NFL Week 13 Pick’em Pool Advice, Picks & Predictions (2023)

by Phil Wood |
Nov 29, 2023

Week 12's results muddied the playoff picture in both conferences. Just one game separates the sixth-place Seattle Seahawks from the 10th-place New Orleans Saints in the NFC, just one game separates the fifth-place Pittsburgh Steelers from the ninth-place Denver Broncos in the AFC.

Here is our best NFL pick-em advice for Week 13.

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NFL Week 13 Pick'Em Pool Advice

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans

The Titans ended a three-game losing streak with a 17-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 12. They're now 4-0 when playing in their home stadium and have a chance to inch back into the playoff discussion with a win over the Colts this week.

The Colts have won three in a row and currently hold the AFC's seventh seed. Their past three wins are over teams with a combined record of 7-26, so it's hard to know just how good this team is, especially since two of those three wins were by seven or fewer points. The bad news for the Colts is that running back Jonathan Taylor will miss a few weeks with a thumb injury. The good news for them is that Zack Moss showed what he's capable of filling in for Taylor early in the season.

Despite Taylor's injury, we're going to back the Colts this week. Prior to their win over the Panthers last week, the Titans had looked lifeless with Levis under center. This will be a low-scoring game that the Titans keep close until the end. Ultimately, the Colts will find a way to hold on, as they've done throughout this season.

The Pick: Indianapolis Colts

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints

Quarterback Jared Goff has turned the ball over six times in the past two weeks and the Lions have looked like a shell of the team we saw through the first 10 weeks of the season. Yet, despite the horrible offensive play, the Lions still managed to go 1-1 over that span. Last week, they lost by just seven to the Green Bay Packers, despite being dominated for the entire game.

Meanwhile, the Saints have lost two in a row to drop to 5-6 on the year. In Week 12, they had 444 yards of total offense, but the Atlanta Falcons forced timely turnovers which proved too much for the Saints to overcome.

This week, turnovers will once again be key for both teams. The Saints are tied for third in the league - averaging 1.8 takeaways per game - while the Lions average 1.5 turnovers per game. If the Saints can win the turnover battle, then they may be able to spring the upset. However, we expect the Lions to use the extra time off after playing on Thanksgiving to get right, clean up the offensive side of the ball, and win a nail-biter for the second time in three weeks.

The Pick: Detroit Lions

Denver Broncos at Houston Texans

The Broncos extended their winning streak to five games after they defeated the Cleveland Browns, 29-12. The defense forced three turnovers and held the Browns to just 269 yards of total offense, while the offense scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to put the game away for good.

Meanwhile, the Texans lost a heartbreaker in Week 12 as Matt Ammendola's 58-yard field goal attempt hit the crossbar to give the Jacksonville Jaguars the 24-21 win. The Texans have very little chance of winning the AFC South, but with a win on Sunday they would move one step closer to securing an improbable playoff berth.

This is going to be a very close game, and CJ Stroud may struggle against a Broncos defense that is allowing just 183 passing yards per game over its past three contests. But ultimately, the Broncos' offense hasn't been impressive enough. We don't expect them to turn the ball over, but we also expect them to struggle to score like they've done in just about every game this season.

The Pick: Houston Texans

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have now won four games in a row by seven or fewer points. For the second week in a row, they erased a double-digit halftime deficit as they clawed their way to their 10th victory of the season. They now have the best record in the NFC by a full two games and yet, they're underdogs at home against the 49ers.

Since their three-game losing streak, the 49ers have been obliterating teams. They've outscored their last three opponents 92-30. This looks like the team that started the year 5-0, and even though the results for these two teams have been the same over the past few weeks, the 49ers have looked much better in their victories.

It's hard to pick against a team that has managed to win 10 games in 11 tries, but this is the one time that it makes sense to do so. Expect Brock Purdy and his dangerous receiving corps to take advantage of a surprisingly weak Eagles' secondary, as they pick up the win and hold the tiebreaker over the Eagles for the remainder of the season.

The Pick: San Francisco 49ers

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:

Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.

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