I’m going to do something very rare and focus on the Cleveland Browns. NBC made the right move by flexing Chargers-Steelers into prime time, but I think the most interesting game of Week 13 with a wide range of outcomes just might be Cleveland at Houston. The Texans have won eight in a row while the Browns are on a rare two-game winning streak behind some stellar play from rookie Baker Mayfield. This first meeting between Deshaun Watson and Mayfield could be a glimpse of the future of the AFC, or it could be a 13-10 slog, but that’s why they play the games. J.J. Watt and Myles Garrett make for nice star talent on the defenses too.
The Browns are 4-6-1 and the No. 12 seed in the AFC going into Week 13. For all intents and purposes, they’re going to be 2019’s trendy playoff pick, but there is still an outside shot of doing something this year too. The 4-6-1 record is the team’s fifth best through 11 games since returning in 1999, and the best since the Browns were 7-4 in 2014 before finishing on a typical five-game losing streak.
That shouldn’t happen this time around with the team having some real talent now, and that albatross known as Hue Jackson is gone.
The AFC has been so badly in need of new blood. The AFC East still has The Three Stooges, the Jaguars basically died last Sunday in Buffalo, and the Titans just aren’t cutting it with Marcus Mariota. It’s good to see Andrew Luck back and on a hot streak in Indy, though I don’t think that team has the defensive talent to go up against the top-tier teams yet. It’s been great to see that Patrick Mahomes is having a historic season under Andy Reid in Kansas City, but the Texans and Browns could be built for long-term success too as they grow under their young quarterbacks. So I am actually looking forward to this one, which is something I normally would never say about a game between the Browns and a Bill O’Brien Texans team.
NFL Week 13 Predictions
On TNF, I had the Cowboys covering in a 7-point loss, but I certainly did not expect a 13-10 win. That was quite the defensive game against New Orleans.
I feel unusually confident about a lot of teams winning this week (IND, LAR, GB, KC, NE, SEA, PIT, PHI). I threw PIT in there despite the tough matchup just because I think the offense will be much sharper at home. Chargers are 1-3 this year when allowing more than 20 points, and Philip Rivers is 3-13 in his last 16 road starts against playoff teams (3-14 once Rams clinch). I think the Steelers are undoubtedly a playoff team again this year, and this is usually a spot where they play well and where the Chargers fold.
Captain Comeback: NFL Analysis by Scott Kacsmar 