November 30, 2020
While it's technically still Week 12 of the NFL season — and might stay that way through Wednesday, as COVID-19 has once again forced the NFL to postpone the Ravens-Steelers game that was originally slated to be played on Thanksgiving — we're going to turn our attention ahead to Week 13 anyhow.
The schedule is going to look a little weird, with no Thursday night game and a Monday night triple-header. But we're going to do the best we can to give you an early look at some of the spreads available at FanDuel, courtesy of TheLines.com, even if the schedule is constantly changing, even as we write this.
Let's get right into it...
Jaguars at Vikings (-9.5)
The Vikings are two-score favorites at home after squeaking out a win over the Panthers in Week 12. The Jaguars, meanwhile, nearly pulled off the upset over Cleveland. But that wasn't enough to save their general manager's job, as Jacksonville fired Dave Caldwell shortly after their 10th straight loss.
Raiders (-7.5) at Jets
The Raiders were absolutely trounced by the Falcons on Sunday, but should have the chance for a big bounce-back win on Sunday against the only remaining winless team in the NFL, the 0-11 Jets. As of right now, Vegas is more than a touchdown favorite to keep New York with a goose egg in the win column.
Browns at Titans (-5.5)
After barely beating the lowly Jags in Week 12, the Browns will travel again for an AFC South matchup, this time against the much better Titans team that features Derrick Henry fresh off a 27-carry, 178-yard, 3-touchdown performance in Tennessee's big 45-26 win over the Colts. With both teams sitting at 8-3, this should be a good one.
Lions at Bears (-3)
Well, the Lions just fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn following their Thanksgiving Day loss to the Texans. And the Bears have now lost five straight after winning five of their first six games of the season. What happens in this one is anyone's guess — especially since we don't even know who will be playing quarterback for Chicago.
Saints (-3.5) at Falcons
Taysom Hill will again be at quarterback for the Saints, who will head into Atlanta as 3.5-point favorites. Both teams are coming off big wins, with the Falcons routing the Raiders and the Saints beating up on the QB-less Broncos. If the Saints defense can pull of another performance against the Falcons like they did when these two teams met just two weeks ago, it might not matter who is under center for New Orleans, as 10 points would have been enough to win that one.
Bengals at Dolphins (-11.5)
This line has already moved two points in Miami's favor and could inch even more that way as the week goes on. The Bengals, after losing first-overall pick Joe Burrow to a torn ACL and MCL, nearly pulled off the upset against the Giants — of course, that only happened after QB Daniel Jones suffered an injury of his own and was replaced by Colt McCoy. Now, the surprise 7-4 Dolphins have a chance to catch the Bills for first place in their division, as Buffalo will have to travel to San Francisco for a primetime game next Monday.
Colts (-2.5) at Texans
The Texans's win over the Lions on Thanksgiving may have resulted in some firings in Detroit, but now they'll host the Colts, who are looking to bounce back after losing to the Titans. Divisional games are typically tricky to call, which might be why the Colts are less than a field goal favorite despite their 7-4 record.
Rams (-3) at Cardinals
Both of these teams suffered crushing defeats in Week 12, but only one of them will be able to bounce back with a win in Week 13. While these two will meet for a second time in Week 17, this matchup could have major playoff implications in the NFC. Currently, thanks to the expanded postseason this year, both teams would make it as wild cards. The winner of this game would get a serious leg-up on the other and potentially clinch a playoff spot before they meet again.
Giants at Seahawks (-9.5)
It's a battle of two NFC division leaders as East meets West in — haha, who are we kidding? The Seahawks should crush the Giants with Colt McCoy getting the start and this line could move even further in Seattle's favor depending on what happens in Monday night's game against the Eagles.
Eagles at Packers (-7.5)
Speaking of the Eagles, they're currently 7.5-point underdogs for their upcoming trip to Lambeau Field. We'll see if the Eagles can show any signs of life against Seattle, but I wouldn't count on it. If they lay another egg this week, they could find themselves even bigger dogs in Week 13.
Patriots at Chargers (-1)
The Chargers got Austin Ekeler back on Sunday, but still took the L in Buffalo. They've now lost four of their last five games and are just 3-8 on the season.
Broncos at Chiefs (-13.5)
The Broncos should have an actual quarterback by then, but the Chiefs are just too good.
Bills (-3) at 49ers
The 8-3 Bills have won four of their last five games and have a one-game lead over the Dolphins in the Tom Brady-less AFC East. The 49ers, meanwhile, have rightfully struggled to cope with just an absurd amount of injuries. But they're still fighting, as was evidenced by their win over Rams on Sunday.
Cowboys at Ravens (-7)
Instead of playing on a short week, the Cowboys will get some extra time off after this game, originally scheduled for Thursday, was rescheduled to Monday night due to the Ravens' COVID outbreak forcing their Week 12 game to be moved all the way back to Wednesday. So, instead of both teams meeting on the short week, Dallas will be well rested while Baltimore will still be coming off limited rest. That's a big break for the Cowboys.
Washington at Steelers (-10)
This game was originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m., but because of the aforementioned Ravens' outbreak pushing their game against the Steelers back to Wednesday, this game had to be moved as well.
WFT vs Steelers game scheduled for Sunday is now being moved to Monday, as @AlbertBreer also reported.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 30, 2020
It will be interesting to see if the line changes at all now that Pittsburgh will be playing on short rest while the WFT gets an extra day of rest. Stay tuned...
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