PUTTING ALONG WITH NFL WEEK 13

PUTTING ALONG WITH WEEK 13 NFL PICKS

You know the sports media in Canada is going through serious hockey withdrawal pains when three looooong days are spent debating the elimination of the belly/anchored putter from golf.

Those reporters could probably invest that valuable time in covering other human-interest stories and sports, but that might make too much sense for news outlets desperately searching for readers or listening/viewing audiences.

My wife, the brains of our household (wink, wink) figures if they are going to eliminate things from golf, it should start with the rodeo clown clothes, grandpa-like sweaters and the holier-than-thou attitudes of many of those whacking a white ball thinking they are better than most people put on this planet. Yep, she doesn’t beat around the bush, unless she's golfing.

And speaking of teed off, leave your socks on her coffee table just once and somebody’s going to get hurt real bad!

Speaking of below par, let’s talk about her New York Jets and other Week 13 matchups on the National Football League schedule:

Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills

Buffalo is favoured by 6.5 points. The Jags’ defence has given up a ton of yards. The majority of the pigskin pundits predict Buffalo will win a close game. So is 6.5 points too much? I think not.

Pick: Bills by 7 points, at least.

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears

Bears are favoured by 4.5 points. Seahawks are unbeaten at home and undeniably bad on the road, Bears rarely lose at Soldier field, especially when the weather cools down and the visitors are from Washington.

Pick: Da Bears, by 6 points or more.

Indianapolis Colts at Detroit Lions

The Lions are favoured by 4.5 points.  And that seems fair given their tough defensive line and overall improvement of late.

Pick: Lions by at least 6 points.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Wow, the odds makers have given Green Bay a 9.5-point spread. That’s huge. The Pack will pick apart the fading Vikings, but 9.5 points is a lot at this stage of the season to cover.

Pick: Packers by 10. Might have to sweat a bit about this one.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans

The Texans are 6.5-point favourites. I like the Houston squad, but I keep waiting for them to have a day where they mail it in to save wear and tear on their playoff-bound bodies. I don’t think this will be the week the Titans get a cheap one.

Pick: Texans by 10.

Carolina Panthers at Kansas City Chiefs

The Panthers are favoured by 3.5 points. While some might call this the Who Cares Bowl for Sunday, it should be a safe bet that the Panthers prevail.

Pick: Panthers by at least 7.

San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams

San Fran is favoured by 7.5 points. And this is one game I’m willing to bet the farm on the Rams getting slaughtered.

Pick: 49ers, by a whole bunch, no matter who plays quarterback.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins

New England is favoured by 7.5 points. And while I’m not a fan of the Pats, they will dunk the Dolphins.

Pick: Patriots by 10 or more.

Arizona Cardinals at New York Jets

The Jets are 4.5 favourites. Both gawd-awful teams are 4-7 and make golf sweaters look good. Someone has to win this, right?

Pick: Jets, by six points. It might be a 6-0 game!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Denver Broncos

Denver is 7.5-point favourites. I say the Broncos win, but just barely covering the spread.

Pick: Broncos by 8 points.

Cleveland Browns at Oakland Raiders

Oakland is favoured by 1.5 points.  I pick the Browns to tear apart the defence and make suffering Raider Nation scream for changes and executions!

Pick: Browns by 3, at least.

Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers

The Bengals are 1.5-point favourites. And considering how fast and far the Chargers have fallen, that’s about right.

Pick: Bengals by at least 3 points.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore is favoured by 1.5 points. And I think this game will be the toughest and closest of the day.

Pick: Ravens by 3, maybe even in overtime.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

Dallas is favoured by 7.5 points, which is incredible given their inconsistent play. I think they win but am nervous to give 7.5 points.

Pick: Dallas by seven points, won’t cover spread.

MONDAY NIGHTER

New York Giants at Washington Redskins

Giants are 3.5 point favourites and I believe they’ll need every one of those points to get the job done.

Pick: Giants by six in a very tough, entertaining game.