Week 13 - Survivor Pools Nov 26, 2008 | More

All four of my picks won last weekend (Cowboys, Steelers, Buccaneers and Bears) despite the tough home underdog schedule that it was. Denver laid an egg at home to the Raiders, who like I said, kept Week 1 in mind. We are in Thanksgiving week, so if you are reading this article, you’re likely still alive at this late point in the season. Congrats so far, but you are only about three quarters of the way there. Get one step closer to the finish by checking out my picks for Week 13 as well as a game-by-game analysis.

The Rules:

1.       Stay away from road teams.

2.       Stay away from divisional matchups.

3.       Never take a divisional team on the road.

On to Week 13

Titans @ Lions – Bad week to be the Lions. Not like any other week is different, but still.

Seahawks @ Cowboys – Cowboys are a Turkey day win away from a huge game in Pittsburgh where a win in the Steel City could have them looking good for January.

Cardinals @ Eagles – Cards do not play well on the East as you may have seen (see Jets game for one example), but the Eagles are a mess. I still think Philly pulls this one out in a shootout on Thanksgiving night.

49ers @ Bills – Buffalo is a sneaky pick this week, but their play prior to Sunday’s game concerns me. I don’t think I’m ready to take them, but I’ll analyze the rest of the schedule. The fact that San Francisco comes from the west to the east for an early kickoff helps the Bills’ case.

Ravens @ Bengals – Cincy actually hasn’t been that bad. Their one-win record doesn’t indicate how they played. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not a good team, but they are better than one win. Don’t be tempted with the Ravens on the road in the division.

Colts @ Browns – Colts should take this one with Derek Anderson getting back on the field for the Browns. However, you probably have already used Indy at this point.

Panthers @ Packers – Should be a close and exciting game in Lambeau on Sunday – especially if the weather plays a factor.

Dolphins @ Rams – I advised you to use the fish against the Seahawks and Raiders in back-to-back weeks so I doubt you have them at this point in the season. I don’t think I’d take them if I had them on the road anyway.

Saints @ Bucs – Big NFC South battle. Saints need to win if they want to stay in the picture.

Giants @ Redskins – All of a sudden, it’s a huge game for the Skins. A loss drops them to 7-5 and a win by Dallas on Thanksgiving could really put the pressure on them.

Falcons @ Chargers – The Broncos are giving San Diego all of the chances to get back into the race, but the Chargers don’t seem to want to take advantage. I’m picking SD in this one, but it’s too risky for survivor.

Steelers @ Patriots – I’d like to see the weather cooperate with some snow for this one, too.

Broncos @ Jets – Don’t take the Jets this week. The Broncos have a passing attack, granted it’s been on and off, that can exploit the Jets secondary. New York is hot right now, but they just came off a game on the road where they beat the undefeated Titans. They could start off slow, so it’s not worth risking.

Chiefs @ Raiders – Eww.

Bears @ Vikings – NFC North battle for first place.

Jaguars @ Texans – AFC south battle for the cellar.

Choices:

1/2. Titans & Cowboys are musts if you have them.

3. Colts

4. Bills

Choices:

Tempting picks that I am avoiding:

1. Ravens – on the road in the division against Cincy who is better than 1-9-1.

2. Jets – could be due for letdown and Broncos have good passing attack

That is how I rank the teams for Week 13. If you have TEN or DAL, use them on Turkey day. If not, roll with the next best option. Indy is on the road, but should take care of Cleveland even without Jeff Saturday. The Bills are my fourth option since they are home with an early start to a West coast team. Stay away from those tempting picks this week since I could easily see them losing. Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the games!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me at pags2122@yahoo.com. Thanks for all of the feedback so far.

Good luck this week!