Admin November 27, 2024
NFL Week 13 picks: Colts, Broncos, and Seahawks
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his best bets for NFL Week 13 games, including Thursday’s Thanksgiving slate.
Lorenzo’s Locks
Watch out, folks! The NFL regular season is nearly complete. We’ve just two months remaining until 14 teams compete in the greatest single-elimination bracket in sports this side of March Madness.
While the 2024 season has been one of shock, awe, and disappointment for some fanbases, many teams still have a shot at claiming a Super Bowl title this year. Of course, not all teams left standings are created equal. A team like the Cincinnati Bengals, while great, are still 4-7. Their Super Bowl odds are going to be drastically lower than a team like the Arizona Cardinals, who are much worse, but sit at 6-5 with an opportunity to win their division.
Here is every team in the NFL ranked based on their Super Bowl odds. All odds via BetMGM.
NFL Power Rankings by Super Bowl odds:
The favorites
1) Detroit Lions (10-1), +260
2) Kansas City Chiefs (10-1), +450
T-3) Buffalo Bills (9-2), +650
T-3) Philadelphia Eagles (9-2), +650
5) Baltimore Ravens (8-4), +700
While betting on any of these teams has its merits, the Detroit Lions have appeared a step above the rest of the league this year. Ever since their loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, the Lions have only experience two games within five points. Every other game has been a blowout.
While the Lions have yet to face another elite team in this tier just yet, with their only real tests coming against the Houston Texans and Minnesota Vikings, whom the Lions defeated by a combined five points, they certainly pass the eye test. Even without star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions have not skipped a beat. We’ll see how they handle the Buffalo Bills in three weeks, but odds are, they’ll still put up a tremendous fight against another top-tier squad.
The Dark Horses:
6) Green Bay Packers (8-3), +1800
7) Minnesota Vikings (9-2), +2200
8) Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3), +3000
T-9) Houston Texans (7-5), +3500
T-9) Los Angeles Chargers (7-4), +3500
11) Denver Broncos (7-5), +5000
Although the Houston Texans just suffered an embarrassing loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, they did only lose to the Lions by three points less than a month ago. Any team that can put up such a solid fight against the Lions deserves more credit than they are receiving.
Plus, let’s face it, the Packers and Vikings are both in the Lions’ division, meaning they should know how to beat the Lions better than anyone, yet the Texans arguably put up the best fight.
The Underdogs:
T-12) Arizona Cardinals (6-5), +6600
T-12) Atlanta Falcons (6-5), +6600
T-12) San Francisco 49ers (5-6), +6600
T-15) Miami Dolphins (5-6), +8000
T-15) Seattle Seahawks (6-5), +8000
T-15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), +8000
T-15) Washington Commanders (7-5), +8000
T-19) Cincinnati Bengals (4-7), +10000
T-19) Los Angeles Rams (5-6), +10000
Here we start to get into the underperforming teams with strong resumes, teams like the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, they’ve underperformed. Yes, they’re riddled with injuries. Yes, they’ve got a horrific schedule coming up which includes matchups against the Lions and Bills. But they’re only a game out of first-place in their division, and of all the teams in this tier, they’ve proven most capable of battling with the NFL’s elite teams. After all, they were in the Super Bowl just a year ago.
Obviously, something is going wrong in San Francisco, and they haven’t figured out what yet. However, if they can figure it out, and as long as Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, and Brock Purdy all return before their key divisional games in Weeks 15 and 18, we all know the run they can go on.
The Longshots:
21) Indianapolis Colts (5-7), +50000
22) New Orleans Saints (4-7), +75000
T-23) Carolina Panthers (3-8), +100000
T-23) Chicago Bears (4-7), +100000
T-23) Cleveland Browns (3-8), +100000
T-23) Dallas Cowboys (4-7), +100000
T-23) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9), +100000
T-23) Las Vegas Raiders (2-9), +100000
T-23) New England Patriots (3-9), +100000
T-23) New York Giants (2-9), +100000
T-23) New York Jets (3-8), +100000
T-23) Tennessee Titans (3-8), +100000
Let’s be realistic for a moment. Placing a wager on any of these teams to win the Super Bowl is a fool’s errand, restricted to anyone but the most diehard fans and the most delirious dreamers. That said, if you fall into either of those categories, perhaps a wager on the Indianapolis Colts wouldn’t be the worst decision.
Will you lose all the money you put down? Almost definitely, but of any team in this tier, where else are you going to find a team just two games out of first place in their division and with a win over Pittsburgh on their resume?
Anthony Richardson has not played up to expectations this year, but he does still have that big play ability that keeps his team in games they should otherwise have no shot of winning. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this team wind up 8-9 just two or so games out of a playoff spot, which is more than most other teams on this list can say.