets. In the three prior games, they lost by a combined 93-25. Josh is doing anything he can to avoid punishment, put I’m not sure picking the Jets is the smartest way to do so.
The Rams hype train has left the station, and only Josh and Jackson have been left behind. After a comeback against the Seahawks and a convincing win over the Cardinals, people are starting to believe that the Rams can knock some of the better teams in the league like the Browns.
Despite a five game winning streak, I am the only member of the panel who believes in the Broncos this week. There is no doubt that this chalks up to C.J. Stroud being respected as a top-tier quarterback in the league right now.
Another week, another poor slate of primetime games. The Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night games have the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th largest spreads of the 13 games this week. In my opinion, the only game that has potential of being a good contest is Chiefs vs Packers.
Playoff Picture
Let’s pretend our majority pick in each matchup won this weekend. Here would be the playoff matchups on Wild Card Weekend if that were the case.
AFC
(1) Kansas City Chiefs vs BYE | Patrick Mahomes has never played a playoff game in an opponent’s arena.
(2) Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis Colts | This is the first time all season that the Colts are in playoff position.
(3) Miami Dolphins vs (6) Cleveland Browns | Miami has the #1 offense in the league, and Cleveland has the #1 defense.
(4) Baltimore Ravens vs (5) Pittsburgh Steelers | Even though the Ravens don’t play this week, this hypothetical week 13 has them slipping from 1st to 4th in the AFC.
NFC
(1) Philadelphia Eagles vs BYE | If the Eagles win one of their next two games, they will be the heavy favorite to capture the one seed in the NFC.
(2) San Francisco 49ers vs (7) Los Angeles Rams | The Rams have given the 49ers problems in the past including in the 2021 NFC Championship.
(3) Detroit Lions vs (6) Minnesota Vikings | This is the only matchup for the rest of the season with two top-5 Coach of the Year candidates.
(4) Atlanta Falcons vs (5) Dallas Cowboys | The Cowboys beat last year’s NFC South winner 31-6 in the wild card round.
Enjoy week 13.