Week 13 NFL picks

Well, I scrapped through to an 11-5 tally last week, bringing my total percentage to a season-high 65.9%. My picks this week: (home teams in CAPS, as always). Once again, I'm going against my most basic assumptions with my two squads (Bears face a tough road game in Minnesota, Colts a classic trap game in Cleveland after a series of huge wins). I also have to pick against San Diego when it hosts Atlanta, just because its pass defense can't seem to stop anybody at the moment. And I'm picking the Bucs to beat the Saints just because the Saints can't seem to have two good games in a row, and they just had a great one last week against Green Bay. The other game that kills me in this spate is Chiefs-Raiders, two teams so bad and so inconsistent (and yet so capable of randomly pummeling Denver) that it's impossible to tell who will win. I'm going with Tyler Thigpen over JaMarcus Russell, who attempted 11 -- count 'em -- 11 passes in the Denver win. I just don't trust the Raiders to win two in a row.

Lastly, in the bird battle I'm taking Philly against all better judgment, only because Arizona has made many trips east for winnable games (at the Jets when the Jets were struggling, at Washington when it was the fourth-best team in the NFC East) and blown them all. Donovan McNabb is probably playing for his job, and Andy Reid possibly coaching for his. Arizona has at least the #4 spot in the playoffs locked up, probably the #3. They have much less to play for. Eagles in an upset. Or maybe I'm just silly.

My picks:

Week 13:
titans over LIONS
COWBOYS over seahawks
EAGLES over cardinals
BILLS over 49ers
ravens over BENGALS
colts over BROWNS
PACKERS over panthers
dolphins over RAMS
BUCCANEERS over saints
giants over REDSKINS
falcons over CHARGERS
PATRIOTS over steelers
JETS over broncos
chiefs over RAIDERS
bears over VIKINGS
TEXANS over jaguars

Week 12: 11-5
Season: 116-60 65.9%