We look through all the matchups in Week 13 to find the best NFL bets this weekend – including who wins in Monday Night’s game between Buffalo and New England.
The calendar flips to December this week – but with an extra week of football – and as competitive a league as ever – there is so much on the line every game in Week 13 and onward. The biggest game this week features two AFC East teams – the Bills and Patriots – looking for the upper hand in the division race. We cover that game and more in our NFL Week 13 2021 betting picks.
Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots Faceoff in Pivotal Monday Night Game
Heading into Week 13, no game is bigger than Monday Night between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. The Bills – considered the second-best AFC team at the start of the season – have had some ups and downs lately and are currently trailing the Patriots in the AFC East. Still, even with some strange outcomes (*cough* Jags game *cough*), the best NFL betting odds have the Bills as the favourites.
While the Pats are the hot team heading into this game (winners of six straight), we like the Bills in this game. For starters, the Bills have ten days to prepare for the Patriots. Last season, the Bills had extra days to prepare for a Monday Night game against the Pats and blew them out 38-9.
Secondly, how impressive are the Patriots’ wins this season? They beat the Titans last week – who are without their three most important offensive playmaker. They beat the Chargers – who are as up and down as any team in the NFL. Otherwise, every other win they have this season is against a team not currently holding a playoff spot.
We know the Patriots’ defence is good, this season – at least top five in the NFL – but we want to see it when it matters. We went to see the Patriots win a big road game – against someone like the Bills before we call them the best in the AFC. Until then, the Bills remain the class of the AFC East and our picks to win on Monday.
Washington can get to .500 with Road Win against the Raiders
After winning three straight, Washington has leapfrogged over multiple NFC teams and heads into the weekend holding the third Wild Card spot in the conference. Washington is playing much better following a 2-6, thanks to a significant improvement on defence.
While the Raiders won last week, the team is trending in the wrong direction. No team in the NFL has allowed more points over the last three weeks than the Raiders (35.3). A reason they are allowing so many points is the team is averaging 10.0 penalties per game over their last three. If not for the Cowboys matching the Raiders with 14 penalty calls on Thanksgiving, Las Vegas would have lost that game.
Washington’s defence (which now has gone four straight weeks without allowing 300 yards) is not the only reason they are back in the playoff mix. Washington QB Taylor Heinicke is playing much better since the start of November. Heinicke has completed at least 72.7% of his passes in three straight games with only one turnover. Heinicke had ten turnovers in his first seven starts this season.
With Heinicke effective passing the ball, defences cannot load the box to stop Antonio Gibson. During their three-game winning streak, Gibson has three of his five best rushing games of the season. The balance has helped Washington hold onto the leads and close out games. Overall, Washington is one of our favourite free NFL picks this season.
Miami can Extend Win Streak to Five with Home Win against the Giants
If you said five weeks ago the Miami Dolphins would be nipping on the heels of the playoffs – everyone would think you are crazy. However, thanks to a five-game winning streak and games against the Giants and Jets next on the schedule – a Wild Card spot is in play.
The Dolphins are starting to show promise on offence – thanks to significant improvements from Tua Tagovailoa. After trade rumours and bust talk surrounded Tua, the sophomore QB is hitting his stride. Since being thrust into Baltimore Ravens’ game, Tua is playing the best football of his young career.
In his last three games, Tua is completing 80.5% of his passes for 8.6 yards per attempt and a QBR of 110.3. He is connecting with Jaylen Waddle – helping the Dolphins justify the early first-round pick they used on the Alabama wide receiver.
Along with their current play, there are a couple of other reasons we like the Dolphins over the Giants. The Giants are 1-4 straight up as road underdogs this season. They are also 0-3 after a win this season. The Giants have some glaring issues on offence behind why they cannot string together consecutive victories.
The Giants struggle to get first downs. They ranked 31st last season and 25th overall in 2021. The inability to key drives alive is a big reason they are only 4-7 this season. Go with the Dolphins on Sunday.
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