Week 13 NFL Picks

December 3, 2015

By the Football Garbage Time Staff

Time now for our Week 13 NFL Picks!

Week 13 Games

Ha Kung Wong’s Picks

Ha Kung’s Thoughts:

As I mention every week, copy my picks and you can thank me later. I’m still in the lead with 107-69 for the season. So if you like winning, I think I can help.

The most interesting game for me this week is the Seattle Seahawks @ Minnesota Vikings.

Entering 2015 with high expectations, Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” has been more of a “Legion of Bust” as of late, as there have been plenty of busted coverages for opposing offenses to exploit. They allowed 264 passing yards and a TD to the lowly San Francisco 49ers led by retread QB Blaine Gabbert, and followed that up by allowing a ridiculous 456 yards passing and a TD to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead of winning games with their defense over these past couple games, as we have all become used to seeing in years past, Seattle has been able to turn to its offense instead. In Week 11 it was Beastmode replacement RB Thomas Rawls with 209 rush yards and 2 total TDs. In Week 12 it was Russell Wilson with his 345 passing yards and 5 TDs, 3 of which went to Doug Baldwin. Whatever it takes, this Seahawks team is finding ways to claw its way back into the playoff hunt. And with the NFC Wild Card race only requiring a .500 record to be competitive, they still have a lot to play for.

Adrian Peterson & Teddy Bridgewater

The Vikings, on the other hand, have been one of the more well-rounded surprises in the NFL, as they currently sit atop the NFC North. Second year QB Teddy Bridgewater has become more of a game manager, but sometimes that’s all you need when you have all-pro RB Adrian Peterson in your backfield. And although Bridgewater has been more of a game manager, he has found some success passing to surprise breakout WR Stefon Diggs and on-again off-again TE Kyle Rudolph. On the other side of the ball, the Minnesota defense has very quietly become one of the most effective in the NFC, as they’ve allowed the fourth least amount of passing yards per game (223.5) and the second least amount of points to opposing offenses per game (17.6) this year. That’s ahead of such vaunted defenses as the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.

Ultimately, I see Seattle successfully leaning on Thomas Rawls to do the heavy lifting so as to avoid having to frequently test an above average Minnesota pass defense. But I also see Minnesota exploiting the “Legion of Bust” with some deep routes to Diggs and significant targets to Rudolph (although not a perfect metric, Seattle has given up the 4th most fantasy points to opposing TEs, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Rudolph finds the endzone this week). Minnesota manages to pull off a close one in this good matchup.

Also check out my San Francisco 49ers @ Chicago Bears Preview!

Scott King’s Picks

Scott’s Thoughts:

I can’t seem to gain much ground on our group leader right now. I’m running out of weeks and need to make some moves. It’s crunch time.

Joanne Kong’s Picks

Joanne’s Thoughts:

New York Jets (6-5) @ New York Giants (5-6)

The Giants are coming off a two game losing streak to the New England Patriots (week 11) and Washington Redskins (week 12), falling from first place in the NFC East and now tied with the Redskins. The Giants will need to win week 13 to compete for the post season, especially if the Washington Redskins win against the Dallas Cowboys at home on Monday Night. The win won’t be easy. The Giants have made some questionable game decisions (losing to the New England Patriots by 1 point), and have yet to figure out the run game. You can be certain that the Jets will also be looking to exploit the holes in the Giants defense.

Odell Beckham Jr.

The Jets won week 12 against the Miami Dolphins (38-20). But don’t let the score fool you, most of the Dolphins points came late in the fourth quarter as garbage time numbers for fantasy owners. The Dolphins have lost four of the last five games, with the only win against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Jets have also sustained some difficult losses in the later half of the season. The New England Patriots dominate the AFC East, so the Jets will need to win every game for the rest of the season for a Wild Card bid into the post season.

Both teams have been lukewarm in the latter half of the season, losing to teams they shouldn’t be losing too. The Giants will need to avoid turnovers to win on Sunday. It will be a hard fought game, but only one team can win.

Giants win.

Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) @ New England Patriots (10-1)

Believe it or not, the New England Patriots are 10-1, with a devastating loss to the Denver Broncos led by quarterback Brock Osweiler in week 12. The Patriots, who on average allowed only 97-rush yards per game, allowed 179 rush yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

Tom Brady

In week 13, the Patriots face-off against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have sustained two tough losses to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (17-45 in week 11) and to the Detroit Lions (14-45 in week 12 on Christmas day). Tom Brady and the Patriots are probably seeing red as their undefeated season was snatched away (at least the Patriots didn’t make-up tee-shirts yet), and looking to destroy the Eagles. With Brady losing key receivers – Julian Edelman, potentially Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski, the destruction may end up being more of a mild scuffle. The Eagles have allowed 379.5 yards per game, while the Patriots have allowed 349.6. It could be a shootout, but it’s doubtful that the Patriots will lose to the Eagles at home.

Patriots win.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the games!