Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. With the Thanksgiving holiday near the nation takes a moment to be thankful for everything, including food and football. For matchups this week, I'll keep an eye on: Giants-Cowboys, Bengals-Titans, Rams-Chiefs, and Packers-Eagles. In this post I'll do a NFL Thankful: 2022 edition, the latest playoff picture, a preview of Week 12, my picks for the games and the Early & Late Game TV Broadcast pairings.
NFL Thankful: 2022 Edition
I had forgotten to do this last year and it had been a tradition of mine since I started doing blogging. In this section I will talk about what I think all 32 teams have to be thankful for in 2022. Here's the list:
Arizona Cardinals: Thankful to have DeAndre Hopkins back.
Atlanta Falcons: Marcus Mariota. That and you guys are playing well beyond expectations.
Baltimore Ravens: Having a better season than last year but the blowing leads have got to be annoying.
Buffalo Bills: You guys didn't have to play in a stadium that had six feet of snow dumped on it.
Carolina Panthers: You guys don't have a lot to be thankful for as you're in the middle of a rebuild. The black helmet is kind of cool though.
Chicago Bears: Justin Fields.
Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow is still walking upright and the Super Bowl hangover isn't taking as much of a hit on you as the Rams.
Cleveland Browns: Not a lot to be thankful for, the signing of Jacoby Brissett is nice. The contract to DeShaun Watson is not.
Dallas Cowboys: That you guys haven't played yet in the playoffs. Can't be one and done if you're not in them yet.
Denver Broncos: Your defense. The offense is pitiful.
Detroit Lions: Winning three straight games.
Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers being your quarterback and well Aaron Rodgers still being your quarterback.
Houston Texans: Your team stinks but at least the prospect of the #1 overall draft pick seems promising.
Indianapolis Colts: The 2022 season hasn't been what you wanted but at least you got a former player running things in the interim.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Your head coach might last a full season and more.
Kansas City Chiefs: Two words: Patrick Mahomes.
Las Vegas Raiders: Your team won't make the playoffs likely this year but you can't lose a playoff game if you're not in one. Big brain.
Los Angeles Chargers: Your head coach isn't totally incompetent. Those Justin Herbert commercials are kind of funny.
Los Angeles Rams: Matthew Stafford has another job (doing commercials) other than playing one of his worst seasons in his career.
Miami Dolphins: Tua staying healthy and can walk like a normal person. That and the temperature difference at Hard Rock Stadium.
Minnesota Vikings: Your 8-2 record is quite nice. At least until you guys go possibly one and done in January.
New England Patriots: Your defense and Rhamondre Stevenson are the reason why you're 6-4 right now.
New Orleans Saints: The playoff prospects aren't promising but at least the Red Rifle is playing alright.
New York Giants: Having one of your best seasons since 2008 at least until you eventually lose in the playoffs.
New York Jets: Breece Hall playing well beyond rookie expectations and then he gets injured. Just give him that extension already.
Philadelphia Eagles: An 9-1 record is your franchise's best since 2004 and Jalen Hurts is certainly a worthy MVP candidate.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The local boy is a faster version of Ben Roethlisberger and you guys might get a better draft pick if Mike Tomlin has his first losing season.
San Francisco 49ers: Your team pulling off the Christian McCaffrey trade and trying to hide the fact that it might cost your team's future in the long run.
Seattle Seahawks: Geno Smith playing what he was supposed to be when the Jets had drafted him to be.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tom Brady.
Tennessee Titans: Derrick Henry not being injured.
Washington Commanders: Daniel Snyder selling the team. Not so much on the nickname.
Playoff Picture: Week 12
With six weeks of the regular season left, there's still plenty of divisions up for grabs and no sure thing is guaranteed in the NFL. Even teams with great records have competition like the NFC and AFC East divisions. Let's look at the AFC.
Seeding
1st seed: Kansas City Chiefs (8-2)
2nd seed: Miami Dolphins (7-3)
3rd seed: Tennessee Titans (7-3)
4th seed: Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
5th seed: Buffalo Bills (7-3)
6th seed: New England Patriots (6-4)
7th seed: Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)
Wild Card Weekend Matchups
Cincinnati @ Miami
New England @ Tennessee
Buffalo @ Baltimore
In the Hunt
NY Jets (6-4), LA Chargers (5-5), Indianapolis (4-6-1), Jacksonville (3-7), Las Vegas (3-7), Cleveland (3-7), Denver (3-7), Pittsburgh (3-7), Houston (1-8-1)
Some interesting notes is that the Patriots are ahead of the Jets and Bengals based on head-to-head (Patriots record vs Jets 2-0) and based on conference record (5-2 to Patriots compared to Bengals 3-3 record). Miami is ahead of the Bills because of head-to-head record (1-0). Tennessee is behind Miami based on strength of victory (Miami has .465 to the Titans .358).
Let's take a look at the NFC
Seeding
1st seed: Philadelphia Eagles (9-1)
2nd seed: Minnesota Vikings (8-2)
3rd seed: San Francisco 49ers (6-4)
4th seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5)
5th seed: Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
6th seed: NY Giants (7-3)
7th seed: Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
Wild Card Weekend Matchups
Seattle @ Minnesota
NY Giants @ San Francisco
Dallas @ Tampa Bay
In the Hunt
Washington (6-5), Atlanta (5-6), Detroit (4-6), Green Bay (4-7), Arizona (4-7), New Orleans (4-7), LA Rams (3-7), Carolina (3-8), Chicago (3-8)
Looking like two of the matchups in the wild card weekend will have hosts with worser records against their opposition. You have to remember that the first four seeds are division winners. In terms of tiebreakers, there's not a lot of them.
Week 12 Preview
The Twelfth week of the National Football League's regular season will start in Detroit, Michigan and finish up in Indianapolis, Indiana. The week will feature a 16-game slate where all 32 teams will play. No teams are on a bye this week. Week 12 will feature three Thursday games, seven early games, four late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. FOX will have the double header this week and CBS will carry the single, regional game.
Week 12 Picks
Note: Game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking is my former roommate.
Buffalo (7-3) @ Detroit (4-6) (CBS; 12:30 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills
Both teams won last week as the Bills beat the Browns and the Lions beat the Giants. Thanksgiving starts with an interesting matchup in Detroit. Interesting in that the Lions aren't completely terrible. Buffalo had a bit of a skid of late losing to the Jets and Vikings. The doubt would lift a bit as they beat the Browns by an eight point margin. It will really come down to if the Bills defense can shut down the two headed monster in Jamaal Williams and D'Andre Swift. I think the Bills offense will find relative ease against the Lions defense. I'll take the Bills in a chance.
NY Giants (7-3) @ Dallas (7-3) (FOX; 4:30 pm): TW: Cowboys; CV: Giants
The Giants lost to the Lions and the Cowboys beat the Vikings last week. The sleeper game might turn into a game where you'd have to stay up for and watch. Both teams are at 7-3 and are rivals. Might be the biggest matchup in the Giants-Cowboys rivalry in a long time. New York has gotten it done with their rushing attack with Saquon Barkley leading the charge. They have some weakness in stopping the run. Dallas is much of the same with great running backs in Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliot. Their rush defense is suspect but their defense can shut down passing games as they only give up 201.9 yards/game. That will be one of the reasons why that might doom the Giants in this game. Quick passes will be the name of the game for Daniel Jones.
New England (6-4) @ Minnesota (8-2) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings
The Patriots beat the Jets and the Vikings lost to the Cowboys last week. New England's record is a bit suspect as they have won their games by their defense and special teams. For example, last week. Minnesota had bought the hype last week and they got smoked against Dallas. Their defense is suspect but their offense has been playing well enough to win games. Both teams have trouble in pass protection as both quarterbacks combined for 13 sacks against their opposition. I think the team who can keep their quarterback's jersey clean will have a good shot to win. Have to think the Vikings will win.
Atlanta (5-6) @ Washington (6-5) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Commanders; CV: Commanders
Both teams picked up wins as the Falcons beat the Bears and the Commanders beat the Texans. Atlanta has had a season that most people thought they wouldn't have. A 5-6 record with one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. Cordarrelle Patterson has some reason for that surge in stats. For the Commanders, they have one of the best rushing defenses. Something is going to have to give. I like Washington's running game a bit more as they do have some good players like Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson running the ball. With the benching of Carson Wentz, the Commanders will put the keys in the hands of Taylor Heinicke. I'll take the Commanders.
Baltimore (7-3) @ Jacksonville (3-7) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens
The Ravens beat the Panthers and the Jaguars had a bye last week. Baltimore has been one of the weirder teams this season. They can win by a fair margin like against the Saints and only put up 13 points against the Panthers. The offense just couldn't seem to get going last week. Jacksonville will be rested due to the bye week. The team could use one as they really have problems from stem to stern. Both teams have average stats when it comes to offense and defense. I feel the Ravens will take the dub with the strength of their running game.
Chicago (3-8) @ NY Jets (6-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Jets; CV: Jets
Both teams lost last week as the Bears lost to the Falcons and the Jets lost to the Patriots. Chicago might not have Justin Fields for this game. As well as their running back Khalil Herbert. If Fields doesn't go it will be up to Trevor Siemian to get things going on offense for the Bears. New York is dealing with their own troubles at quarterback as Joe Flacco might get the nod over Zach Wilson. If Flacco goes, I like the numbers that he has put up in 2022 with five touchdowns and three interceptions in three games. It's a toss-up game but I like the Jets at home. Update: as of 5:45 pm on 11/23/22 it will be Mike White that starts. Still won't change my mind.
Cincinnati (6-4) @ Tennessee (7-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Titans; CV: Titans
The two teams won last week as the Bengals beat the Steelers and the Titans beat the Packers. It's a rematch of the AFC Divisional playoff. The Bengals come into this contest a bit banged up with Joe Mixon and Ja'Marr Chase questionable to start. Tennessee seems to be a bit healthier on the roster. The Titans get to this point on the load of Derrick Henry. If Henry can get to 100 yards rushing a game they won't likely lose. If Tannehill can consistently drive the ball down the field and not make mistakes I like the Titans taking this game.
Denver (3-7) @ Carolina (3-8) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Panthers; CV: Broncos
Both teams lost last week as the Broncos lost to the Raiders and the Panthers lost to the Ravens. Both teams stink. The two combined records are 6-15. A doozy of a matchup that makes it worthy for the Toilet Bowl. I feel the Panthers will take a win because they really don't have anything to lose. I like D'Onta Foreman in this game. If I have to choose a team, I'd rather take the home team.
Houston (1-8-1) @ Miami (7-3) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The Texans lost to the Commanders and the Dolphins were on a bye last week. A real underdog versus favorite matchup. Houston is god awful and Miami is having their best season in many years. Tua Tagovailoa has stayed healthy after his concussion problems. He will have a relatively easy time against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Houston would have to play their best game if they want to beat this team.
Tampa Bay (5-5) @ Cleveland (3-7) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers
The Buccaneers had a bye and the Browns lost to the Bills last week. Tampa has been kind of an on-and-off team that can play well when it can. The only reason why they're at .500 is essentially Tom Brady. His defense can help keep the Buccaneers in games. Cleveland had been looking promising but they've lost a lot of games. It was at one point that the Browns were 2-1. Nick Chubb is close to getting 1,000 this season which is kind of cool. I think its a tough matchup for the Browns. I'll take the Bucs.
LA Chargers (5-5) @ Arizona (4-7) (CBS; 4:05 pm): TW: Cardinals; CV: Chargers
Both teams lost as the Chargers lost to the Chiefs and the Cardinals lost to the 49ers. Kyler Murray is likely going to play in this game after missing the last two games. I think the Chargers have a shot to win but I've lost confidence in them to win games. They really like to shit the bed at times. Arizona has been kind of iffy at times. Times like they really look great when they win and then play horrible. I'll go with the Cardinals to take down the Chargers in an upset.
Las Vegas (3-7) @ Seattle (6-4) (CBS; 4:05 pm): TW: Seahawks; CV: Seahawks
The Raiders beat the Broncos and the Seahawks had a bye last week. Derek Carr and company found a way to win against their rivals in the Broncos. They have three wins, two of them against Denver. What they face is the 12th man in Seattle. The Seahawks are well rested and they have one of the best comeback stories in the NFL in Geno Smith. As much as I hope the Raiders get things back on track I think they will have a tough time against a better rested Geno Smith, Kenneth Walker III and company.
LA Rams (3-7) @ Kansas City (8-2) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs
The Rams lost to the Saints and the Chiefs beat the Chargers last week. The game won't have Matthew Stafford to start as the passer has a strained neck. It will be his 2nd missed game in three weeks. John Wolford won't be able to play as he has a strained neck as well. It will be up to Bryce Perkins to lead the defending champions to a win. That's going to be a tall task as they take on the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes has done Mahomes things and guided the Chiefs to an 8-2 record. The best record in the AFC. The underdog would be an interesting story to tell your children but I think the Chiefs will win at home.
New Orleans (4-7) @ San Francisco (6-4) (FOX; 4:25 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The Saints beat the Rams and the 49ers beat the Cardinals last week. New Orleans has had a rough season which is perhaps warranted as they weren't expected to go far. Perhaps not. Andy Dalton is a capable starter and is certainly having a better season than Week 1 starter Jameis Winston. San Francisco has been one of the teams that should be better and they will be better. The addition of Christian McCaffrey has been a help to the 49ers. I think the start of a better road to victory will start against the Saints.
Green Bay (4-7) @ Philadelphia (9-1) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles
The Packers lost to the Titans and the Eagles beat the Colts last week. Aaron Rodgers and company hasn't had the season like they usually have in the past years. The issues with them don't stem from the wide receivers like they used to. Christian Watson has proven that he's a worthy weapon for Rodgers to go to. What they go up against is the Philadelphia Eagles who are pretty good based on their record. They've gotten it done with their offense. Jalen Hurts is a worthy MVP candidate. I think the Eagles will take the win as the Packers defense, like their record, is a rather disappointment.
Pittsburgh (3-7) @ Indianapolis (4-6-1) (ESPN; 8:15 pm): TW: Colts; CV: Colts
The Steelers lost to the Bengals and the Colts lost to the Eagles last week. Pittsburgh has had a struggle of a season. Their quarterback situation has been a mess but Kenny Pickett has been slowly been an interesting player to watch. The Steelers running game has been getting better as Najee Harris scored a couple of touchdowns last week. Indianapolis were so close to pulling off that sweet 2-0 start for interim head coach Jeff Saturday. I'm not sure what to think about the Colts and I don't know about the Steelers either. I like the Colts a bit better as they do have a running game and can do well enough on defense. It's a toss-up.
Early & Late game TV Broadcast Pairings
Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area. Check local listings.
CBS Single
Cincinnati @ Tennessee
Ian Eagle, Charles Davis
Baltimore @ Jacksonville
Andrew Catalon, James Lofton
Houston @ Miami
Spero Dedes, Jay Feely
LA Chargers @ Arizona (Late)
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green
Las Vegas @ Seattle (Late)
Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta
FOX Early
Tampa Bay @ Cleveland
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma
Chicago @ NY Jets
Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston
Atlanta @ Washington
Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth
Denver @ Carolina
Chris Myers, Robert Smith
FOX Late
LA Rams @ Kansas City
Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson
New Orleans @ San Francisco
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez
For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2022: Week 12 Maps
2022 Pick ‘Em Records
My record:
Week 1: 8-7-1
Week 2: 8-8
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 11-5
Week 5: 10-6
Week 6: 8-6
Week 7: 9-5
Week 8: 12-3
Week 9: 11-2
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Total: 98-65-1
Cardinal Viking's record:
Week 1: 6-9-1
Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 5-11
Week 4: 6-10
Week 5: 9-7
Week 6: 9-5
Week 7: 8-6
Week 8: 9-6
Week 9: 9-4
Week 10: 8-6
Week 11: 8-6
Total: 88-75-1
Previous Picking Records:
2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2019: 161-94-1
2020: 167-88-1
2021: 173-98-1
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