Welcome to SLICED SPREAD, the place on Inside Pulse Sports for weekly NFL picks against the spread, head to head survivor picks, and score prognostications.
The Thanksgiving holiday week was a wash for me against the spread as I finished with a record of 8-8, 1-2 in my locks of the week and 1-0 in my head to head Survivor pick (Bengals over the Raiders).
Let’s hope Week 13 is just a little bit luckier than that, shall we? Onto the picks!
Home teams are shown in CAPs
Thursday Night Football:
New Orleans (+3.5) over ATLANTA — I am riding with more underdogs than favorites this week, and it begins on Thursday night. If the Saints have one last stand in them, this will be it. I’m calling an upset but it’ll be close either way. Saints win 27-24
Sunday:
KANSAS CITY (+2.5) over Carolina — The Panthers won against an atrocious Eagles team on Monday night. The Chiefs are pretty horrific too, but they showed last week that they still have a little fight left in them. Carolina could win, but I like Kansas City at home to score a rare victory. Also, I wonder if anyone will have the guts to pick the Chiefs in Survivor pools this week, since I almost did myself. Chiefs win 19-16
ST. LOUIS (+7.5) over San Francisco — The Rams already played the Niners to a tie earlier this season, so I’m taking the points even though I think SF will win this one second time around. Niners win 28-21
*LOCK IT UP: New England (-8.5) over MIAMI — When the Pats are on fire, they don’t hold back against their division foes, or anyone else for that matter. Patriots win 41-20
*LOCK IT UP: Houston (-5.5) over TENNESSEE — The Texans are the superior team and 5.5 points doesn’t scare me in the least. Texans win 38-17
*H2H SURVIVOR PICK: CHICAGO (-4.5) over Seattle — The Bears are just so much better with Jay Cutler behind center and Chicago’s defense will stand tall at home. Bears win 27-12
Indianapolis (+4.5) over DETROIT — The Lions suffered a horrible, heartbreaking loss on Thanksgiving Day while the Colts shined at Buffalo. I like Andrew Luck even on the road. Colts win 21-17
Minnesota (+9.5) over GREEN BAY — The Packers were caught sleepwalking against the Giants in what should have been an epic battle. I like the Vikings to cover, but the Packers to win head to head. Packers win 24-17
Arizona (+4.5) over NY JETS — The Jets probably will win this game, but I have a feeling it will be close and low-scoring enough for Arizona to sneakily cover. Jets win 17-13
Jacksonville (+5.5) over BUFFALO — Chad Henne is familiar with trekking up to Buffalo when he was with the Dolphins and his solid play at QB makes me think an upset can definitely happen this week. Jaguars win 24-20
Tampa Bay (+7.5) over DENVER — I love Tampa Bay this week to cover. The Broncos are a solid team all the way around, but the Bucs will play them tough and tight. Broncos win 26-23
Pittsburgh (+6.5) over BALTIMORE — Everyone seems to think the Ravens will crush the Steelers this week. I don’t remember the last time these games weren’t too close to call regardless of the circumstances. Ravens win 21-16
Cleveland (+1.5) over OAKLAND — The Browns won last week, so there’s not way they can make it two in a row, right? Against the Raiders, anything is possible. Dream big, Browns fans! Browns win 27-17
*LOCK IT UP: Cincinnati (-1.5) over SAN DIEGO — Like I said last week, the Bengals are just clicking way too well offensively for me to go against them. I like the small number and I think the Chargers have given us their last gasp for 2012. Bengals win 34-21
Sunday Night Football:
Philadelphia (+9.5) over DALLAS — God I hate this game. If the Eagles were playing ANYONE else, I would probably say that Philly is just completely finished and they will simply get embarrassed yet again. However, playing their weakest division rival in the Cowboys on another nationally televised game leads me to think the Eagles will take whatever remnants of pride they have left and put it all into this contest. Therefore… Cowboys win 28-24
Monday Night Football:
NY Giants (-2.5) over WASHINGTON — The Giants righted the ship last week and simply dismantled the Packers. The Redskins did pretty much the same to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day as RGIII fully arrived on the national stage. I think the Giants are still the superior team, however, and with the division hanging in the balance New York will not let up here. With that said, Griffin can definitely expose the Giants’ weak secondary if he’s given ample time to do so, which is why I think this game will wind up being a shootout over a defensive struggle. Ultimately… Giants win 31-28
That’s all for this week’s edition of SLICED SPREAD.
See you next week — CB.
