Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. Thanksgiving will soon be upon us and family, friends, food and football will dominate the landscape on Thursday. Truly a tradition like no other. For Week 12 games I'm keeping an eye on the Bills-Saints, Steelers-Bengals, Buccaneers-Colts, Titans-Patriots, and Rams-Packers matchups. In this post I'll do a preview of the week's games and my picks for the games. Let's get to work!
Week 12 Preview
The NFL's 12th week of the regular season starts in Detroit, Michigan and finish up in Landover, Maryland. Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs are on a bye this week. The week features a 15-game slate where 30 teams will play. Week 12 features three Thursday games, seven early games, three late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. FOX will have the doubleheader and CBS will have the single, regional game this week. Let's get to the picks!
Week 12 Picks
Note: TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate. All game times are in US Eastern.
Chicago (3-7) @ Detroit (0-9-1) (FOX; 12:30 pm): TW: Lions, CV: Bears
Last week the Bears lost to the Ravens and the Lions lost to the Browns. The Turkey Day festivities starts with a wimper matchup in Detroit. Both teams are not very good. This is really and only the time that Detroit gets to be on the national stage so I will actually take the Lions. I'm really going to hate myself if honestly they lose to the Bears. This season has been so crazy that anything is possible. I think Dandre Swift will have a good game. Don't fail me Detroit.
Las Vegas (5-5) @ Dallas (7-3) (CBS; 4:30 pm): TW: Cowboys; CV: Cowboys
The two teams lost last week as the Raiders lost to the Bengals and the Cowboys lost to the Chiefs. The sleeper game features two teams that are on somewhat of a downswing, at least more so for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Cowboys can play really good football and play really bad football. Last week was one of those games where they really couldn't find their running attack as I don't think the Chiefs put up a spectacular game last Sunday. I can't stand Dallas and I hope the case is that the Cowboys lose but I want to get back to winning this season in Pick 'Ems.
Buffalo (6-4) @ New Orleans (5-5) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
Both teams lost last week as the Bills lost to the Colts and the Saints lost to the Eagles. Once the afternoon nap is over this matchup is the one where you find and nibble on some leftovers. The two teams possess very good defenses as they wouldn't be this far this season looking for playoff position. Buffalo hasn't played well and their defense got exposed badly against the Colts. New Orleans can be very inconsistent and they really bad offense. However I still like the Buffalo Bills in the matchup as the Saints are ranked 21st in pass defense, giving up 267.1 yards/game. This could be a problem as their pass offense is not very good either as they have 214.6 yards/game. I'll take the Bills.
Carolina (5-6) @ Miami (4-7) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Panthers; CV: Panthers
The Panthers lost to the Football Team and the Dolphins beat the Jets last week. Cam Newton has provided the Panthers new life after the Sam Darnold project failed. Their defense kind of had a setback last week against Washington and really should've won the game. Miami has been on a tear lately winning three straight games. What made that change was them playing not great teams in the Texans or Jets but rather their defense has been back to playing at a level that we were expecting at season's start. I don't really think that the Dolphins will win this game but I feel it could be close. I'll take the Panthers.
Atlanta (4-6) @ Jacksonville (2-8) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons
Both teams lost last week as the Falcons lost to the Patriots and the Jaguars lost to the 49ers. Both teams aren't that great. Atlanta looked like a possibility of a wild card and then they got blown up by the Cowboys and Patriots. Jacksonville wasn't expected to be good. They have a decent running attack and sometimes surprise you on defense. Atlanta just can never get a good offense or defense together at the same time. I could see either team winning but I'll take the better offense in the Falcons.
NY Jets (2-8) @ Houston (2-8) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Texans; CV: Jets
The Jets lost to the Dolphins and the Texans beat the Titans last week. Truly a toilet bowl matchup of two teams vying for a top-5 pick in next year's draft. Neither of them have any upside or advantage over the other. Quite honestly I think that they should both lose or at least tie. I suppose I could take the home team as Tyrod Taylor can be a fun watch at quarterback.
Philadelphia (5-6) @ NY Giants (3-7) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
The Eagles beat the Saints and the Giants lost to the Buccaneers last week. The I-95 rivalry returns with a matchup that finds the Eagles looking at an opportunity for a playoff spot and the Giants looking to play spoiler. New York dumped offensive coordinator Jason Garrett earlier this week and could possibly see an improvement in offense. Philadelphia has had a rebirth in offense with Jalen Hurts leading the way. New York's defense will have its hands full with this offense. I don't see the Giants winning so I will take the Eagles.
Pittsburgh (5-4-1) @ Cincinnati (6-4) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Steelers; CV: Bengals
The Steelers lost to the Chargers and the Bengals beat the Raiders last week. When these two teams played in early October, the Steelers were still trying to figure themselves out on offense. With a 37-point performance last week the Steelers seem to have figured themselves out. TJ Watt will likely be returning to play. Pittsburgh will need him to be back. Cincinnati hit somewhat of a curb for a while and then got a huge win against the Raiders which are trending down. I think the Steelers will rebound and get a win. I think the point margin will be less than five.
Tampa Bay (7-3) @ Indianapolis (6-5) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
Both teams got wins last week as the Buccaneers beat the Giants and the Colts beat the Bills. Tampa Bay hit a skid for a few weeks and got back to winning ways against the hapless Giants. They face the Indianapolis Colts with their star running back Jonathan Taylor who had a day last week with five total touchdowns. Tampa has the #1 rush defense in the NFL and Indy has the #4 rush offense. Something's going to give. You're also choosing either Tom Brady or Carson Wentz in this matchup. I think I'll take Brady.
Tennessee (8-3) @ New England (7-4) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
The Titans lost to the Texans and the Patriots beat the Falcons last week. Tennessee really had a letdown last week as they lost to the Houston Texans. They also lost to the New York Jets as well. New England will now be facing against their biggest tests of the season with this Titans team and Buffalo. Just how good can the Patriots be without Tom Brady. I think they just might have a shot to win. With no Derrick Henry still and Adrian Peterson waived, I don't see Tennessee winning this game.
LA Chargers (6-4) @ Denver (5-5) (CBS; 4:05 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers
The Chargers beat the Steelers and the Broncos were on a bye last week. Los Angeles had a great game on offense as Justin Herbert reverted back to his old self that we've been so accustomed to. Their defense was a bit suspect as they gave up 31 points to an average Steelers offense. What they face in the Broncos is a team that at one point was 3-0, now they're 5-5. They have a solid offense and a better defense. They're banged up a bit on defense though with Bradley Chubb and Kareem Jackson with an injury bug. I'll take the Chargers.
LA Rams (7-3) @ Green Bay (8-3) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Packers; CV: Rams
The Rams were on a bye and the Packers lost to the Vikings last week. The weather on Sunday will be 37 degrees for the high in Green Bay. With a team that is used to warm weather and in a semi-dome stadium the Rams could find it difficult to deal with the temperature. The Rams have had a skid lately losing their last two games by double digits. Green Bay's defense didn't play solid ball but Aaron Rodgers nearly did win that game. It could be a toss-up game but I'll take the colder weather Packers.
Minnesota (5-5) @ San Francisco (5-5) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: Vikings
Both teams won last week as the Vikings beat the Packers and the 49ers beat the Jaguars. A must win for both teams. San Francisco is a team on the rise with two straight wins. What they face is a Vikings team whose offense came to life and ran over the Packers defense that looked like championship caliber quality. The 49ers pass defense is good and they will need to be good to stop/slow down Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. I'll take the 49ers.
Cleveland (6-5) @ Baltimore (7-3) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
The Browns beat the Lions and the Ravens beat the Bears last week. Sunday primetime game as the Browns look to stay in a playoff hunt. They face off against their bigger brother in the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore had some issues with the Bears passing attack but did alright against stopping the run. Cleveland will need to really have a stellar game on offense by not turning it over and keeping Lamar Jackson off the field. I don't see it happening.
Seattle (3-7) @ Washington (4-6) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Football Team; CV: Football Team
The Seahawks lost to the Cardinals and the Football Team beat the Panthers last week. Week 12 finishes up with a meh game. Seattle had looked really good at the start of the season but with Russell Wilson having an injury and having coming back from injury has left the Seahawks with the possibility of having a losing season since 2011. Washington has played well in recent weeks in beating the Buccaneers and Panthers. They have a good offense and a defense that has been playing better. I like Washington to continue their winning ways in this one.
Early & Late TV Pairings (courtesy of 506sports.com):
Note: Games in bold are games being shown in my area.
CBS Single
Tennessee @ New England
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green
NY Jets @ Houston
Spero Dedes, Jay Feely
LA Chargers @ Denver (LATE)
Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta
FOX Early
Tampa Bay @ Indianapolis
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson
Philadelphia @ NY Giants
Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth
Carolina @ Miami
Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston
Atlanta @ Jacksonville
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez
FOX Late
LA Rams @ Green Bay
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman
Minnesota @ San Francisco
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma
For more information on which is being shown in your area, check local listings, and check out NFL 2021: Week 12 maps.
2021 Pick'em Records:
My record:
Week 1: 7-9
Week 2: 10-6
Week 3: 10-6
Week 4: 9-7
Week 5: 12-4
Week 6: 11-3
Week 7: 10-3
Week 8: 7-8
Week 9: 7-7
Week 10: 5-8-1
Week 11: 8-7
Total: 96-68-1
Cardinal Viking's record:
Week 1: 6-10
Week 2: 12-4
Week 3: 13-3
Week 4: 10-6
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 12-2
Week 7: 10-3
Week 8: 7-8
Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 5-8-1
Week 11: 10-5
Total: 103-61-1
Previous Picking Records:
2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
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