NFL Betting Predictions: Week 13 Opening Line Report and Picks

In lieu of this being the final weekend of college football's regular season and the fact we will know the playoff field come Sunday, we are taking a bit of a collegiate angle for our NFL Opening Line Report for Week 13.

This writer would be curious how a majority of general managers around the league would answer this question: Which young quarterback would you start a franchise with today, Baker Mayfield or Deshaun Watson?

We mention this because Mayfield and Watson will square off for the first time as professionals on Sunday as Cleveland visits Houston. Well, at least we think they will because we are writing this before Houston's Monday night game against Tennessee, so let's hope Watson avoids injury.

I would argue that Watson was the better college player because he led Clemson to back-to-back National Championship Games and was spectacular in both - nearly upsetting Alabama in the first (following 2015 season) and doing so in the second. Watson never won the Heisman but was third behind winner Derrick Henry and No. 2 Christian McCaffrey in 2015 and second to Lamar Jackson in '16. Remember, the Browns could have had Watson in the 2017 draft. They could have taken him No. 1 overall (selected Myles Garrett, which is fine) or at No. 12 but traded that pick to Houston, which grabbed Watson (that pick turned into stellar young cornerback Denzel Ward for Cleveland).

Mayfield will go down as one of the statistically great QBs in NCAA history, was fourth in the 2015 Heisman voting, third the next year and of course won it in 2017. He also played in an offense that allowed him to put up monster numbers, and he never got the Sooners to a national title game - his defense certainly deserves some of that blame.

Watson did face the Browns last year and threw for 225 yards and three scores in a 33-17 win, but obviously Mayfield was in Norman. The two met in the Orange Bowl national semifinal following the 2015 season and Clemson beat Oklahoma 37-17. Watson threw for 187 and a score and rushed for 145 and a TD. Mayfield had 311 yards but most of that was empty and he was picked off twice.

Sunday could be the start of a nice rivalry. Houston opened as a 5-point favorite, but that may change depending on what happens Monday.

Here are some Week 13 early lines that caught my eye. I won't touch on Thursday's game (Saints-Cowboys), my in-depth Sunday matchup (likely Chargers-Steelers) or the Monday night game (Redskins-Eagles) as I will be previewing them here individually.

Rams at Lions (+9.5, 54.5): I will be very curious to see if the Rams come out flat as it seems like anything would be a letdown game off that incredible Week 11 Monday night win over Kansas City before heading into the bye. I would have bet the farm on the Lions if this game had been last Sunday instead of this one. What made the fact the Rams hung 54 points on the Chiefs even more remarkable was that Todd Gurley was quiet with no TDs and 55 yards on 12 carries. Jared Goff threw for 413 yards and four scores and rushed for a TD. He needs to be in the MVP conversation. The Seahawks upset the Panthers on Sunday, so the Rams missed out on becoming the first club since the NFL expanded to 32 teams in 2002 to clinch a division on a bye week. The Rams can now clinch here with a win or 49ers win over Seattle. Detroit lost at home on Thanksgiving to the Bears, 23-16, because Matthew Stafford had two terrible fourth-quarter picks. One was returned 41 yards by Eddie Jackson for the game-winning TD and one in the Bears end zone with just over a minute left that essentially clinched it for Chicago. The pick: Lions (I'll wait or buy up to +10.5).

Chiefs at Raiders (+15, 56): Kansas City takes the field as the first team in league history to lose a game in which it scored at least 50 points. The Chiefs might be in a similar letdown situation to the Rams as they also come off their bye. Not too often a guy can throw for nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns and perhaps hurt his MVP chances, but Patrick Mahomes might have in that defeat as he was picked off three times (one returned for a score) and lost two fumbles (one returned for a score). There simply is no more exciting player in the NFL than Tyreek Hill, who caught 10 passes for 215 yards and two scores. K.C. still controls its destiny to have the AFC's top seed. Oakland was a 34-17 loser in Baltimore on Sunday. Derek Carr wasn't very good in completing 16 of 34 for 194 yards. He also lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. It's the first meeting of the season between these teams. The Chiefs have won six of the past seven in the series. The pick: Raiders.

Ravens at Falcons (+2.5, TBA): If Baltimore coach John Harbaugh hasn't officially decided to turn the team over to rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, well, I'm not sure what he's waiting for. He made his second straight start for an injured Joe Flacco and threw for a score and rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's easy win over Oakland. Flacco could be ready to return this week, so I'll be curious what Harbaugh does. Gus Edwards, an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers, continued his shocking surge with 118 yards on 23 carries. Guy barely saw the field before two weeks ago when he had 115 yards vs. Cincinnati. If he wasn't picked up in your fantasy league by now, he will be this week. Atlanta's season basically ended on Thanksgiving in its third straight loss, 31-17 in New Orleans. The Falcons honestly could have won but kept making huge mistakes on the New Orleans side of the field; they turned it over four times. Matt Ryan threw for 377 yards and two scores but had two turnovers. He also was the team's leading rusher with 16 yards, and Matt Ryan should never be leading his team in rushing. The pick: Falcons.

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