December.  The final lap.  It’s time to put up or shut up, especially if you’re in the AFC Wild Card hunt, as 7 teams are fighting for one spot.  The interesting part of this week is the fact that there is a whole slew of mismatches.  So, either we will just carry on with our positioning into next week or someone will be kicking themselves for showing up flat.

Thurday Night

New Orleans (8-3) at ATLANTA (7-4) – Vegas: Falcons -2.5
A huge NFC South showdown in Hotlanta.  I think the Falcons are slightly better than the Saints, so to be at home, on a Thursday Night, with no other reason to pick against them, I am not going to.  Falcons (moderate)

Sunday, Early Afternoon

Jacksonville (4-7) at BUFFALO (6-5) – Vegas: Bills -5.5
The Bills are in the midst of an incredibly soft part of their schedule.  Bills (easy)

Seattle (3-8) at CHICAGO (7-4) – Vegas: Bears -5.5
Another early game for the ‘Hawks?  Who did Pete Carroll piss off in the league office?  Bears (easy)

San Francisco (8-3) at ST. LOUIS (3-8) – Vegas: 49ers -5.5
Both teams coming off long road trips, but the Niners are just a better team.  49ers (moderate)

New England (9-2) at MIAMI (6-5) – Vegas: Patriots -6.5
The Pats have 10 days to prepare for this one.  I’ll lay the points.  Patriots (easy)

Arizona (4-7) at N.Y. JETS (5-6) – Vegas: Jets -6.5
10 days for the Jets, as the Cards come east for an early game.  Jets (easy)

Indianapolis (2-9) at DETROIT (6-5) – Vegas: Lions -9.5
The Lions get 10 days to prep for a home game with Indy.  The only question is when do they start looking at Packer film for next week?  Lions (easy)

Minnesota (4-7) at GREEN BAY (10-1) – Vegas: Packers -13.5
Coming off of a tough Sunday Night in New Jersey, the Pack could use a home game against an inferior squad to get back on that horse.  Packers (easy)

Houston (7-4) at TENNESSEE (5-6) – Vegas: Texans -3.5
Be careful of teams making their “last stands,” which this very well could be for Tennessee.  I wouldn’t be thrilled with this spot if I were a Texans fan, but the fact that they have 10 days to prepare for it helps…a lot.  Texans (close)

Carolina (4-7) at KANSAS CITY (5-6) – Vegas: Chiefs -3
A short week for Cam & Company and a trip to a tough place.  Chiefs (easy)

Sunday, Late Afternoon

Tampa Bay (4-7) at DENVER (5-6) – Vegas: Broncos -8.5
The Broncs should be in the mix at this point, so a home loss to Tampa would be unacceptable.  Broncos (easy)

Cleveland (1-10) at OAKLAND (1-10) – Vegas: Raiders -5.5
Uh…wow.  If I am anywhere near right on these teams, this game is going to be ugly…  Raiders (moderate)

Cincinnati (8-3) at SAN DIEGO (6-5) – Vegas: Chargers -5.5
This is a long trip for the Bengals, but the Chargers are coming off a physical game with Baltimore.  I still like the Chargers at home here.  Chargers (moderate)

Pittsburgh (8-3) at BALTIMORE (6-5) – Vegas: Ravens -3
Another big showdown for these two teams who “plain don’t like each other.”  It’s not a great spot for the Ravens, as they are coming back from a trip to the West Coast, but they should be the more desperate team here.  This might be the Ravens “last stand,” and I’m willing to bet on them.  Ravens (close)

Sunday Night

Philadelphia (8-3) at DALLAS (6-5) – Vegas: Eagles -1
Just a brutal, brutal spot for the Birds to play their road game in Dallas.  The Cowboys played at home on Thanksgiving, while the Birds are coming off a Monday Night game.  The schedule-makers handed Dallas a big win here.  Cowboys (moderate)

Monday Night

N.Y. Giants (7-4) at WASHINGTON (3-8) – Vegas: Giants -2.5
The NFC East steals the prime time spotlight in Week 13.  And, just like their rivals to the south, the Giants get a road divisional game in a really tough spot.  The ‘Skins are working on 10 days’ rest, while the Giants are coming off a big Sunday Night game against the Packers.  With RG3 having 11 games under his belt, he might be ready for the spotlight.  Redskins (close)

Standings After Week Thirteen

NFC EAST:
The NFC East is showcased on prime time and the bottom two teams knock off the top two, making this a much more interesting division all of a sudden
8-4 Eagles
7-5 Giants
7-5 Cowboys
4-8 Redskins

NFC NORTH:
The top of the NFC continues to roll, including the three top teams in this division
11-1 Packers
8-4 Bears
7-5 Lions
4-8 Vikings

NFC SOUTH:
The Falcons and Saints are now in a flat-footed tie and have split the season series…
8-4 Falcons
8-4 Saints
4-8 Panthers
4-8 Bucs

NFC WEST:
The Niners have officially clinched the NFC West…shocking the world, I’m sure
9-3 49ers
4-8 Cardinals
3-9 Rams
3-9 Seahawks

AFC EAST:
The Pats are the first AFC team to 10 wins, while the Bills and…guess who…the Jets continue to make moves towards that Wild Card spot
10-2 Patriots
7-5 Bills
6-6 Dolphins
6-6 Jets

AFC NORTH:
A HUGE win for the Ravens over Pittsburgh, completes the season sweep, and picks up a game on both leaders; the Bengals and Steelers better be careful, as the rest of the conference starts to move up
8-4 Steelers
8-4 Bengals
7-5 Ravens
1-10 Browns

AFC SOUTH:
And, the AFC South’s hopes for a Wild Card are officially on life support with Ls by Tennessee and Jax
8-4 Texans
5-7 Titans
4-8 Jaguars
2-10 Colts

AFC WEST:
The worst division in football entering the week goes 4-0 and now has three relevant teams
7-5 Chargers
6-6 Broncos
6-6 Chiefs
2-10 Raiders

NFC Playoff Picture

1 – Packers (11-1)
2 – 49ers (9-3)
3/4 – Eagles/Falcons/Saints (8-4)
5/6 – Falcons/Saints/Bears (8-4)
IN THE MIX – Cowboys/Giants/Lions (7-5)

AFC Playoff Picture

1 -Patriots (10-2)
2/3 – Steelers/Texans (8-4)
4 – Chargers (7-5)
5 – Bengals (8-4)
6/OUT – Bills/Ravens (7-5)
IN THE MIX – Dolphins/Jets/Broncos/Chiefs (6-6)
FALLING OUT – Titans (5-7)