Happy Thanksgiving to ya’ll.

And yes, it’s the 13th week of the 2008-09 NFL football season as teams start to clamor for playoff positions, hoping that week no.13 will be a lucky one for them. And after 12 weeks, we learned that Matt Light and Channing Crowder fights like two eight-year-old school girls, Matt Cassel will be demanding for big dollars soon, Tony Romo is the only one in Dallas who can make Terrell Owens happy and the Lions are on the verge of setting a brand new record in the NFL, that’s becoming the biggest collection of human waste ever assembled on a football field.

And on Thanksgiving night, we will start the brand new week of football with three big games on Thursday. Starting with the last team to flirt with perfection this season, the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are looking to rebound from their first loss of the season. And with the still winless Detroit Lions set to face them next, the stage is set for Tennessee bouncing back indeed. The 0-11 Lions are on the verge of becoming the first team in the NFL to go 0-16. And with teams like the Vikings, the Colts, the Saints and the Packers scheduled to play the struggling Lions next after going through the Titans, 0-16 is a scary possibility for the 313.

Tennessee Titans by 14.

Game 2 on Thanksgiving night will feature the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Seattle Seahawks. With Tony Romo returning to form and getting in sync with Terrell Owens last week, the Cowboys appear to have successfully put their mid-season troubles behind them. The Cowboys are 2-0 since Romo returned and with the struggling Seahawks set to play them at Texas Stadium next, a third straight win for America’s team is a certainty.

Dallas Cowboys by 14.

Thanksgiving night will conclude with a dog fight in the air between the high-flying Arizona Cardinals and the somewhat ”gliding” Philadelphia Eagles. An unpleasant Thanksgiving in Philadelphia could await Donovan McNabb, two days after his birthday and four days after being benched for the first time in his career, if he struggles again and fails to stop the Cardinals from clinching the NFC West. McNabb was 8-of-18 for 59 yards with two interceptions for a 13.2 quarterback rating last week in the first half alone. That’s the second-worst performance of his career. With the Cardinals looking to bounce back from a loss to the Giants, this is probably the worst time to stand against a very agitated Arizona football team.

Arizona Cardinals by 3.

NFL Week 13 continues Sunday as teams continue to jockey for position with the playoffs just around the corner. And since we’re talking about teams making moves for the postseason, let’s start with a team that has made great strides since struggling in the early stages of the football year, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. The 7-4 Colts can finish the month 5-0 on Sunday against the struggling Cleveland Browns to cap a stunning turnaround to the season. They came from behind in the second half to beat the Patriots and the Steelers and after holding off Houston on Nov. 16 and getting a 51-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal as time expired for a 23-20 road win over the Chargers, it is safe to assume that the once mighty Colts are back being high and mighty again.

Indianapolis Colts by 7.

Next we have this game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills. After snapping a four-game losing streak with their best offensive performance of the season, the Bills look to take advantage of a porous 49ers defense when the teams meet Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Bills were on the verge of losing out on the playoffs again, wasting the strong start they just had this season. But after beating the Chiefs in stunning fashion, 54-31, looks like the Bills are back, ready to make headlines again.

Buffalo Bills by 7.

The high-flying Atlanta Falcons will take on the San Diego Chargers next and if Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan really is the next best thing in the NFL, this game against the Chargers will be a big test for the Rookie of the Year candidate. Atlanta has won four straight against San Diego and leads the series 6-1. In the teams’ last meeting, the Falcons won 21-20 at home on Oct. 17, 2004. Let’s hope Ryan agrees with history.

Atlanta Falcons by 3.

The surging New England Patriots will face a team with a winning record for the fifth straight week on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are opening a difficult stretch to their schedule by visiting Foxborough, looking to reverse a decade of struggles against the Patriots. Pittsburgh has held every opponent this season under 300 total yards. Cincinnati managed just 208 yards and 11 first downs in a 27-10 loss to Pittsburgh last Thursday. New England, on the other hand, has won three straight and six of seven against the Steelers, including a pair of victories in AFC title games at Heinz Field. And since these guys are coming off 400+ yards in their last two outings, grounding the Patriots on their own turf will be difficult, to say the least.

New England Patriots by seven.

Next we have a classic AFC rivalry looking to be renewed as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Oakland Raiders. Unfortunately for both franchises, they are both struggling this season and at this point, nobody cares what these two teams do since both teams are likely looking forward to the NFL lottery. The Raiders haven’t beaten Kansas City in Oakland since a 24-0 victory on Dec. 28, 2002. And since these guys will be at home again when they face the Chiefs, I’ll be expecting a similar result.

Kansas City Chiefs by three.

The Baltimore Ravens continue to play for a playoff spot when they play the struggling Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. If the Ravens want to reach the playoffs, they’ll have to finish the season strong. They’re first assignment? The 1-9-1 Bengals. And after virtually taking advantage of the Eagles defense last week, 36-7, violating the Bengals shouldn’t be a problem.

Baltimore Ravens by seven.

We have the Miami Dolphins taking on the St. Louis Rams next and while the Dolphins have surprised us this season, the Rams haven’t. Despite losing to the Patriots last week, the Dolphins still look quite impressive this year under quarterback Chad Pennington. And since the Dolphins are on a footrace with the Bills for a playoff spot after losing to the Patriots, they should be the more focused team this weekend in St. Louis.

Miami Dolphins by 3.

Two good teams collide Sunday as the Green Bay Packers go up against the Carolina Panthers. The Packers’ previously highly regarded pass defense was no match across the board for Drew Brees and the No.1 ranked pass offense of the New Orleans Saints. In the process of surrendering the most points by a Green Bay team since the 1986 club lost 55-24 to the New York Giants, the Packers suffered a potentially damaging defeat. They fell to 5-6 and dropped a game behind NFC North co-leaders Chicago and Minnesota, who are both at 6-5 and have a first-place showdown themselves in Minneapolis. That puts the Packers in what they feel is a must-win situation and since they have their fans backing them up at Lambaeu Field, beating the Panthers shouldn’t be too hard.

Green Bay Packers by three.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still in control of their own destiny in the NFC South when they meet the high-flying New Orleans Saints. The Bucs own the tie-breaker over the Panthers and currently are the No.2 seed in the NFC. That means if the season ended today, they would still have a first-round bye and host a divisional playoff game. Of course, judging by the way the Saints attacked the Packers through the air last week, the postseason should be the least of the Bucs’ worries and if they’re not careful, Brees might end up with another big game in the air.

We’re picking the New Orleans Saints by 3.

Next, we have another big rivalry game in the best division in pro sports, the NFC East, as the Washington Redskins meet the New York Giants again. This is the second meeting between the two teams this season with the Giants winning the first one back in the season opener. Since then, the Redskins have become quite a force in the conference, with Jim Zorn’s West Coast offense, the Redskins have become the second best team in the NFC East looking to create some noise once the playoffs arrive. STILL, they are a full three games behind the Giants and this Sunday, I have a feeling New York will be looking for a statement game to prove why they are the defending Super Bowl champions.

New York Giants by 3.

Probably the hottest team in the league at this point of the season will be in action this week as Brett Favre expects to continue his Cinderella season when he leads the surging New York Jets against the Denver Broncos, who probably will still be without star cornerback Champ Bailey. The Broncos aren’t going to rush Champ Bailey back to action. They know they can’t afford to lose him for more time to a re-injury, so they are being cautious in his return. He practiced on a limited basis last week but didn’t play against Oakland last weekend. And since Favre is playing like he’s ten years younger this season, I don’t expect the Broncos secondary to be a factor, with or without Bailey.

New York Jets by seven.

Sunday’s games will conclude with Sunday Night Football and this week, we have two teams playing for the division lead in the NFC North. The Chicago Bears visit the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome as these two teams renew one of the best rivalries in football.

The last time these two teams met, Minnesota fell 48-41 to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Oct. 19. Since then, the Vikings have won three of four, relying a lot less on quarterback Gus Frerotte as running back Adrian Peterson has begun to justify all the hype surrounding him early this year after the remarkable rookie season he just had.

The Minnesota Vikings will once again try to win this game on the ground, that’s why we’re picking them to win by three over the Bears defense.

And finally, Week 13 will conclude with this week’s edition of Monday Night Football. Unfortunately, the league’s primetime extravaganza will probably lose some of its luster when the the struggling teams of the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars start bastardizing it.

Both of these AFC South teams are struggling at 4-7. The Houston Texans haven’t won a single game against a divisional rival while the Jaguars have struggled in their own turf at 1-5. But since this Monday night game will be played at the Reliant Stadium in Texas, the trend suggests the Jaguars should ACCIDENTALLY win this one.

Jacksonville Jaguars by three.

Who will win Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Florida? Bodog sportsbook has the odds.

New York Giants 17.00

New England Patriots 4.50

Dallas Cowboys 7.00

Indianapolis Colts 8.50

Want more odds? Visit Bodog sportsbook for more football betting odds. Want to watch the NFL live? Get NFL tickets online now.

2008 NFL Season Super Bowl XLIII