In the Red Zone: Week 12 down, 5 to go Published Dec. 3, 2010 By Bryan Swink Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Teams are starting to separate not only within their divisions, but within the conferences as well. This season is shaping up to have competitive races to playoff seeds while separating the contenders from the pretenders. Let's look at the matchups for Week 13. Houston at Philadelphia Houston bounced back last week with a big division win against the Titans. Lucky for them, no suspension will be given to their star wide receiver Andre Johnson after his fight with Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan last week. The Eagles shouldn't have any problem game planning against this poor Houston defense. Michael Vick has been dominate as of late and will dissect the Texans. Swink's prediction: Eagles win at home New Orleans at Cincinnati The Bengals' losing streak has now hit a dismal eight games. Look for it to extend to nine after the Saints visit in Week 13. Running back Reggie Bush should be ready to go for the Saints, which will open more dimensions to their offense. Even though the Bengals look talented on paper, they haven't figured out how to play as a team. It will be difficult for them to figure that out when the defending Super Bowl champions are visiting. Swink's prediction: Saints win on the road Chicago at Detroit Chicago looked good against a tough Eagles team last week and extended their division lead with a Packers loss. This will be the last easy game for them as they finish their season with four tough teams. The Lions played tough through three quarters against the Patriots on Thanksgiving, but fell short in the fourth. I have to give it to them, they aren't the most talented but they fight hard every week. They have a chance to upset the Bears, but don't count on it. Swink's prediction: Bears wins on the road San Francisco at Green Bay Green Bay will be coming into this game with more at stake than San Francisco. The Packers are now one game behind Chicago for the division lead and are in a close fight for one of the two NFC wildcard spots. The 49ers are near the bottom of the NFC and have just about secured a top-10 draft pick. They stand no chance at beating Aaron Rodgers at Lambeau Field. Swink's prediction: Packers win at home Jacksonville at Tennessee Tennessee won their first meeting but has turned a dark corner since their first encounter seven weeks ago. They are playing with a third-string quarterback and a disgruntled locker room. Jacksonville, on the other hand, is sitting on top of the division looking down upon the Colts, Texans and Titans. I sure didn't see that coming at the beginning of the season. I think they will keep it up for another week or two before coming back to reality. Swink's prediction: Jaguars win on the road Denver at Kansas City The Chiefs have been dominant at times and looked confused at times. They haven't lost at home this season but were beat by the Broncos just three weeks ago. The Chiefs have run the ball down their opponents' throats all season at home and will continue on that path against the Broncos, who have allowed 143.5 rushing yards per game. Swink's prediction: Chiefs win at home Cleveland at Miami Peyton Hills is a beast! The Browns running back dominated the Panthers defense last week and will be looking to do the same against the Dolphins. Miami has won only one game at home this season and has struggled against good running teams. The Browns' weak spot on offense is their quarterback situation. Consistency under center is key to a team's success. Three different quarterbacks have started for the Browns this season. Swink's prediction: Browns win on the road Buffalo at Minnesota If you look at the talent and records, this should be an easy victory for the Vikings. Not so fast. The Bills have been playing hard every game this season and continue to give good teams a run for their money. In the last six weeks, Buffalo has won two games and lost the other four by a field goal, three of them in overtime. If Minnesota looks at this game as an easy win, they might find themselves extremely disappointed by the end of regulation. Swink's prediction: Bills win on the road Washington at NY Giants The Giants desperately need this division win to stay in contention with the Eagles. The Redskins are the weaker team but have played better on the road than they have at home. The balanced offense the Giants bring to the table may be too much for the poor Redskins defense. I wouldn't be surprised if Eli Manning threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Swink's prediction: Giants win at home Oakland at San Diego San Diego is catching fire, like they normally do in the second half of the season. Oakland hasn't won since their bye week and has struggled to put up points. The Chargers are too talented on both sides of the ball to lose to a weaker team at home. This is the first of three consecutive home games for the Chargers and I don't see them losing more than one game throughout the remainder of the regular season. Swink's prediction: Chargers win at home Carolina at Seattle The Panthers are probably the worst team in the league and have struggled to figure out what an offense actually does. Even though I'm not impressed by Seattle, they are the better team in this matchup. Carolina hasn't won a road game all season and Seattle has three of their five wins at home. It won't be an exciting game to watch, but the Seahawks need this win to keep pace with St. Louis for the division lead. Swink's prediction: Seahawks wins at home Atlanta at Tampa Bay This is a must-win game for the Bucs. They need this divisional win to stay in contention within the division, but also for any shot at getting a wildcard birth. The Falcons are one of the best teams in the league and have won five consecutive games and nine of their last 10. Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense have dominated opposing defenses all season. Don't expect this week to be much different. Swink's prediction: Falcons win on the road St. Louis at Arizona The Rams finally got their first road win of the season last week while the Cardinals keep plummeting further down in the division. St. Louis has played well against bad teams this season and will avenge their Week 1 loss at home to the Cardinals. Arizona quarterback Derek Anderson has played badly recently and may be in jeopardy of losing his job at the end of the season. Momentum is in the Rams' favor. Swink's prediction: Rams win on the road Dallas at Indianapolis With the injuries and poor defensive play the Colts and Cowboys have experienced throughout the season, this game is a toss-up in my book. Peyton Manning looked horrible last week, throwing four interceptions. The Cowboys have found rhythm with their offense as of late, but I'm still not sold without Tony Romo at quarterback. With Manning on the other side and the Colts playing at home, I give the advantage to Indy. Swink's prediction: Colts win at home Pittsburgh at Baltimore This game will be a fun one that could determine who clinches the AFC North division. Baltimore won their first meeting in Pittsburgh, but they didn't have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers have a solid rushing game, which will be interesting to see against the tough Ravens defense. Baltimore has a more balanced offense, but quarterback Joe Flacco has been rattled at times against aggressive defenses. Swink's prediction: Ravens win at home NY Jets at New England Monday Night Football at its finest. This game is pivotal for both teams as they try to secure the AFC East division. The Jets haven't lost a single game on the road this season, whereas Tom Brady hasn't lost a regular season game at home since Nov. 12, 2006. I think the Patriots have the advantage because they are at home, but I would be surprised if the Jets pulled out a win. Swink's prediction: Patriots win at home If you want to argue a prediction or point I made, please e-mail me at bryan.swink-02@mcguire.af.mil. Give a detailed explanation of why you disagree and some responses will be posted in next week's column with, of course, my explanation of why you are wrong.