JT the Brick

Week 13 in the NFL is a crucial weekend in the race for the playoffs, especially these six contests. Let's go in-depth on these matchups.

Jets at Patriots
Monday night
This game should decide which who wins the AFC East and who probably settles for a wild-card berth. The Jets won the first meeting 28-14 on Sept. 19, and Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis is back from the hamstring injury he suffered in that game.

New York will seek to control the ball with its ground game (ranked second in the NFL at 148 yards per game) to keep Tom Brady on the sideline. Brady has been red-hot lately, throwing nine TD passes in his past three games, and is locked in with Rob Gronkowski, Deion Branch and Wes Welker. The Patriots clearly aren't missing Randy Moss.

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This is a heavyweight fight with two great defensive head coaches who preach protecting the ball and winning the special teams battle.

Prediction: Patriots 31, Jets 24.

Steelers at Ravens
Sunday night (NBC)
The AFC North rivals are mirror images, with hard-hitting defenses, 8-3 records and strong running games.

I always give the advantage in this rivalry to the Steelers because Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has dominated this series, even though Joe Flacco played well in Baltimore's win over Tampa Bay last week.

This game features two of the best young running backs in the game in Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall, but Pittsburgh’s offensive line is still banged up, so Baltimore has an advantage there.

Look for Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to be very aggressive with his blitz packages, and expect linebacker James Harrison to play like a beast after losing his appeal of his fines.

Prediction: Ravens 23, Steelers 21.

Falcons at Buccaneers
At 7-4, the Buccaneers have proved critics wrong this season, but they are still only in third place in the loaded NFC South. A loss here would all but knock them out of the postseason race.

But Tampa Bay is a young, confident team, and quarterback Josh Freeman has a knack for making big plays in crunch time at home. The Bucs will try to control the clock by running with LaGarrette Blount and Cadillac Williams.

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They fortunately get the Falcons at home and will have a chance to keep this game close if LaGarrette Blount and Cadillac Williams can run the ball. Tampa will need to keep the ball from Atlanta's offense, which is clicking. Michael Turner has rushed for over 100 yards in four of the past five games, and Matt Ryan completed 24-of-28 passes against Green Bay last Sunday.

The Falcons are the most balanced team in the NFL and a win in Tampa Bay would only remind the rest of the NFC that the road to the Super Bowl goes through Atlanta.

Prediction: Falcons 24, Buccaneers 21.

Raiders at Chargers
Oakland won the first matchup between these teams but has lost two in a row. Meanwhile, San Diego is the hottest team in the NFL after a rough start, sporting the No. 1-ranked offense and defense in the NFL.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers could be licking his chops at facing the woeful Raiders secondary — he's playing like an MVP.

The Raiders would improve to 4-0 in the AFC West if they can pull this off, but we have no idea of which Oakland will show up. The Chargers, however, understand how important this game is for them to keep the heat on the Kansas City Chiefs in the division.

Prediction: I work for the Raiders and can’t pick this game.

49ers at Packers
The 49ers bring momentum into this game after routing the Cardinals on Monday night, but with running back Frank Gore out for the rest of the season with a hip injury, this team has no margin for error.

And they will have a tough time against the Packers, who can't afford to slip up as they chase the Bears in the NFC North. No team has suffered more setbacks due to injuries than Green Bay, but now it’s time for quarterback Aaron Rogers to prove that he can carry his team on his back and win when it counts.

Prediction: Packers 33, 49ers 17.

Redskins at Giants
This is the last stand for Mike Shanahan in his first season as head coach of the Redskins. A loss to the Giants would eliminate any hope of their winning the division.

This is one of the best rivalries in pro football, and the Giants need to be ready for a physical game.

New York is clicking on offense, using a solid rushing attack to keep heat off Eli Manning and keep defenses guessing.

Look for the Giants to blitz Donovan McNabb and force him to throw outside of the pocket — New York has the No. 2-ranked defense in the league.

Predictions: Giants 27, Redskins 17.