Another week of NFL competition has come to a close. It saw the Thanksgiving holiday pass by yet again with another successful year of football for families around the country to tune in while they eat turkey. It was a fun week of competition that saw plenty of playoff-like games occur. Plenty of changes happened in the playoff picture this past weekend.
The Steelers were able to win their divisional matchup and bounce back from their letdown loss to the Browns a week prior. It was a close victory over Cincinnati last Sunday, but it showed a spark on offense that this team has been searching for. They still have plenty of things to fix, namely scoring more points, but the Steelers seem to be on the right path for now.
2023 season prediction record after Week 12: 89-59
No picks last week as we got to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. We carry over the week's priors record and that sees us remain 30 picks into a positive record. We roll into this week in a good position and we should be able to finish the year in a better way once it is all said and done. This week has a couple of games that could make things difficult for this week's predictions.
Seattle Seahawks (6-5) vs Dallas Cowboys (8-2), Thursday at 8:15 P.M. EST
Prediction: Cowboys 27, Seahawks 23
Seattle has begun to struggle since their fast start to the season. Things have not been great lately and being on the road this week will not help matters either. Both of these clubs will likely make the playoffs unless they completely collapse. Dallas has been one of the best teams when they play at home this season, and that trend should continue here.
The Seahawks will stay in this game and keep it from a blowout performance by the Cowboys. Dak Prescott is playing some of the best football of his career, but his team routinely struggles against playoff-caliber opponents. This is a game where the Cowboys can make somewhat of a statement by handling the Seahawks this Thursday.
LA Chargers (4-7) vs New England Patriots (2-9), Sunday at 1 P.M. EST
Prediction: Chargers 26, Patriots 15
Two opposites here as the Patriots have struggled to add points on the board while the Chargers struggle to make stops on defense. It looks like Brandon Staley's days are numbered as the Head coach for LA. If he loses this game then he will probably be fired. New England is the worse team and one would have to imagine the Chargers will win. Prediction here has the Patriots ballooning up to 15 points, but the Chargers get too much offense going to overcome.
Detroit Lions (8-3) vs New Orleans Saints (5-6), Sunday at 1 P.M. EST
Prediction: Lions 24, Saints 20
Detroit is coming off a shocking loss to the Packers on Thanksgiving, but that should be a fluke. New Orleans is hosting this game, and they are having a lot of issues with moving the ball up and down the field. The Lions are still one of the best teams in the NFC and should be able to make some noise come playoff time. Jared Goff needs to clean up his play or this could be a toss-up. Prediction here has Detroit hanging on and beating the Saints.
Atlanta Falcons (5-6) vs New York Jets (4-7), Sunday at 1 P.M. EST
Prediction: Falcons 17, Jets 14
Neither offense is going to wow the other, but both defenses should be able to cause some issues too. Aaron Rodgers is back at practice for the Jets, but he is still weeks away from even attempting to play a game. Expect a tough day on offense for both sides in this contest. Atlanta is playing better ball coming into this game. New York has almost no offensive production and that should cost them. Atlanta should be able to open up the run game late to spring toward a win.
Arizona Cardinals (2-8) vs Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4), Sunday at 1 P.M. EST
Prediction: Steelers 24, Cardinals 20
Arizona is one of the worst teams in football and the addition of Kyler Murray from injury has not fixed things. There are too many holes on this roster to salvage much of the schedule that is left in front of them. Murray will be able to make them competitive off his explosive plays, but it's not likely that they will be able to hold onto victories.
The Steelers are coming off a massive win against the Bengals last week, and they need to build off their offensive performance. Kenny Pickett needs to lead drives that finish in the end zone. Pittsburgh's defense has averaged giving up less than 20 points this season. Expect Murray to give them a scare, but Pickett and company cash in more than last week.
Indianapolis Colts (6-5) vs Tennessee Titans (4-7), Sunday at 1 P.M. EST
Prediction: Titans 22, Colts 19
Indianapolis has found ways to stay in the hunt even though they have been without Jonathan Taylor and Shaq Leonard for parts of the season. Leonard is now gone and Taylor will be out for at least a couple weeks with a thumb injury. The Titans are not playing great, and Will Levis has struggled during his rookie starts. Expect Derrick Henry to be effective on the ground.
Miami Dolphins (8-3) vs Washington Commanders (4-8), Sunday at 1 P.M. EST
Prediction: Dolphins 28, Commanders 17
Miami continues to have a strong offense and a defense that remains underrated. Washington just fired their defensive coordinator and they traded their top edge rushers before the NFL trade deadline passed. This team punted on the season when that happened and they are seeing the direct results of those decisions now.
Denver Broncos (6-5) vs Houston Texans (6-5), Sunday at 1 P.M. EST
Prediction: Texans 35, Broncos 30
Houston is coming off a heartbreaker that would've been a massive win over Jacksonville last week if they were one yard closer on their game-winning field goal attempt. Now the red-hot Broncos come to town as they enjoy their long win streak. Houston will be battling hard to try and save their playoff hopes this week. The issue is that Denver will be in the same boat as they try and stay in the playoff picture. The Broncos have to lose eventually and C.J. Stroud should be able to handle their defense.
Carolina Panthers (1-10) vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7), Sunday at 4:05 P.M. EST
Prediction: Buccaneers 20, Panthers 13
Neither team has found a ton of success this year, but Carolina is on a new level of bad this year. They are the worst team in the NFL and are coming off firing their Head coach this past week. Sometimes that might motivate a club to win the following week, but that does not seem likely with the Panthers. Tampa Bay should be able to make enough plays to get a win on the road with Carolina keeping it a one-possession game.
Cleveland Browns (7-4) vs LA Rams (5-6) at 4:25 P.M. EST
Prediction: Rams 24, Browns 18
Flying across the country is no easy task, but going up against an LA team that has found some post-season hope again makes matters worse. Myles Garrett will play, but it is still unknown how much his injury will hamper his efforts moving forward. Right now, the Browns are down to P.J. Walker and Joe Flacco as their starters at quarterback. That is not ideal, and that should allow Matthew Stafford and company enough life to get to the finish line with a win.
San Francisco 49ers (8-3) vs Philadelphia Eagles (10-1), Sunday at 4:25 P.M. EST
Prediction: 49ers 26, Eagles 23
Game of the week here as the 49ers come across the country to take on the Eagles. The last time these two faced off it was a blowout win for the Eagles over a Brock Purdy-less 49ers crew. It should be different this time around. Philadelphia has been flirting with disaster in recent weeks, but they have found ways to win. It should be a tight game that comes down to the wire in a potential NFC championship preview when the game happens in a month or so.
Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) vs Green Bay Packers (5-6), Sunday at 8:20 P.M. EST
Prediction: Chiefs 24, Packers 17
Not sure how the NFL schedulers ever thought this would be a good matchup to have in a primetime spot. Kansas City has not played great for most of the season, but much like the Eagles, they have found ways to win. At the end of the day, all that matters in the NFL is winning football games. The Chiefs should be able to roll over the Packers, but it might be a closer end score than most are predicting it to be.
Cincinnati Bengals (5-6) vs Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3), Monday at 8:15 P.M. EST
Prediction: Jaguars 31, Bengals 20
Cincinnati lost to the Steelers last weekend and that should only inflate the number of losses they will have down the stretch. They will head to Jacksonville this week to take on the Jaguars. It will not be an easy game for the Bengals. The Jaguars have not played perfect football in recent weeks, but they have been effective when needed. Cincinnati will have too many hurdles to overcome to predict them as the victors here.