The Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, and Pittsburgh Steelers will all be looking to hold it down at home in their respective Week 13 matchups as we steamroll toward a fast and furious finish to the 2018 regular season. If you’re looking for some expert NFL betting picks for the upcoming week of action, then look no further.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
Game Information
What: Indianapolis Colts (6-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3-8)
When: Sunday, December 2, Where1:00 PM ET
Where: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
TV: CBS, 708
Weather Forecast
Chance Moderate Rain Showers: 24°C | 75°F
Humidity: 75%
Wind: 7 MPH SW
Stadium Type: Open Air
Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts are playing their best football of the season at just the right time. Indy has won five straight including a hard-fought 27-24 road win over Miami this past weekend. Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville Jaguars have lost seven straight games, but I guess you can say they haven’t looked awful in their last three games, including Sunday’s 24-21 road loss to Buffalo.
Look, there would appear to be no sane reason to back Jacksonville in this contest, even at home, but that’s just why I like Jacksonville to get the upset in this Week 13 matchup. The Jags are completely and utterly desperate, they’re playing at home and gave the Colts a hard way to go in their 29-26 road loss to Indy in Week 10. While the favorite in this series has gone 11-4-1 ATS in the last 16 meetings, Indianapolis is 0-6 ATS in the last six meetings. I smell an improbable upset brewing.
Predicted Score: Jacksonville Jaguars 24 | Indianapolis Colts 23
Minnesota Vikings at New England Patriots
Game Information
What: Minnesota Vikings (6-4-1) at New England Patriots (8-3)
When: Sunday, December 2, 2018, 4:25 PM ET
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
TV: FOX, DTV: 717
Weather Forecast
Slight Chance Light Rain: 12°C | 53°F
Humidity: 93%
Wind: 5 MPH SW
Stadium Type: Open Air
Minnesota bounced back nicely from their Week 11 road loss at Chicago to beat Green Bay 24-17 on Sunday night while covering the spread as a 3.5-point home favorite just as I predicted. New England bounced back from a loss in their previous game by getting past the New York Jets 27-13 to narrowly cover the spread as a 13-point road favorite.
While both of these teams entered the 2018 season as Super Bowl favorites, they’ve both underachieved in a big way. Despite ranking 11t in points allowed, New England’s defense is ranked 22nd overall and simply mediocre as they’ve shown on many occasions this season.
Minnesota certainly hasn’t turned into a Super Bowl favorite because of the addition of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, but they’ve still got a good defense that had limited four of their last six opponents to 17 points or less and really, New England just doesn’t have that look of a powerhouse that can’t be beaten this season.
The Vikings are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in Week 13 and 19-7 ATS in their last 26 games in December and the road team in this rivalry has gone 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings. I’m thinking New England could lose this game outright.
Predicted Score: Minnesota Vikings 27 | New England Patriots 24
Sunday Football Night: Los Angeles Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Game Information
What: Sunday Football Night: Los Angeles Chargers (8-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3-1)
When: Sunday, December 2, 2018, 8:20 PM ET
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
TV: NBC
Weather Forecast
Chance Light Rain: 7°C | 45°F
Humidity: 80%
Wind: 5 MPH SW
Stadium Type: Open Air
The Chargers have won seven of their last eight and they bounced back from their narrow 23-22 home loss to Denver in Week 11 to bash Arizona senseless in their 45-10 blowout win on Sunday. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, was on the wrong end of a surprising 24-17 road loss against Denver on Sunday that snapped their six-game winning streak.
For this Week 13 matchup of legitimate Super Bowl contenders, I’m going to advise you to back Philip Rivers and the visiting Chargers to get the ATS cover by beating Pittsburgh outright – and taking down Ben Roethlisberger at least a half-dozen times in the process. The Chargers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The Steelers are an uninspiring 3-7 ATS in their last 10 home games, 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games against a team with a winning road record and 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in the month of December. I’m going with Philip Rivers and the Bolts for the upset!
Predicted Score: Los Angeles Chargers 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers 24
