Here are our predictions for every Week 13 NFL game and some advice on how to bet on them.
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It’s Week 13 of the NFL season with five games left and playoff teams are fighting for position while the other teams are trying to get into the playoff race. However, the biggest story of the week was the New York Giants decision to bench quarterback Eli Manning.
Eli Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts will end in Week 13. In NFL history, only Brett Favre has started more consecutive games at QB pic.twitter.com/cXdDUmltt3
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) November 28,2017
The 2-9 New York Giants are benching QB Eli Manning in favor of Geno Smith. It’s understandable that they would want to do a QB change when the team is that bad, but Geno freakin’ Smith? Really? I think that’s why a lot of Giants fans (as well as NFL veterans) are mad about it. If they were putting in some young guy with potential then that’s one thing, but putting in one of the worst QBs this decade is a bad sign. It also could be a call from upper management that wants them to lose the last five so they can get a top three draft pick and allow them to select their QB of the future. Tanking is definitely a thing in the NBA and it happens in the NFL too.
Look at this stat about how bad Smith has been since he joined the league.
Geno Smith has the lowest passer rating as a starter of any quarterback with 30 starts since he was drafted in 2013 pic.twitter.com/UrpvUjHbd4
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) November 28,2017
The worst QB rating since 2013 and he’s started over 30 games, so it’s not like you can say he hasn’t been on the field a lot. He is proven to be bad.
I can understand why the Giants fans are mad, but it is necessary for them to blow things up and try to look towards the future without Eli Manning at quarterback. Could they have handled it better? Sure, but that’s the business of sports sometimes. The Giants have dealt with so many injuries this year especially on offense, so no matter who the QB was, the team was going to struggle. It’s also a case of their General Manager Jerry Reese and Head Coach Ben McAdoo not thinking carefully when making this news public. They could have handled it better. I doubt either man is back in that job next year either. Will Eli be on the Giants next year? My guess is no and that he’ll end up in Denver or perhaps Jacksonville where former coach Tom Coughlin is in the front office. Giants fans should love Eli since he was their QB for two Super Bowl wins, but they also need to realize it’s time to move on.
In other news, I thought the fight between Raiders WR Michael Crabtree and Broncos CB Aqib Talib was ridiculous. I know they don’t like each other, but you’re hurting your team by doing something like that. They were originally suspended for two games each, but that’s been reduced to one game each.
Fantasy football players know this is a crucial week. If you’re in a 12-team league then this is likely the last regular season week of your season with Weeks 14-16 serving as playoff time. Make sure you check out man Jason’s waiver wire pickups, as well as what RB/WRs you should start and also the QB/TEs worth playing too. I’ve had a good year and could be playoff bound in five of seven leagues, but there are always tough decisions every week. Hey, Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt and WR Tyreek Hill, please step up this week. We need you!
Last Week’s Results:
Things are going well with the picks. A lot of favorites keep doing well, so that’s made it a successful season so far.
12-4 Straight Up (113-63 Season, .642)
10-6 Point Spread (88-86-2 Season, .506)
Note: The point spreads I use come from VegasInsider. All times listed are in the Eastern Time zone.
Washington (5-6) @ Dallas (5-6) -0 [8:30pm THU]
This is different than a usual Thursday night game because both teams played last Thursday, so they have had a full week of rest. The Cowboys really miss RB Ezekiel Elliott because they’ve lost three straight without him and each of those losses were by 20+ points while they haven’t scored more than 10 points in that stretch. Perhaps they’ll fare better this week at home, but I think the Washington offense led by QB Kirk Cousins and the emergence of rookie RB Samaje Perine (100 rushing yards last week) can win on the road. Neither team is a playoff team, but if one of them wins five straight perhaps they have a shot.
The Pick: Washington 24-20
