MDS is chip-chip-chipping away.
Three disagreements last week. He prevailed on two of them.
He went 11-5 for Week 12. I was 10-6.
My lead is down to 10. Currently, I’m 115-64-1. MDS is 105-74-1.
Here are our picks for Week 13. This week, we disagree on six games.
Bills (-4) at Patriots
MDS’s take: The Patriots’ hopes of winning the AFC East will move from “slim” to “none” if they lose this game, and I think Josh Allen is going to get the better of Bill Belichick’s defense.
MDS’s pick: Bills 30, Patriots 20.
Florio’s take: The Pats don’t have the horses to match the Bills in points. The only question is whether there will be any Buffalo punts.
Florio’s pick: Bills 31, Patriots 24.
Steelers (-1) at Falcons
MDS’s take: Kenny Pickett had his best game in Monday night’s win over the Colts, and against a bad Falcons defense he should have another strong game as the Steelers win their second in a row.
MDS’s pick: Steelers 24, Falcons 21.
Florio’s take: The Steelers have a long way to go to get to the playoffs, but that won’t stop them from trying.
Florio’s pick: Steelers 27, Falcons 20.
Packers (-4) at Bears
MDS’s take: Aaron Rodgers is having his worst season, but the Bears’ defense will make him look like the Rodgers of old.
MDS’s pick: Packers 28, Bears 17.
Florio’s take: Aaron Rodgers continues to own the Bears, even if he may be selling his stake soon.
Florio’s pick: Packers 30, Bears 20.
Jaguars (-1) at Lions
MDS’s take: Both of these teams have improved significantly from last year, when they had the two worst records in the NFL, and I think this should be an entertaining game that goes down to the last minute, with the Lions coming out on top.
MDS’s pick: Lions 28, Jaguars 27.
Florio’s take: The Lions would be in great position to make a playoff run if they’d managed to beat the Bills. The Lions can still make things interesting, but they need to win this one to keep the possibility on track.
Florio’s pick: Lions 27, Jaguars 24.
Jets (+3) at Vikings
MDS’s take: I’m a Mike White believer. He’ll show that he’s been the Jets’ best quarterback all along and deliver a win in Minnesota.
MDS’s pick: Jets 20, Vikings 17.
Florio’s take: To beat the Vikings, you’ve got to blow them out. The Jets won’t be able to do that, and the Vikings will once again find a way, somehow.
Florio’s pick: Vikings 24, Jets 20.
Commanders (-2.5) at Giants
MDS’s take: This is the biggest game of the day in terms of its playoff importance to both teams: The winner is in great shape to earn a wild card berth; the loser is not. I think the Giants, after their hot start, are coming back to earth, while the Commanders will keep winning with Taylor Heinicke.
MDS’s pick: Commanders 21, Giants 10.
Florio’s take: The fact that the Commanders are road favorites shows how well they’ve done in recent weeks, and how poorly the Giants have performed. It’s time for both trends to reverse a little bit.
Florio’s pick: Giants 23, Commanders 20.
Titans (+5.5) at Eagles
MDS’s take: I like the way the Titans are playing and I’m tempted to pick them to pull the upset, but I think it will be a close game in the fourth quarter and Jalen Hurts will do just enough to put the Eagles over the top.
MDS’s pick: Eagles 27, Titans 24.
Florio’s take: The Titans are too good to lose two in a row, even when they’re facing the best team in the NFC on their own field.
Florio’s pick: Titans 28, Eagles 23.
Broncos (+9) at Ravens
MDS’s take: The Broncos’ offense is broken, and it’s not going to get fixed this season. This has the feel of an ugly game.
MDS’s pick: Ravens 13, Broncos 3.
Florio’s take: Both teams are frustrated. One of them is good enough to do something about it.
Florio’s pick: Ravens 20, Broncos 6.
Browns (-7) at Texans
MDS’s take: I’ll be rooting for the Texans to win in Deshaun Watson’s return, but realistically I can’t pick the Texans to beat anybody right now.
MDS’s pick: Browns 17, Texans 14.
Florio’s take: The fans may be fired up about Deshaun Watson’s return, but the players likely won’t get all that riled up about it. Even if they did, what can they really do about it?
Florio’s pick: Browns 24, Texans 10.
Seahawks (-7.5) at Rams
MDS’s take: The Rams are an absolute mess, the worst defending Super Bowl team ever. Geno Smith and the Seahawks will win this one easily.
MDS’s pick: Seahawks 31, Rams 14.
Florio’s take: The Seahawks get exactly what they need in order to get back on the right track.
Florio’s pick: Seahawks 34, Rams 20.
Dolphins (+4) at 49ers
MDS’s take: The 49ers are favored because they have the kind of defense that can slow down the high-scoring Dolphins offense, but I think Tyreek Hill is going to get open in the San Francisco secondary and the Dolphins will pull off the road upset.
MDS’s pick: Dolphins 31, 49ers 27.
Florio’s take: When a great defense faces a great offense, take the great defense.
Florio’s pick: 49ers 24, Dolphins 21.
Chiefs (-2) at Bengals
MDS’s take: Last year these two teams played a great game in the regular season and another great game in the AFC Championship Game, and I think we’ll see a third great game between Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow on Sunday. This time Mahomes’ team will come out on top.
MDS’s pick: Chiefs 31, Bengals 28.
Florio’s take: The Bengals love being under radar. It may not last much longer.
Florio’s pick: Bengals 27, Chiefs 23.
Chargers (-1.5) at Raiders
MDS’s take: The Chargers’ offense just isn’t as good as it should be, and I think the Raiders are going to upset them on Sunday.
MDS’s pick: Raiders 24, Chargers 21.
Florio’s take: This is more of a coin toss than it would have been, but for the Raiders starting an unlikely November winning streak.
Florio’s pick: Chargers 24, Raiders 20.
Colts (+11) at Cowboys
MDS’s take: The Colts’ defense should keep this game close, but their offense won’t do much of anything in Dallas.
MDS’s pick: Cowboys 16, Colts 7.
Florio’s take: The Colts are doing the best they can to be competitive, but it just isn’t enough.
Florio’s pick: Cowboys 31, Colts 17.
Saints (+3.5) at Buccaneers
MDS’s take: At some point the Buccaneers have to get things turned around, don’t they? Maybe this will be the week.
MDS’s pick: Buccaneers 27, Saints 17.
Florio’s take: With the Bengals and 49ers coming up, the Bucs need to take care of business when they can.
Florio’s pick: Buccaneers 23, Saints 17.
