The 2023 NFL season has now entered Week 13, and after the chaos of Thanksgiving last week, we have six teams on their bye this week.Our five-fold features games from New Orleans, New York, Pittsburgh, Washington and Tampa.
- Detroit Lions to beat New Orleans Saints
- Under 34 points - Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets
- Pittsburgh Steelers to beat Arizona Cardinals
- Miami Dolphins -9.5 against Washington Commanders
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat Carolina Panthers
Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints
Despite their 29-22 defeat to NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions are in the best position they have been in for decades.
Dan Campbell has turned the Lions' fortunes around slowly but surely, and they are in the hunt to be one of the best teams in the NFC.
The Lions' defeat would have been a bitter pill to swallow amongst all that tasty Thanksgiving food, but it should just be a blip. Detroit had won three in a row before that, while hosts New Orleans have not looked settled all season.
Dennis Allen's team have lost two in a row, and they have yet to see the best of quarterback Derek Carr since signing him in the off-season. At home, the Saints are 2-2, and it is tough to see them stopping the Lions this week.
Atlanta Falcons @ New York Jets
The 22nd-best offence travels to the 30th-best offence - so let's keep expectations low for this one.
Robert Saleh's Jets are 2-4 at home, and their season was always on the slide when Aaron Rodgers went down injured. They showed some fighting spirit for a few weeks, but the entire team was built around Rodgers, and both backups, Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle, have struggled to step up.
In Boyle's defence, he has only started one game, and he will start Sunday's clash at home, but the Falcons have only conceded 232 points on defence; that's the tied-13th best total in the NFL.
Atlanta are still trying to find their identity, but it is tough to back them to win, as they are 1-4 on the road. The signs suggest a low-scoring affair, with the Jets only scoring more than 20 points three times this season.
Boyle to start for the Jets
Arizona Cardinals @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Mike Tomlin continues to work wonders in Pittsburgh, and despite their offensive frailties, they are 7-4 and playoff-bound at the minute.
The Steelers sacked offensive coordinator Matt Canada earlier this month, but it got them back to winning ways as they beat AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pittsburgh have now won three in four, while the Cardinals are still in the running for the No.1 pick next season. Arizona are 2-10 for the season, and they have yet to win on the road.
Kyler Murray's return has lifted their spirits, but he needs more help on offence, and the Cardinals will struggle to get past this rigid Steelers defence.
Miami Dolphins @ Washington Commanders
The NFL's second-best offence are on the road this week as the Miami Dolphins travel to the Washington Commanders.
Mike McDaniels' team have won two on the spin, and they were last in action against the Jets, winning 34-13 in New York. The occasion of the first "Black Friday game" did not unsettle the Dolphins, and they were impressive under the spotlight.
Miami have not travelled that well this season, and their 3-3 record backs that up, but they face a Commanders team who have only won one of their five games at home.
Their defensive weaknesses have not helped their cause, and no team has conceded more points than the Commanders this season.
That is terrible news with Miami in town, and the Dolphins should have no problems covering the spread.
Dolphins need to improve on the road
Carolina Panthers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It has been a busy week in Carolina, with the Panthers sacking Frank Reich after a disastrous campaign. The Panthers are 1-10, and they will soon be surrendering their first-round pick to the Chicago Bears after the trade they agreed to last season.
Reich and his staff failed to get the best out of rookie Bryce Young, and the new group of coaches have their work cut out for the final few weeks of the campaign.
The Bucs need to win out for the rest of the season if they are to make the playoffs, and they have started to regress, losing six of their last seven.
However, they were beaten by seven points or fewer in four of those games, and coach Todd Bowles will be confident he can come up with a game plan that will unsettle Young.
Tampa's defence has actually kept them competitive, and they have only conceded 227 points in 11 games. With Young still finding his feet at the highest level, Tampa should be able to grind out a narrow victory in front of their fans.
