Week 13 NFL picks against the spread

Happy Thanksgiving! Thursday is picks day, and with three games on the docket, it makes all the more sense to get the picks in. We're back with another set of picks with my boy James from Cover32.com/Raiders. Last week was pretty brutal. I was 4-9-1 and James was 5-8-1. It was not pretty.

Our San Francisco 49ers are hosting the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. The line is sitting around eight right now, although the Zac Stacy injury could change it. If Stacy is ruled out for Sunday, I would not be surprised to see the line climb back up a point. Benny Cunningham is talented, but Stacy had been on a bit of a role over the last few games.

One of the keys to winning this game will be slowing down the Rams pass rush. Whether it be focusing on the ground game or beefing up the short passing game, that will be essential. Robert Quinn is having a great season, and Chris Long isn't doing too shabby. The 49ers will need to figure out ways to contain them, or this could turn into a long afternoon.

And as always, turnovers will likely prove key. The 49ers lead the NFL in points off turnovers. Both teams are doing well in the turnover game. In switching to Kellen Clemens, the Rams have a quarterback who has managed to avoid mistakes thus far. The 49ers pass rush will look to get Clemens off balanced and attempting to force some things. The Rams offensive line is middle of the road in pass protection, so we'll see if the 49ers can repeat Monday's performance.