HH's Hump Day NFL Pick'em - Week 13

Welcome, everybody, to Week 13 of the Hump Day NFL Pick'em, with special prizes brought to you each week by our friends at NRG!

Normally, we like to be uplifting in the Thanksgiving edition of the Pick'em.  Despite what's been going on in Washington, we'll try our best.  (Serenity now...)  So we had another week that we, as Redskins fans, hope to never speak of again.  Robert Griffin III has been benched and the defense has been sporadic at best.  There is no doubt the team is struggling, and we joined in the fray this weekend with a craptacular 6-9 record, giving us a total of six points.  Would any of our twenty contestants come close to beating that lousy number?  Here were the top 10 performers:

Contestant	Points
DownLowTooSlow	11
washingtonwin	10
travisjh86	9
gward90	8
Slangblade	8
realrandyallen	8
redskins8784	8
Gibbs4potus	7
slim1_1	7
ENsDad27	7

Congrats to DownLowTooSlow!!!!!!  Please email me your address as soon as possible and we will get your prize right out to you.

With a 6-9 week under our belt, our total record has dipped below the precious .500 mark at 87-88-1.  Unhappy with the recent turn of events but still confident (serenity now!), we move on to Week 13!

Here we go!

For those of you who are new to our game, I state the rules:

This is a weekly contest in which I will make my game picks each Wednesday and invite you, the loyal Hogs Haven readers, to make your own picks in the comments section.

I will incorporate the spread as determined by Las Vegas the Tuesday before the games and you can earn 1 point for each correct choice.  I will add up the points at the end of each week, and the winner will earn a fabulous prize, courtesy of NRG, that will then be mailed to them.  If there are multiple contestants tied for the lead, there will be a drawing to determine the overall winner.  There will only be twenty contestants, so the first twenty responses will get in.

Each week the prize will change, and this year (unlike last year), a prize will be given out every single week since you are now only competing against each other and not me.  Simple right??

Here are my picks for this week:

Chicago Bears (+7) at Detroit Lions: The Lions got a good old fashioned spanking last week at the hands of the Patriots.  I expect they'll respond by putting the Bears in a timeout.  Pick: Lions (-7)

Philadelphia Eagles (+3) at Dallas Cowboys: This is a great game coming on at the perfect time: right after my main course and before my third slice of pumpkin pie.  Pick: Cowboys (-3)

Seattle Seahawks (+1) at San Francisco 49ers: And as I eat dinner part 2 after my mid-afternoon nap, settling back on the couch with this game fits me just fine.  Reason #423 why Thanksgiving is the best holiday, bar none. Pick: 49ers (-1)

Washington Redskins (+9.5) at Indianapolis Colts: I picked the 49ers last week to cover.  They won, but didn't cover, so I got the worst of both worlds.  Never again (for now).  Plus, our quarterback hasn't lost a game yet this year, so there's that.  Pick: Redskins (+9.5)

Tennessee Titans (+6.5) at Houston Texans: I was thinking CBS may want to go with the Benny Hill intro here instead of the dramatic pregame music.   Pick: Texans (-6.5)

Cleveland Browns (+2.5) at Buffalo Bills: It's a copycat league.  Look for a rush on former car salesmen after what Josh Gordon was able to do in his first game back.  Pick: Browns (+2.5)

San Diego Chargers (+5.5) at Baltimore Ravens: Two 7-4 teams go head-to-head in a big AFC matchup with early playoff implications.  Games like this only make me jealous anymore.  Pick: Ravens (-5.5)

New York Giants (-2.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars: I just hope Odell Beckham is somehow able to capitalize on his amazing catch from last week.  Pick: Giants (-2.5)

Cincinnati Bengals (-4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: All the Bengals need to do is cover Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans and they should be fine.  Preferably with a cornerback, if possible.   Pick: Bengals (-4)

Oakland Raiders (+7) at St. Louis Rams: The Raiders finally got on the board with a win last week, which was great news for everyone except for pizza giant Papa Johns, who were just starting to feel confident they might make it through the whole season without having to give away any free double toppings. Pick: Rams (-7)

New Orleans Saints (+3.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers: (Hot pop culture warning!)The Saints continue their "Calgon, Take Me Away" season.  Yet somehow, at 4-7, they are very much alive in their division(huh?).  Pick: Steelers (-3.5)

Carolina Panthers (+3) at Minnesota Vikings: They're both so bad, I'm inclined to just take whoever's getting the points.   Pick: Panthers (+3)

Arizona Cardinals (-2.5) at Atlanta Falcons: Congrats to the Falcons for being the first team ever to lead their division at three games below .500!  It's exciting times in Atlanta, as many believe they could continue their amazing feat and stretch the division leading record to four games below .500.  Pick: Falcons (+2.5)

New England Patriots (+3) at Green Bay Packers: You know my rule.  Pick: Patriots (+3)

Denver Broncos (-1) at Kansas City Chiefs: Remember when there was talk of Peyton Manning coming to the Redskins?  That seems like a lifetime ago.  Of course, it was never possible as the football gods get so much joy out of watching me be miserable. Pick: Chiefs (+1)

Miami Dolphins (-5.5) at New York Jets: Geno Smith is getting the start for the Jets at quarterback, reportedly despite Rex Ryan's wishes.  So things seem to be going pretty well there, too. Pick: Dolphins (-5.5)

There are my Week 13 picks. The winner this week will have this fabulous prize to look forward to, courtesy of NRG:

A Redskins prize pack that includes a Redskins shirt, gloves and hat!!

That's right friends- as the winter comes in and the season comes to a close, your team may be running cold but you won't be...

I will announce this week's winner next Wednesday on the next Hump Day post.

Happy Thanksgiving (serenity now!!) and good luck!!