NFL Game Picks: Predicting The Winners For Every Game In Week 12

Well, it’s official. This season has truly entered the cuckoo zone, and we can’t confidently predict which teams are actually good and which are just paper tigers. We have a pretty clear idea of which teams stink, but even the Saints, Giants, Browns, Jets, Raiders, and Titans (the bottom six teams according to ESPN’s power rankings) have had moments this season when they’ve given the top teams a scare. Some might say this is the parody the NFL wants, but it’s starting to give me a headache. According to ESPN, the top 10 teams in the league right now (in order) are: the Rams, Eagles, Patriots, Colts, Broncos, Bills, Seahawks, Lions, 49ers, and Buccaneers. Of those, the Lions wouldn’t even be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Notably missing from this list of “power teams” are current playoff teams like the Bears, Packers, Chargers, Steelers, and Jaguars. If we include those five teams with the top 10, do you see a team that stands out as a Super Bowl favorite? For all we know, it could end up being a team like Baltimore, Kansas City, or even Carolina, none of which have been mentioned. Suffice it to say, the league championship is very much up for grabs, and predicting winners each week is no easy task. From last week’s games, we managed to pick 11 of the 15 winners, but we were just 8-7 against the spread.

Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans +5.5

What do we know about these teams? Starting with Buffalo, we know Josh Allen is a very good football player and is often a difference maker for the Bills, who have some issues on defense. Notably, their run defense is terrible this year. The loss of Ed Oliver has hurt them the most, as he was the key run-stopper in the middle of their line. Buffalo’s run defense is ranked #31 in the league and has been exploited in recent weeks by Sean Tucker and De’Von Achane. The rest of the offense depends heavily on Allen each week, with no other player standing out except for James Cook. Last weekend, they benched Keon Coleman, and no one even noticed because Tyrell Shavers stepped in and gave Allen a big downfield target that could both get open and catch the ball. As for the Texans, we know they have the league’s top-ranked overall defense, and they have Nico Collins. C.J. Stroud has missed the last two games with a concussion, but Davis Mills has filled in without missing a beat, thanks to his awareness of their star receiver, Nico Collins. Those two games were against the Jaguars at home, where Jacksonville blew a late lead, and against the Titans, so this game is definitely a step up in competition for Houston. Since this game is on Thursday, I expect Mills to make his third straight start, and Houston will likely try to lean on Woody Marks and Nick Chubb to keep the chains moving and control the clock. That should mostly work, but if they can’t score touchdowns, they won’t win. The Bills and Josh Allen just need to stay close and avoid turnovers, and they should be in a good position to win late. I don’t trust them enough to lay this many points on the road, especially on a short week, but I think Buffalo wins a tight game by scoring touchdowns while Houston settles for field goals. Bills 21 – Texans 19

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Chicago Bears -2.5

Two more “playoff teams” face off in this matchup. This game should go a long way in revealing which team is a complete fraud and which one has a real shot at doing something this season. I tend to believe both teams are paper tigers, and neither will make much noise in the postseason; in fact, both have a good chance of missing the playoffs entirely. Both teams currently lead their divisions, but Vegas doesn’t have much faith in either, with the Ravens and Lions sitting as the odds-on favorites in the AFC and NFC North, respectively. I’ll try to avoid the whole “who have they beaten and who have they lost to” narrative because the Steelers exemplify why that doesn’t matter. They’ve beaten teams like the Colts and Patriots, while losing to the Bengals and Chargers, so there’s not much to read into that. The truth is, the Steelers are capable of beating anyone on certain Sundays. They’ll need to avoid mistakes and will probably rely on Mason Rudolph at quarterback this Sunday when they face the Bears in Chicago. The Bears sit at 7-3 and have won three straight games, but they’re just as frustrating to figure out. They managed an impressive win on the road against the Vikings, which might be their best win outside of their Week 3 home victory over Dallas. Caleb Williams has been inconsistent, but he’s done a good job of protecting the ball and avoiding turnovers during Chicago’s three-game winning streak. It should be a low-scoring game in cold, windy conditions, and I’m going with the Steelers, who seem slightly less fraudulent at the moment. Even with Rudolph at quarterback and Jaylen Warren less than 100%, I think they can move the ball enough for Chris Boswell to outscore Cairo Santos. Steelers 19 – Bears 16

New England Patriots @ Cincinnati Bengals +8

The Patriots sit atop the AFC East and are ranked #3 in this week’s overall power rankings (according to ESPN). I think it’s official — we have to accept that they are what their record says they are. They have won eight straight games after starting the season 1-2, and while the opponents haven’t been elite, they’ve beaten them all, which is all you can ask from any team. Drake Maye is on the short list for this year’s MVP contenders, and this week he will face a Bengals defense ranked 31st in the league against the pass. The only thing that might slow him down statistically is the Patriots running game, which will also face that same Bengals defense, ranked even worse against the run (yes, you guessed it, #32). The Bengals and their fans have been holding out hope that Joe Burrow will return and save this season, but he doesn’t play defense, so he would only lead to higher-scoring losses. At this point, it’s probably too late for Burrow to return and make a difference anyway. He’s aiming to be back for the Thanksgiving game against Baltimore, so we will have Joe Flacco for at least this week. To make things worse for Cincinnati, they will have to play the Pats without Ja’Marr Chase, who was suspended by the league for spitting on Jalen Ramsey. I’ve been waiting for New England to stumble in one of these weeks and believed they would drop a game they shouldn’t, which could open the door for Buffalo to catch them later in the season, but I don’t think this will be that game. They face the Giants in Cincinnati next week before playing Buffalo in week 15 (after both teams’ bye), so if they do lose one of these games, it will be a major upset. There’s no logical reason for them to lose either of those games, other than the fact that we’re living in a weird zone. I guess I’ll just have to accept that the Pats will be 11-2 when they face the Bills in week 15. Patriots 31 – Bengals 20

New York Giants @ Detroit Lions -11.5

Jameis Winston is just so much fun, isn’t he? He got the start in relief of the injured Jaxson Dart and gave us a classic Jameis Winston game. Well, almost. The game was missing a few deep passes for touchdowns, but we’ll chalk that up to the fact that he was working with players like Isaiah Hodgins, who was just picked up off Pittsburgh’s practice squad a few days earlier. While we may remember Hodgins from his brief run of success with New York a few years ago, he was on Pittsburgh’s practice squad this year if that gives you any context to how he’s doing now. Maybe if he gained 30 pounds and called himself a tight end, the Steelers could have found room for him, but I digress. Winston was able to keep the Giants in the game, and they even had another 4th quarter lead over Green Bay. But because they’re the Giants, they blew the lead, and Winston was set up to lead a game-winning or tying drive at the end of the game. The game ended as Jameis threw a pick while targeting a confused Jalen Hyatt in the end zone. Classic Jameis. Classic Jalen Hyatt. Classic Giants. Dart should return this week as the G-men travel to Detroit to take on the Lions. The Lions have their own issues after last week’s loss in Philadelphia. Dan Campbell took over the offensive play-calling, and this just isn’t going to go well for the Lions. It’s never a good idea for a head coach to spread himself too thin, and it’s especially dangerous when your head coach is prone to making rage-induced decisions like “we’re going to go for it every down until they bleed.” At some point, an adult is going to have to replace his play-calling card with an Applebee’s menu and hope he doesn’t notice that his headset has been turned off. The Lions should be safe in this game at home against the beat-up Giants, but I don’t trust them to cover a number this big. They may have done it with ease against Washington two weeks ago, but I think New York hangs around here and keeps it interesting. Lions 26 – Giants 20

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers -6.5

The Vikings have lost two straight games, and many are wondering if J.J. McCarthy can handle leading this offense. Last week, the Vikings only scored 17 points at home in a matchup against a Bear defense ranked near the bottom in the league across all categories. McCarthy struggled with both accuracy and ball protection, completing only 50% of his passes with 2 costly interceptions. The Packers also broke a two-game losing streak by coming back to beat the Giants on the road. They were hit by injuries again, as Josh Jacobs left the game with a knee injury. Fortunately, it wasn’t as serious as many feared, but there’s a good chance Green Bay will be without their lead back for this game and their Thanksgiving matchup against Detroit. Even shorthanded, the Packers are currently in a better position than the Vikings. The weather should be typical late fall conditions at Lambeau, but there’s currently no major concern about severe cold or wind affecting either team’s passing game. The Packers need to keep winning if they want to catch Chicago and stay ahead of Detroit, and I believe they will take care of business at home this weekend. While the Vikings have been better on the road than at home this season, I don’t think McCarthy can avoid mistakes against this Green Bay defense. Packers 24 – Vikings 16

Seattle Seahawks @ Tennessee Titans +13.5

Speaking of home/road splits, this game features a Seahawks team that has been road warriors this season, sitting at 4-1 away from the Pacific Northwest, while the Titans are an unimpressive 0-5 at home in Music City. To be fair, the Titans’ only win was back in week 5 in Arizona, and that was a bit of a miracle. The Titans aren’t very good. They have had some moments this season, but ultimately, they tend to crumble under late-game pressure. This past weekend, they had a brief 6-0 lead, but that didn’t last, as Houston eventually managed to grind out enough points for an unimpressive victory. The Seahawks are looking to bounce back after losing a close one against the Rams. They completely outplayed LA the entire game, but Sam Darnold looked like he was seeing ghosts again and turned the ball over four times. Despite losing the turnover battle 4-1, Seattle actually had a field goal attempt at the end of the game that could have won it. The Seahawks look like the real deal, and the Titans seem like a team that may actually be drafting a quarterback with the #1 pick in the draft for the second year in a row. This game shouldn’t be close at all. Seahawks 31 – Titans 13

Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City Chiefs -3.5

Somehow, the Chiefs are still favored in this game after losing their last two to playoff teams in the AFC. While both losses occurred on the road, it was concerning to see how poorly Patrick Mahomes played in both games. The Chiefs currently struggle to run the ball. Actually, I should rephrase that — the Chiefs don’t want to run the ball right now. Kareem Hunt, being an older back, probably can’t handle a huge workload, but he averaged nearly 5 yards per carry over the past two games. Against Buffalo, he was given just 11 carries, and against Denver, he had 13. In those 24 rush attempts, he gained 108 yards. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes stopped running altogether. He went from averaging around 30 rushing yards per game to just 8 yards total in two games. I don’t expect that trend to change this week against a Colts defense that’s much tougher against the run than the pass. They recently added Sauce Gardner to bolster their pass defense, and I expect him to lock down Rashee Rice this Sunday. The game will hinge on how well the Colts can stop the rest of Mahomes’ weapons and how effectively Daniel Jones can handle the hostile environment of Arrowhead Stadium. The Colts have lost both of their away games this season, and I expect this to be their third. The Chiefs’ run defense isn’t going to allow Jonathan Taylor to score three times, and the Colts will need Jones to make big plays to secure a victory. Expect the Chiefs to bounce back and cover at home. Chiefs 31 – Colts 24

New York Jets @ Baltimore Ravens -13.5

Let’s play a round of the $100,000 Pyramid. Ready? A dumpster fire. A wet donkey’s butt. The Jets. THINGS THAT STINK!!!!! Nice job. The Jets franchise was originally called the Titans, and ironically, if it weren’t for the team currently playing in Tennessee, the Jets would be hands down the worst team in football. There is still plenty of time for them to wrestle that mantle away from these new-age imposters, so fear not, Jet fans—your team will get even worse before this season ends. Aaron Glenn was a horrible hire. Nobody watched the Lions over the last few years and said, “the genius behind this defense that allows 30 points every game will make a great head coach.” Throw in the fact that he was able to choose the coordinators and took the kid that Ben Johnson had “coordinating the passing game.” Tanner Engstrand may end up being a decent coach someday, but right now, this gig isn’t going to be any more impressive on his resume than leading the UFL’s D.C. Defender offense a few years ago. The Jets then built an offense around a running quarterback with just one viable pass catcher and told him to stop running and to protect the ball. We could go on about why the Jets are so bad, but things are going to hit another level of bad this weekend when they go with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback. This is exactly the game Baltimore needs right before facing the almost equally bad Bengals on Thanksgiving. Lamar Jackson needs to work out the kinks if the Ravens are going to make a run for the AFC North and a playoff berth. These two games will be a great opportunity for him and Todd Monken to figure out what offense they want to run. Is Lamar just a drop-back passer now? Will he start running again? Will it be a mixture of both? Whatever they decide, it’s going to work great this week against the Jets, and they will roll to an easy win. Ravens 37 – Jets 6

Cleveland Browns @ Las Vegas Raiders -3.5

I hear there’s a new prison work release program in Las Vegas. Prisoners can get their sentences reduced if they sit through this game and make the stadium seem like people actually want to watch this matchup. As of now, nobody has taken the State of Nevada up on the offer, but there’s still time before Sunday. All jokes aside, this game is going to be fun to watch for a very select few people. That group includes the families and friends of Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby. Those two players are the only ones in this game worth the price of admission, especially since the Browns lowered their ticket prices last week to under $10 for some seats. Even in Las Vegas, where every fan will be holding some kind of betting slip while watching, this game won’t be a sellout. Besides the two defensive stars, the game will also feature a couple of young running backs who will likely be running for their lives most of the game. It looks like we’ll get an encore from Shadeur Sanders, and that alone might just get a few of us to tune in to see if it can possibly be worse than last week’s dismal 4-for-16 performance. Geno Smith should give the Raiders a slight edge, as his experience could help him outperform the Cleveland rookie quarterback, regardless of which one Kevin Stefanski chooses. I expect a low-scoring game that probably won’t even come close to the league low of 36.5 points Vegas set for this matchup. Raiders 12 – Browns 6

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Arizona Cardinals +2.5

The Jags currently hold the 7th seed in the AFC and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. They just crushed the Chargers this past weekend in front of the Jacksonville home crowd. That game was completely dominated by the Jaguar defense, which held the Chargers to under 150 yards of total offense and allowed the offense to control the ball for nearly 38 minutes. The Jacksonville offense was led by their backfield, as Bhayshul Tuten and Travis Etienne combined for 147 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Cardinals were blown out by San Francisco, even though Jacoby Brissett set a new NFL record for completions in a game. Jacksonville may not be a complete team right now, as Trevor Lawrence hasn’t shown much improvement since entering the league, and they really miss the playmaking ability of both Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. However, they are still much better than the Cardinals. Arizona has a home record of 1-4, which includes the Tennessee Titans’ only win of the season. The Jags should win this game against the weaker opponent. I still have Jacksonville on fraud watch, but they’ll come out victorious in this game. Jaguars 23 – Cardinals 17

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys +3.5

Dallas looked great on Monday night in Las Vegas. Everything just seemed different about this same team that had lost their previous game at home against Arizona when they last played in Week 9 on this same Monday Night Football stage. Emotions were running high as the team now plays for their fallen teammate, and they’ve added a couple of impact players, Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, to their depleted defense. The game started curiously as Dallas took the field on offense without either of their star wide receivers, as both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were held out due to mysterious coaching decisions. When they returned, the Cowboys’ offense took off, and Dak was able to move up and down the field at will against the Raiders. The key part of that last statement was the last three words. Against The Raiders. This week, they will host the Eagles, who sit as the overall top seed in the NFC after winning their 4th straight game last weekend over the Lions. Philly has been leaning on their defense, which has been playing as one of the top units in the league over the past two weeks, allowing just 16 points to two playoff hopeful teams from the NFC North. Dallas needs this game if they hope to make a playoff push. It might seem unlikely given they lost to the Cardinals, but they will come into this game with aspirations of greatness, and it will come down to how the Eagles perform on offense. If the Cowboys’ defense can pick up where they left off in Vegas, they have a shot. I just don’t think the Raiders are a true test of whether the Cowboys are truly improved, and I believe the Eagles will come in and handle their business. Dallas won’t be able to cover both Brown and Smith, and one or possibly both of them are going to have big games in Big D. Eagles 30 – Dallas 24

Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints -1.5

The Falcons had a tough game at home last week against the Panthers. Not only did they lose to their division rivals for the second time this season, but they also lost Michael Penix for the second time this season. This time he will be out for the rest of the year, so it’s officially Kirko time in Atlanta for the remainder of 2025. Drake London was also injured last week and will most likely miss this game in New Orleans. The Saints had the week off, and I’m sure they spent that time getting Tyler Shough on the same page as Chris Olave and the rest of the Saints’ receiving corps. This game doesn’t offer much scoring excitement outside of Bijan Robinson, so I’m not sure who will be watching other than the most devoted fans of these two teams. In fact, the NFL probably really hopes that the Eagles and Cowboys game keeps fans entertained, because the rest of the 4pm slate this Sunday looks a lot like this game. If you’re watching the Red Zone Channel, it will be basically the same as watching the Eagles/Cowboys since the rest of the schedule includes Jacksonville/Arizona, Cleveland/Las Vegas, and this game. There might not be more than 6 touchdowns combined from the entire slate outside of that NFC East matchup. As for this game specifically, it might be one of the few times this season that Alvin Kamara is actually helpful to his fantasy owners. The Saints aren’t very good, but neither are the Falcons, and since I swore an oath on a stack of comic books to pick a winner for every game regardless of how bad they seem, I’m going to say something I haven’t said all year: New Orleans will win this weekend. Saints 19 – Falcons 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams -7

The Rams won a big game last week at home against the Seahawks. It wasn’t pretty, as Matthew Stafford only threw for 130 yards, and the entire Rams offense was held to under 250 yards. The key to their victory was protecting the ball, and thanks to winning the turnover battle 4-1, they managed to pull out a 2-point win. Tampa Bay lost their second straight game to a playoff-bound AFC East team, this time in Buffalo, as they lost to the Bills 44-32. Baker was moving the ball up and down the field, and while he only threw for 173 yards, he kept the chains moving by adding another 39 yards and a touchdown with his legs. Sean Tucker started the game for Tampa, scoring 3 times and averaging over 5 yards per carry on the ground. Traveling on back-to-back weeks, especially crossing the country for this Sunday Night game in L.A., isn’t easy, but I like the Bucs in this matchup. Tampa Bay is too good a team to drop three straight games, and I expect the Rams to relax a bit after their emotional win last week. There isn’t much science to this pick, more of a gut feeling, but a full touchdown is just way too much for the Rams to be giving here, even at home. Since I’m planning to take the points anyway, I might as well go big and call for the upset. Bucs 29 – Rams 27

Carolina Panthers @ San Francisco 49ers -7

When we saw this on the preseason schedule, many of us thought, “Really? The Panthers? On Monday Night?” It’s not like the 49ers had a great season either, finishing 2024 just one game better than the Panthers at 6-11. So, this game being set for Monday Night seemed a bit curious a few months ago. Now, just a few months later, these two teams have each already won more games than they did all last season. The Panthers have a few impressive wins, including a Week 9 victory at Lambeau Field over the Packers. San Francisco is finally somewhat healthy after getting Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall back last week. They still miss Fred Warner, who is out for the season, but their offense is as healthy as it’s been all year. This will be a tough game for Carolina to pull out. Despite their previous success against the Packers, they have looked outclassed when facing some of the better teams in the league like Buffalo and New England. This game could get ugly for the Panthers if San Francisco is able to have early success running the ball with Christian McCaffrey. I think the 49ers will have early success with McCaffrey, and it will only get uglier from there. 49ers 27 – Panthers 16          

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