2022 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 13

The unpredictability of the NFL has continued to burn me in terms of NFL picks and predictions in recent weeks. Although I vowed to make fewer picks from the gut and more from the brain, it seems like Week 12 of the 2022 NFL season was more of a “from the gut” kind of week. The picks that I did make from the gut? Well, those didn’t exactly work out.

I went 6-9 on NFL picks in Week 12, missing on a handful of games that came down to the wire. The Cardinals let me down late against the Chargers and the Seahawks really blew it late against the Las Vegas Raiders. Even when you consider some of the tight games and NFL picks gone awry, the last couple of weeks have not been good for me in terms of NFL picks but we have a chance to reset here in Week 13.

2022 NFL picks and score predictions for Week 13 schedule

Teams with Week 13 bye: Cardinals, Panthers

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

Thursday, December 1, 8:15 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills are fresh off of enjoying a nice Turducken after their Thanksgiving victory in Detroit. The folks in Detroit have to be ecstatic seeing a team win back-to-back games in their stadium for the first time in six years.

No, seriously.

The Bills will now travel back to the upper Northeast for a matchup against their division foes in New England, a team that has been difficult to figure out this season. The Bills boast one of the best teams and all-around rosters in the NFL, and they’ve been mostly great this season, but how will this team fare without Von Miller, who suffered an injury that could keep him out the rest of the season?

How do the Patriots bounce back at home after a tough Thanksgiving loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings? Oddly enough, it feels like the Patriots have a better chance in this game than they might have a couple of weeks back. It was the defense getting shredded by Justin Jefferson that let them down on Thanksgiving, not the offense, which put up 26 points and looked good with Mac Jones at the helm.

As good as the Patriots’ defense has been at times this season, I’m rolling with Josh Allen here.

Prediction: Bills win 25-22

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

Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET

The Atlanta Falcons are the latest team to fall victim to Taylor Heinicke and the Washington Commanders. At this point, it almost just feel like the Commanders are working their way towards being the NFL’s team of destiny, doesn’t it?

The good news for the Falcons is that they didn’t really lose any ground in the NFC South. The Buccaneers lost, the Saints lost, and while the Panthers won, the Falcons have a game on them right now and a head-to-head split against them. For the time being, there’s no reason to panic, especially with a home matchup coming up against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers have been one of the worst teams in the NFL this season and while Atlanta’s record doesn’t really inspire anybody, they have had some impressive spurts of offense throughout the season. Can they rebound at home in Week 13 with the playoffs potentially hanging in the balance?

Not if TJ Watt has anything to say about it. The Steelers aren’t likely playing for anything in the AFC playoff-wise this season, but they might make some noise as the remainder of the 2022 season unfolds.

As far as NFL picks, how do you go about this one? Which Falcons offense is going to show up? Are the Steelers going to be able to play complementary football on both sides of the ball to be able to win and hold the Falcons in a potentially low-scoring game? This is somewhat of a toss-up type of game to me with the slight advantage going to the Atlanta Falcons because they are playing on their home field.

Don’t be surprised if TJ Watt wrecks the game, but also don’t be surprised if the Falcons find a way to score 30 points.

Prediction: Falcons win 23-20

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

Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET

The 4-8 Green Bay Packers, who would have thought? It seems like we have a weekly vent session in the NFL picks and predictions posts about what kind of issues are plaguing the Packers, and it almost always seemingly comes back to the wide receiver position. Well, we’ve got to give some credit where it’s due because rookie Christian Watson has been absolutely lighting it up as of late.

Over his last three games, Watson has been a borderline unstoppable force for opposing defenses:

• 12 receptions
• 265 yards
• 22.1 yards per reception
• 6 TDs

The big-play threat so many NFL Draft fans fell in love with coming out of North Dakota State has started to make consistent weekly appearances, and he’s taking over as the WR1 in Green Bay slowly but surely. But who is going to be throwing him passes in Week 13 against the Chicago Bears? Aaron Rodgers left the Packers’ Sunday night loss to the Eagles with a rib injury, and his status for this coming week is up in the air, at best.

The Chicago Bears also can’t be entirely sure whether or not Justin Fields is going to play on Sunday against the Packers, or if they would even want that to begin with. Fields’ health is going to be crucial for the future of the organization, and they can’t have him out there suffering any long-term injuries at this point.

Is this matchup shaping up to be Trevor Siemian vs. Jordan Love? Considering the records of these two teams, it might be one of the least-hyped Bears-Packers matchups in recent memory, but Jordan Love vs. Justin Fields would be fascinating.

We’ll make our prediction here under the assumption that it’s going to be Jordan Love vs. Trevor Siemian. If Fields plays, we’ll take the Bears 23-20 instead.

Prediction: Packers win 20-17

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

Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET

The NFL world watched as the Jacksonville Jaguars ended one of the worst droughts in league history on Sunday afternoon. For the first time in franchise history, the Jaguars won a game in which they trailed by seven or more points with one minute left in regulation. Before Sunday’s epic win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Jaguars were previously 0-183 in the same situations.

The statistic itself is impressive, bordering on miraculous, but the way in which it happened has to have Jacksonville Jaguars fans feeling absolutely giddy. It was their former no. 1 overall pick — Trevor Lawrence — who engineered the game-winning drive and did so by making some of the best throws we’ve seen him make in his NFL career.

There were plenty of fans on Twitter calling it Lawrence’s “arrival” and while that may be slightly overblown, it’s not nothing that Lawrence went out there and killed a piece of the Jaguars’ dreary team history in impressive come-from-behind fashion.

Not only did Lawrence get the Jaguars a touchdown in the waning seconds of regulation, but then he made the throw on the two-point conversion to seal the deal.

Speaking of sealing the deal, the Detroit Lions simply couldn’t do it at home on Thanksgiving against the Buffalo Bills. That was one of my top upset picks of the week and while the Lions did me proud by hanging tough with the Bills for four quarters, they couldn’t get the job done late in the game.

That’s the unfortunate reality for teams like the Lions — there’s just very little room for error. If both teams play this coming week like they did this past week, this could wind up being one of the more entertaining contests in Week 13. It certainly makes for a difficult game to predict given the volatility of these two squads.

I am rather impressed with the way the Lions have played since coming out of their bye week and I think if this game gets to a shootout, the Lions have proven this season to be the better team to pick between the two.

Prediction: Lions win 27-24

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

Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET

If not for a rematch of the AFC Championship on the Week 13 NFL schedule, you might be looking at the NFL’s game of the week right here. At any rate, fans are going to be spoiled as two of the more pleasant surprises in both the AFC and NFC this season will be taking each other on, once again coming off of some impressive victories.

On Thanksgiving night, after suffering one of the worst blowout losses of the 2022 NFL season (at home) to the Dallas Cowboys just days earlier, the Minnesota Vikings came out and gutted out another tough win against Bill Belichick’s Patriots. It was a truly impressive performance once again from Justin Jefferson, the NFL’s WR1 here in 2022.

Not only are we getting the 7-4 Jets vs. the 9-2 Vikings here, but there are matchups within the matchup that are so intriguing. Starting with Jefferson going up against Sauce Gardner, an early favorite for NFL defensive rookie of the year. How will the rookie fare against one of the league’s very best?

The Jets got a huge boost offensively this past week from the insertion of Mike White into the starting lineup. The team had finally seen enough from former first-round pick Zach Wilson, who’s been benched until further notice. And with the way White played on Sunday, how can the Jets go with anyone else? He completed almost 79 percent of his passes for 315 yards, 3 touchdowns, and almost a 150 QB rating.

Can White put forth a repeat performance? Can Robert Saleh and the Jets slow down Justin Jefferson and the Vikings? This matchup should have everyone glued to their TV in the early slotted games on Sunday. As far as NFL picks? I’ve done my share of doubting both teams this season, but I’m buying into the Vikings for another week.

Prediction: Vikings win 24-23

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

Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET

And the sneakerheads of the world continue to live vicariously through Washington Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke, who has added yet another impressive pair of Jordans to his ever-growing sneaker collection.

One of the best traditions in the entire NFL this season has been Heinicke using part of his victory bonus to purchase a pair of Jordan sneakers with the colorway matching the team he just got done beating. Right now, the count is up to five pairs of sneakers on the season and the Commanders continue to roll in the loaded NFC East.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1597249063678017538

What Jordans will Heinicke go with if he and the Commanders are able to get a win this coming week against the suddenly struggling 7-4 New York Giants? He’s had to pick a variety of Jordans lately with blue and/or red in them, but I’m sure he’s already got something in mind.

After starting out this season so hot, the Giants have cooled off lately, and that was somewhat expected. Although Brian Daboll has done an outstanding job with this team already in 2022, there’s no doubt that over time, the cream has risen to the top in the NFC East and now the Commanders are nipping at the Giants’ heels.

New York has a massive opportunity here if they can seize it. We all thought Chase Young was going to make his 2022 debut this past weekend for the Commanders but that was delayed. Young was ruled out perhaps not because of his knee injury but because of illness, which crept up on him over the weekend.

If he’s able to make his debut against the New York Giants, the Commanders probably couldn’t ask for a better time for their best defensive player to make his entrance this season. They are winning games, the defensive front is playing dominant football of late, and Young certainly gives them another dynamic game-changer on that side of the ball.

There are four players on the Commanders defense right now with 13 or more QB hits this season. Adding Chase Young to the fray? I don’t know if Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley can make enough plays against this defensive front.

Prediction: Commanders win 23-18

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

Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET

Although the Titans don’t have much to worry about in the AFC South right now, their loss at home to the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend was sort of a microcosm of what this team has been for the last handful of years. They are really good most of the time, but just when you start buying into the hype a little bit, they come up short.

I personally picked the Titans this past week against the Bengals despite my better judgment, looking at how the Bengals have been scoring a boatload of points over the last month or so, even without Ja’Marr Chase.

I won’t be making that same mistake again this week.

The Titans and Eagles are two teams in the NFL that find a ton of success offensively running the ball, but there’s no question that the Eagles are the more balanced team at this point. Believe it or not, the Eagles are fresh off of their highest offensive output of the entire 2022 season, scoring 40 points against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.

The Titans scored just 16 points this past week and they’ve only eclipsed 20 points one time since their Week 6 bye. Beating the Eagles is going to require the Titans to put forth a herculean effort offensively and defensively, especially going on the road in this game.

One of the intriguing storylines to watch will be AJ Brown going up against his former team. The Titans have remained similarly solid and atop the AFC South even without Brown, but Brown is likely going to want to show them what their offense is missing and how he’s helped the Eagles become a dominant force this season offensively.

Although the Titans deserve some respect here, I think this is one of my more clear-cut NFL picks of the week.

Prediction: Eagles win 34-20

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

Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET

The Denver Broncos have plummeted in the 2022 season and are the league’s most dramatic example of unmet expectations in quite some time. The acquisition of Russell Wilson was supposed to make the Broncos contenders. Remember, this team was just a “quarterback away” according to many people, myself included.

At this point, any of us who thought that are definitely eating some crow. The addition of Russell Wilson combined with all of the other factors at play in Denver have led to a disastrous 3-8 start. The Broncos are not well-coached, they’re not healthy, and they can’t score points. It’s getting to the point of being sad more than it is funny. This team is horrendous, and they don’t typically fare well anyway going into the Eastern time zone to play in the early slot against AFC North teams.

The Broncos have struggled, especially in recent years, to go into the tougher environments of AFC North teams and get wins. They just don’t play the same brand of physical football you see from teams like the Ravens.

Although the Ravens have had a tough time in the fourth quarter this season, the Broncos have sort of been the ‘get-right’ team for most of their opponents this season. Given all the injuries the Broncos have suffered this season, the experience of a coach like John Harbaugh going up against Nathaniel Hackett and his staff gives the Ravens a clear advantage, struggles or not.

It’s going to take the Broncos playing good offense — something we haven’t seen literally all year — to get a road win against the Ravens and who is betting on that? For Russell Wilson’s sake, hopefully the Broncos can get things going at some point.

Prediction: Ravens win 20-16

Cleveland Browns (4-7) at Houston Texans (1-9-1)

Sunday, December 4, 1:00 PM ET

Teams with a combined five wins at this point in the NFL season aren’t typically going to draw the biggest viewing audience, but this game is certainly going to buck that particular trend. NFL fans across the nation are going to be tuning in to watch the 2022 debut of Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has been serving an 11-game suspension handed down by the league. The NFL’s suspension of Watson didn’t sit well with pretty much everyone because most people believed the suspension should be longer given Watson’s legal issues and the nature of what he was in trouble for.

Alas, he’s making his debut in Week 13 against — you guessed it — his former team, the Houston Texans.

The Cleveland Browns are coming off of one of the top upsets of the week in Week 12, at least as far as I’m concerned. Jacoby Brissett made some great throws down the stretch of their win against the Buccaneers and players like David Njoku and Amari Cooper came up with big plays to help get the win.

It would be poetic if the Texans were able to get a victory against Watson and the Browns, but I’m just not sure I see it happening. Not unless we have a similar situation with Watson and Cleveland as we’ve seen in the early goings with Russell Wilson in Denver.

The Browns could just stick with the ground game and probably find a way to win this game. Houston just hasn’t been able to put anything together this season and they are seemingly falling apart more and more every week.

Prediction: Browns win 24-13

Seattle Seahawks (6-5) at Los Angeles Rams (3-8)

Sunday, December 4, 4:05 PM ET

The last three weeks have been pretty underwhelming for the Seattle Seahawks. One of the league’s most pleasant surprises in 2022 has quickly found itself dropping down the standings in the NFC West as the San Francisco 49ers keep on playing dominant defense and Seattle looks like they’re playing with nine guys on that side of the ball most of the time.

Although the Seahawks have a top-five scoring offense this season, led by the resurgent Geno Smith, they have one of the five worst defenses in the league and that burned them badly on Sunday afternoon against the Raiders. Josh Jacobs put together a game he’ll never forget with 303 yards from scrimmage against Seattle’s defense, including an 86-yard run in overtime to end the game, leaving the 12s absolutely stunned.

The Seahawks haven’t won since November 6 against the Cardinals. They’re quickly fading in the NFC West, but they have a chance to get back on track this coming weekend against a battered Los Angeles Rams team. But is victory a foregone conclusion?

The Rams have lost five straight games, the most recent being a road loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. The injury bug has bitten Los Angeles so hard this season, they probably can’t wait for the year to be over so they can get healthy and reset in 2023.

The Rams aren’t shutting Matthew Stafford down this season, but he’s now down both Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson at the wide receiver position, if and when he comes back. Bryce Perkins got the start last week, but if Stafford is back this week, you can’t help but wonder if the Rams can end this losing streak they’re on playing at home.

There’s really no reason to be faith-filled towards the Rams at this point, but at some point, what goes up must come down, and vice versa. On the surface, this game is a clear advantage to the Seahawks and their high-scoring offense. If Stafford plays, though, I’ll take the Rams in a close one.

As this post was being written, however, it was reported that Aaron Donald is being evaluated for a high-ankle sprain. Perhaps even if Stafford plays, it’s bad news for the LA crew.

Prediction: Seahawks win 26-21

Miami Dolphins (8-3) at San Francisco 49ers (7-4)

Sunday, December 4, 4:05 PM ET

The Master meets the Apprentice. Kyle Shanahan vs. Mike McDaniel, two coaches cut from the same cloth who have virtually grown up in this league together and probably know each other as well as any head coaches in the league.

Shanahan’s crew has been upstart in recent weeks after acquiring Christian McCaffrey in a trade, but it’s not just a dominant offense propelling the 49ers to victory these days — it’s the defense of Demeco Ryans that has been shutting down (and shutting out) opponents in recent weeks.

The 49ers are coming off of a dominant defensive effort against the New Orleans Saints, a 13-0 stomping that propelled the 49ers’ defense to #1 in the NFL in points allowed per game so far this season. We’ll see what happens when the unstoppable force that is the Tua Tagovailoa-led Dolphins offense meets that immovable object this coming weekend in San Francisco, in what will be one of the top overall matchups of the week.

What makes the 49ers such an interesting and threatening team in the NFC is the fact that they can win in so many different ways. The last two weeks are examples of that. They beat the Saints 13-0 but they almost dropped 40 points on the Cardinals the week before.

I think right now, Miami is so good offensively but I don’t know that they are as balanced as the 49ers. Is there one thing that this game “comes down to”? The Dolphins have the types of weapons offensively in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to be able to beat the top-ranked defense in the NFL.

I’m truly torn on this matchup from an NFL picks perspective. I could talk myself into either team winning.

Ultimately, I’m choosing the firepower the 49ers have offensively in combination with their top-ranked defense, playing at home.

Prediction: 49ers win 27-23

Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)

Sunday, December 4, 4:25 PM ET

It’s time for the rematch. A rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game between two teams that once again look like they could be on a collision course in the playoffs this season. The Bengals, this time, have the advantage of playing on their home field. The question right now is whether or not they will have the advantage of Ja’Marr Chase playing or whether they’ll have the disadvantage of him being on the injury report once again.

Well, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network…

This game is going to be so fascinating. The Bengals have been playing some of the best football of anyone lately, but they haven’t been in the National spotlight all that much for whatever reason, even though they are the reigning AFC champions. That will all change in Week 13 as they play host to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are also playing dominant football of late.

These are two of the top five scoring offenses in the entire league right now and there should be plenty of fireworks in this game. Not only are these two of the best offenses in the league in terms of points per game, but they are two of the very best when it comes to executing on third down and in the red zone.

Will this matchup require overtime once again? Will it come down to who holds the ball last?

In another week full of fun matchups, this is yet another difficult one to try and predict. As hot as the Chiefs have been lately, I’m going to say the Bengals come out with Ja’Marr Chase back in the lineup firing on all cylinders and win a close one.

Prediction: Bengals win 37-34

Los Angeles Chargers (6-5) at Las Vegas Raiders (4-7)

Sunday, December 4, 4:25 PM ET

Now here are a couple of teams coming off of a couple of feel-good victories. The Las Vegas Raiders are actually coming off of two walk-off wins in a row.

Two weekends ago, they walked it off in Denver on a brilliant route by Davante Adams in overtime, beating the second-year sensation Pat Surtain II and sending Broncos fans home extremely sad. The following week in Seattle, it was Josh Jacobs’ turn to do the heartbreaking. He sent the 12s home in second place with a brilliant 86-yard touchdown run in overtime to bring the Raiders to 4-7.

The Raiders are a handful of blown leads (big ones) away from being one of the best teams in the AFC right now. Unfortunately, you can’t erase the blown leads or get any sort of mulligan. The Raiders are what they are, which is probably not a playoff team this season. That’s a devastating reality for a team with huge aspirations after a massive offseason.

The Chargers are sort of in a similar boat, but they’ve been able to grind out a couple more wins. Justin Herbert led his team to a very fun win on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals with a two-point conversion at the end of regulation to win it.

Although the Chargers are imperfect, you can’t help but bet on Herbert week in and week out, especially with a full complement of weapons at his disposal. The question is, how quickly can Mike Williams get back for this Chargers team?

Another great question — can the Chargers defense handle Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs? This is a Los Angeles defense that has been horrendous against the run for a while now, and they rank 32nd this year in yards per attempt allowed as well as 28th in total rushing yards allowed.

That’s a recipe for disaster against the Raiders right now with the way Jacobs has been running.

Prediction: Raiders win 30-27

Indianapolis Colts (4-7-1) at Dallas Cowboys (8-3)

Sunday, December 4, 8:20 PM ET

I think it’s safe to say that no NFL team looked better than the Dallas Cowboys did in Week 12. Those classic uniforms with the white helmets and the double-striped socks were borderline 10/10 as far as NFL uniforms go these days.

In regards to how they played? Well, the Cowboys continued rolling. I will not take many victory laps because, in this line of work, you’re going to be wrong a lot, but I have been talking up the Cowboys since early in the 2022 offseason and I think they are proving me right week after week.

I love the Cowboys as an NFC favorite right now and they’re starting to play dominant football and balanced football in all phases. Mike McCarthy has taken a ton of heat, and he’s been put on the proverbial hot seat by many, but he’s got his team playing very well here in November going into December, and I think the Cowboys are shaping up to be the top contender in the NFC, or at least right up there with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Indianapolis Colts are sort of a wild card in today’s NFL and you can’t count them out week-to-week. This is a team that has beaten both the Eagles and the Chiefs, remember? The Colts also have plenty to play for right now because they play in one of the worst divisions in football. The Tennessee Titans feel like they could go on a losing streak at any moment, and if the Colts can catch a little bit of fire here at the end of the season, they might have something going.

Can Jeff Saturday get his guys in position to beat the Cowboys on the road, though? I just don’t see that happening.

Prediction: Cowboys win 28-15

New Orleans Saints (4-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)

Monday, December 5, 8:15 PM ET

Normally, NFL fans would be glued to their TV to see Tom Brady in a prime time game, but this one simply doesn’t hit like it used to. The Buccaneers are a very disappointing 5-6 this season. Disappointment seems to be a theme for so many NFL teams this year, doesn’t it?

The Bucs are disappointing, the Broncos, the Packers, the Cardinals, the Rams…so many teams are letting their fan bases down, but that’s the reality of the NFL in 2022, I suppose.

As disappointing as the Bucs have been, a win on Monday Night Football would keep them in first place in the NFC South. A loss could make things very interesting depending on what happens elsewhere in the division in Week 13.

If the Falcons win and the Bucs lose, the Falcons will move back into first place in the NFC South. The issue with this mess of a situation in the NFC South is that no one knows what version of the Saints you’re going to get on a week-to-week basis. There have been times when this Saints offense moves the ball exceptionally well and there are times, like this past weekend, when they are so bad they get shut out.

He doesn’t really deserve it with the way his team has played this season, but for NFL picks purposes, I can’t really pick against Tom Brady at home. I think that’s been my justification for picking the Bucs a few times this year, and the reality is, that just doesn’t play like it used to. But my brain is still convincing me that I need to go with Brady at home over Andy Dalton (or Jameis Winston) on the road.

Prediction: Buccaneers win 23-20