Chiefs to triumph in potential Thanksgiving record breaker? These are our NFL Week 13 picks

I learned about two medical situations in the same week, and my soul shuddered. My mother needs surgery. So does my father-in-law’s wife. Two women I’ve always seen as solid matriarchs are suddenly in a vulnerable position. Overnight, my atmosphere shifted into a strange climate. I’ve never been good with hospitals. I see a gown and don’t think salvation - I think of someone delivering bad news. I worry, I pray, I try to organize my thoughts, and I don’t always succeed. Between thoughts that circle life and death, the world doesn’t stop. It doesn’t even wobble. Neither does the NFL. One Monday Night ends, and Thursday’s game is already looming.

Thanksgiving is in the air everywhere. The favorite holiday for those who love gatherings - and football. The country sits down at the table, and the ball moves like another guest. I walk through my house and start seeing objects in new ways. It feels like I’ve entered a museum phase. Everything looks worthy of a Guggenheim or MUAC gallery. A coffee cup my partner left behind, which used to annoy me, now brings me peace. Same with a wrinkled T-shirt tossed on a chair. The neighbor’s cat sleeping under the sun. Little works of art framed by an eye trying to capture beauty amid noise and worry. Maybe that’s how I survive uncertainty - by turning fleeting instants into pieces that lighten the mood.

Meanwhile, the league marches on at a Super Bowl pace. The season has grown old, and second chances are running out. There are solid contenders for the big game. The Rams are one of them. They’re flying on a six-game win streak that smells like a real threat. They shine on both sides of the ball. They look like a team that understands November is when the season really cooks.

Week 13: a look ahead

The Bears are finding joy in an unglamorous craft: turning turnovers into points. And they do it better than anyone. Two takeaways against the Steelers last week fed a trend that restored their identity. Some teams win with muscle. Others with flash. Chicago wins with opportunism - and the city is finally celebrating an organization that’s giving more smiles than frowns.

The Patriots are throwing their own party. Nine straight wins. Best record in the league. A reality few saw coming months ago. Suddenly, they feel like an old giant who woke up on the couch and remembered who they were.

Thanksgiving’s menu comes with matchups worth celebrating. Kansas City and Dallas are riding comeback wins that fuel confidence, and this game is expected to draw the biggest audience in years. Thursday night closes with the Ravens vs the Bengals - Lamar against Joe Burrow under the lights. A duel that almost always delivers drama and noise.

Sunday Night brings Denver, riding an eight-game win streak that still surprises. They’ll face Washington. The dizzying rush of winning can overwhelm anyone. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

Between operating rooms, family calls, and games that never stop, I try to find a thread that ties it all together. We live surrounded by uncertainty. Some weeks feel heavy. Some news opens windows you never wanted to open - and still, we keep going. We walk. We breathe. We cling to small moments that feel like shelters.

For many, the NFL is that shelter. A house where the outside noise fades for a few hours. We sit in front of the screen with food, worries, laughter, and silence. Everything fits. Life has streaks too - comebacks, crushing defeats, and victories that arrive when you least expect them.

Game of the Week - Chiefs (-3) at Cowboys:

On the emotional map of the NFL, there are dates that weigh more than a packed stadium. Thanksgiving is one of them. The league has known this for decades, and this year it pulled off a trick worthy of a master illusionist: take Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott - the two most televised faces of their generation - drop them inside Jerry Jones’ dome, and let the world do the rest. Reality has outpaced strategy. Sports business insiders are already calling this matchup the most-watched regular-season game in history, even though kickoff is still hours away.

History fuels the hype. Dallas is playing its 58th Thanksgiving game. Kansas City returns after a 19-year absence. The last chapter in this series was written in November 2021, with a Chiefs victory.

The present finds them swirling in the same current. The Cowboys erased a 21-point deficit against the Eagles. The Chiefs clawed back from 11 down against Indianapolis, salvaging a season that was starting to smell like desperation. Both franchises are breathing the same air - needing wins, chasing stability, clinging to their quarterbacks like castaways to driftwood.

Prescott arrives with numbers that match his hefty paycheck. He’s completing passes, piling up yards, and carrying a rating that turns into a lucky charm on Thanksgiving. Mahomes comes with a different story. His November trips have been shadowed - two losses, a completion percentage that doesn’t fit the legacy he’s built. That doesn’t make him broken. It makes him uncomfortable - and Mahomes is dangerous in that mode.

Dallas boasts a 3-1 home record. Kansas City is 1-4 away from Arrowhead. Simple math would push the public toward the Cowboys. But the NFL has never been an exercise in simple math. This game will unfold under the gaze of 50 million potential viewers - 50 million people who might not know the Chiefs will be without Trey Smith, the right guard who anchors half that line. Or that since Quinnen Williams landed in Dallas, the local defense has turned into a fortress.

No team in this league has turned ugly games into statement wins as often as Kansas City. The franchise that refuses to die quietly. The one that turned impossible comebacks into modern art. The one that sustains a culture built to withstand turbulence and brutal schedules.

Dallas has home-field advantage, momentum, and a crowd that will roar like a Texas tornado. Kansas City carries doubts - and the kind of talent that punctures doubts. Still, Mahomes’ Chiefs are made of something tougher than the rest, and they’ve shown us you can’t bet against them.

Prediction: Chiefs 30, Cowboys 27

Week 13 quick picks:

• Packers at Lions (-2.5):

Feels like the NFC North’s season finale. If this turns into a defensive slugfest, Green Bay wins. If it’s a shootout, it’s Detroit’s game. I’m betting on the latter.

Prediction: Packers 30, Lions 33

• Bengals at Ravens (-7):

Joe Burrow is back just as folks are on their third drink and second plate of leftovers. Cincinnati always plays Baltimore tough, but the Ravens need to prove they’re true Super Bowl contenders.

Prediction: Bengals 20, Ravens 27

• Bears at Eagles (-7):

Chicago leads in time of possession, but the rest of their schedule is a ticking time bomb.

Prediction: Bears 14, Eagles 24

• 49ers (-5.5) at Browns:

Cleveland’s defense is stout, and San Francisco is coming off a bitter loss to Carolina.

Prediction: 49ers 17, Browns 14

• Jaguars (-5.5) at Titans:

Jacksonville has won two straight. Tennessee may not taste victory again anytime soon.

Prediction: Jaguars 24, Titans 17

• Texans at Colts (-3):

Houston stunned Buffalo, Indy got stunned by Kansas City. A divisional clash where home field tips the scale.

Prediction: Texans 24, Colts 27

• Saints at Dolphins (-6):

New Orleans has been out of the fight for a while. Miami is rolling.

Prediction: Saints 13, Dolphins 20

• Falcons (-2.5) at Jets:

Atlanta should feast on the ground in New York, where the Giants are officially done and the Jets might join them soon.

Prediction: Falcons 20, Jets 14

• Cardinals at Buccaneers (-3):

Tampa could win this one with its eyes closed.

Prediction: Cardinals 17, Buccaneers 30

• Rams (-10.5) at Panthers:

L.A. is the best team in football right now, and Carolina is a pleasant surprise - but not enough.

Prediction: Rams 38, Panthers 24

• Vikings at Seahawks (-10.5):

Minnesota has dropped three straight. Seattle will make it four.

Prediction: Vikings 23, Seahawks 30

• Bills (-3.5) at Steelers:

Josh Allen is a wounded animal looking to charge a defense that’s had issues all year.

Prediction: Bills 21, Steelers 17

• Raiders at Chargers (-9.5):

Chargers come off a bye. Raiders come off playing JV football.

Prediction: Raiders 14, Chargers 24

• Broncos (-6.5) at Commanders:

Denver hasn’t lost since forever.

Prediction: Broncos 17, Commanders 10

• Giants at Patriots (-7.5):

New York is out of the fight. New England’s streak lives at least one more week.

Prediction: Giants 13, Patriots 20

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