First up, we head to Detroit, where I have the Lions winning at home over the visiting Vikings. I’ll be real – I’m putting a lot of weight on Detroit’s home field advantage here. There’s not a ton of excitement on the offensive side beyond receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, but the Detroit offense has managed its business; I’m crossing my fingers for a good game from D’Andre Swift, but we’ll see. Stella is sticking with her general rule of paw in which, when things are close, she leans toward the squad with the best player. That’s almost certainly Minnesota wideout Justin Jefferson, and so, all other things being what they are, she opted to go deep purple.
Next, in a game that neither one of us cares one iota about, we have Jacksonville against Tennessee. I’m picking Jacksonville, she’s picking Tennessee … and neither one of us gives a s—t. It feels like we’ve seen this game half-a-dozen times already this season. Who cares?
From there, we head to Pittsburgh, where I have the Steelers winning at home against the reeling Ravens. I don’t love the Steelers – only those who put fries on their salads would dare – but I have to assume that Baltimore’s offense is going to stall without Lamar Jackson under center. While the Steelers offense has its issues, I think they score enough to eke this one out. Stella also believes it will be close, but she thinks the Ravens will come out on top, thanks to an opportunistic defense and the aforementioned anemia of the Steelers attack. We both agree that this will be one of the more unpleasant games to watch not just of the week, but of the season thus far.
In a bit of a reversal, I’m picking the Buccaneers to win on the road against the 49ers. While I still think that Tom Brady is locked in an irreversible downward spiral, I also acknowledge that the guy still finds ways to get it done. And when he’s facing a team forced by injury to start last year’s Mr. Irrelevant under center, well ... I have to begrudgingly like his chances. Stella has decided to zag, going with the Niners despite the loss of Jimmy G. She has a hunch that the San Francisco defense will be able to get after Brady and force him out of his comfort zone. She also thinks that Christian McCaffery is going to have 20 touches and do plenty with them.
After that, it’s Dolphins/Chargers, where I’m picking Miami to pick up the road win. Look, it’s weird to me for the Dolphins to be this explosive offensively, but that’s where we’re at. They have some dynamic receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, with our man Tua chucking the ball all over the yard with real accuracy. Stella’s been disappointed by these Chargers in the past, but she’s got a feeling this week. She thinks Justin Herbert is due for a big game through the air and she’s always expecting big doings from Austin Ekeler both on the ground and through the air. A close one, but she thinks the Chargers hold serve at home.
Finally, on Monday night, I’m picking the Patriots to win over the Cardinals. You don’t need me to go through it – I’m a Pats fan who picks the Pats, even when he shouldn’t. This isn’t one of those times, though; Rhamondre Stevenson is going to slice and dice this iffy Arizona defense and the New England D is going to handle their scuffling offense. Stella concedes that this pick is a tiny bit of a troll job, but she also posits that the Patriots aren’t nearly as good as I so deeply want them to be. She knows that the Cards are reeling, but she also thinks that they present some real matchup problems for the New England defense. She’s not as confident here as she is with some of her other picks, but she likes Arizona to win it on their home turf.
And there we are! Six games. And the clock is ticking. A big move now could be the difference maker and lead to thrilling victory or agonizing defeat. Will either of us make one? Stay tuned and find out!
(winners in caps)
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ALLEN’S PICKS
Thursday, December 8
LAS VEGAS at LA Rams
Sunday, December 11
NY Jets at BUFFALO
Cleveland at CINCINNATI
Houston at DALLAS
Minnesota at DETROIT
JACKSONVILLE at Tennessee
PHILADELPHIA at NY Giants
Baltimore at PITTSBURGH
KANSAS CITY at Denver
TAMPA BAY at San Francisco
Carolina at SEATTLE
MIAMI at LA Chargers
Monday, December 12
NEW ENGLAND at Arizona
Week 13 record: 10-4-1
Season record: 116-75-2
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STELLA’S PICKS
Thursday, December 8
LAS VEGAS at LA Rams
Sunday, December 11
NY Jets at BUFFALO
Cleveland at CINCINNATI
Houston at DALLAS
MINNESOTA at Detroit
Jacksonville at TENNESSEE
PHILADELPHIA at NY Giants
BALTIMORE at Pittsburgh
KANSAS CITY at Denver
Tampa Bay at SAN FRANCISCO
Carolina at SEATTLE
Miami at LA CHARGERS
Monday, December 12
New England at ARIZONA
Week 13 record: 11-3-1
Season record: 115-76-2
