20 NFL Games to Watch in 2013, Part 2

I've got a few blogging tricks left up my sleeve now that we're back in full swing, but it's never too early too look ahead to the best games on the schedule so you can go ahead and start scheduling weddings, baptisms and appendectomies around them.  In chronological order, here is Part 2 of the 20 NFL Games to Watch in 2013:

11) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions, Week 12

Both of these teams have looked promising and awful at various points of the last two years, and they're not exactly favorites to go the distance in a very competitive NFC this season.  Even so, the Buccaneers' suddenly stout secondary with Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis makes for an intriguing line up against Calvin Johnson's Lions.  Johnson may be the most valuable receiver we've seen since Jerry Rice, and he'll be put to the test against the similarly superlative CB, Revis.  Prediction: Outside of the Lions' dynamic passing attack, they don't have nearly as much going for them as the Buccaneers should this year as long as Josh Freeman doesn't make horrible and increasingly unnecessary decisions.  Greg Schiano throws in a statue of liberty call just to remind us all once again that he might have coached for a college previously.

12) Denver Broncos at New England Patriots, Week 12

Ah, the Brady-Manning tradition.  It has become as timeless and recurring as reruns of The Shawshank Redemption on TNT.  It's always a treat to watch two of the most competitive quarterbacks in the history of the game square off, but it's also bittersweet knowing that we are definitely now in the winter of this rivalry.  A delightful new wrinkle for this chapter, however, is that Week 12 will be the first time Brady and Manning face off since Wes Welker switched sides.  Relish this all--Manning Face and Bradying in the face of well-intentioned officiating, end zone corner fades and one of the final chapters in a head-to-head story line that has spanned over a decade.  Prediction: It's a fact that Tom Brady rules this series, having won 9 out of the last 13 games he's played against Peyton.  Especially with Brady playing at home in November when things could get mighty chilly for those Manning hands, the Patriots have the advantage.  Bill Belichick allows a single nostalgic tear to trickle from the corner of his eye for a brief moment before it bores a bubbling hole of primordial ooze into the Gillette Stadium turf.

13) San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins, Week 12

Now that it appears Robert Griffin will be in full recovery well before this mid-November bout, who wouldn't want to see two of the best young hybrid quarterbacks go head to head, especially since it never came to pass in January?  This game should be a thrill regardless of the conditions, whether the FedEx turf is fast and shiny for Kaepernick and Griffin to light it up or muddy and slow for two smart and physical defenses to slog it out against solid rushing attacks.  Prediction: Griffin will have to play out of his mind and avoid a nasty 49ers pass rush to get through this one.  It's definitely not impossible for Washington to win here, but Jim Harbaugh is a whole lot craftier than the Shanahans, which will matter a great deal in these two teams' bait-and-switch styles of offense.  Kaepernick and RGIII switch sides for just one, very complicated read option play to see if anyone notices.

14) Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens, Week 13

There are few guarantees that the traditional Thanksgiving games in Dallas (v. Oakland) and Detroit (v. Green Bay) will be competitive this year.  Thank goodness there's a heckuva night game to watch while the pumpkin pie and booze settle in our collective guts.  Throw all of that talk about holiday cheer and family bonds out the window.  As it is every year, this heated Steelers-Ravens rivalry is going to be chippy, brutal and a lot more enjoyable for those of us not on the field.  Prediction: These teams nearly always split the series, even when Charlie Batch is playing with one foot in the grave, and this season ought to be no different.  Although I'm not sure how the Ravens will fare overall in 2013, I think John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco will prove clutch in prime time once again.  Ray Lewis skypes in for a very eerie big brother-style squirrel dance on the jumbotron.

15) Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers, Week 14

If you listen very closely, you can hear Roddy White jawing right now about how much better the Falcons are than the Packers except for that whole winning head-to-head part.  To be fair I wouldn't want to send my southern dome team to Wisconsin in December either, but I'm hoping for a great shoot out between Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan as the NFC playoff picture starts to come into focus.  Prediction: Given my predictions for all three Falcons appearances here, I should first clarify that I think Atlanta will win a lot of games this season.  Who knows, if Michael Vick could take it to the house in Lambeau in January, this Atlanta team certainly has enough punch to do it here too.  But the house usually wins when Aaron Rodgers is on his home turf.  Roddy White stops talking for precisely 27 seconds.

16) Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 15

Cincinnati isn't the most glamorous team these days, hence this rare sighting in the 20 games to watch this season.  But assuming that they are going to continue performing the way they have over the past three years and that the Ravens and Steelers have a lot more to worry about in terms of turnover, injuries and age, it's the Bengals' division to lose in 2013.  This Week 15 game could very well be a sink or swim moment for both of these teams in securing a high-caliber playoff spot, and it could show a lot about Cincy's mettle on the road in particular.  And the Bengals pass rush lining up against ever-elusive Ben Roethlisberger could make for an excellent sub-headline. Prediction: The Bengals are guilty until proven innocent in my book since they've blown many a big opportunity against their division rivals and in the playoffs in recent years.  Conversely, the Steelers have a way of catapulting themselves back into the top ranks time and time again after lackluster seasons like they had in 2012.  Andy Dalton gives a well-meaning shrug to the sideline camera.

17) New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens, Week 16

There will be a sizeable new cast of characters for these teams when they meet in Baltimore this season compared to their AFC Championship matchup just a few months ago.  I hope that in the absence of all of those Ravens Super Bowl starters, especially on that defense that gave Tom Brady fits, it's still a competitive game.  With an AFC still scraping for talent beyond the top 3 - 4 seeds, the Pats and Ravens have been a great annual showdown for a few years, and I'm sure Bill Belichick and John Harbaugh intend to keep it that way.  Prediction: In a back-and-forth series over the years, this season should logically swing back into New England's favor, assuming both teams still have any receivers whatsoever by December.  Joe Flacco pauses to marvel at the fact that he makes more money than Tom Brady.

18) Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, Week 17

If the Chicago front office has its way, these two teams will look a lot more similar in their offense- and pass-heavy styles than they used to.  I won't rule out the Vikings entirely in the NFC North after what they were able to do last year with fewer weapons than they have now, but I think the Packers and Bears could well have the biggest stakes in the last game of the regular season.  If so, it'll be a lot of fun to watch in that miserable January weather at Soldier Field as long as you're spectating from the comfort of your blanket-swaddled couch with Irish coffee in hand.  Prediction: Thinking of the Bears as an offensive juggernaut still feels like watching a dog walk on two legs. By comparison, the Packers will be in a four-legged cheetah sprint in this regard if they're not already resting their starters.  Brian Urlacher chuckles from his armchair with Rottweilers perched on each side.

19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints, Week 17

The divisional tides may be shifting all over the NFL this year, and the NFC South is no exception.  in fact, I wouldn't be totally surprised to see any one of these teams other than the Panthers take the division crown this year.  The Falcons seem like a sure thing to make the playoffs one way or another, so I like this final Saints-Bucs matchup as having real playoff implications.  Hopefully it'll put a punctuation mark on a successful turnaround year for at least one team that a certain blogger is just a hair obsessive about.  Prediction: The new Bucs secondary versus Drew Brees' high-octane offense is intriguing, and I see a series split this year.  However, the Saints get back to maximizing a serious home advantage this final week of the regular season.  Sean Payton and Greg Schiano trade inspirational but failed random onside kicks.

20) Washington Redskins at New York Giants, Week 17

I haven't put the Giants on this Games to Watch list as often as I would have thought, mainly because they are so mercurial from year to year that it would be pointless to know whether they'll be invincible late season gods or just screwing everything up what was in the palm of their hands a few weeks ago.  But assuming they play mostly to their strengths in 2013, they could be in for a title fight with the Redskins in Week 17, or really, any NFC East team as it typically goes.  Prediction: By sheer superstition, it seems the Giants have to have 2 - 3 down years before they can win another Super Bowl.  In a coin toss, the Redskins get the edge with a less mistake-prone QB.  Dan Snyder somehow bills the Giants for hosting the game.