NFL 2024 Week 12 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The season is now close to the final full week of play in the month of November. Teams are getting close to achieving playoff position while some are still trying to find wins in the most spectacular ways. In this post, I'll do a playoff picture of the week, a Week 12 preview and picks of the games and the Early and Late TV broadcast pairings that both FOX and CBS will have for the Sunday afternoon games. Let's get to work!

NFL Playoff Picture: Week 12

The playoff talk has started already as some teams have a division lead and need certain scenarios to go their way to clinch divisions. No such scenarios exist as we're still a bit away from achieving their first big goal of the season. Let's start with the AFC. 

Seeding

1st seed: Kansas City Chiefs (9-1)
2nd seed: Buffalo Bills (9-2)
3rd seed: Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2)

4th seed: Houston Texans (0-0)

5th seed: Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)

6th seed: Baltimore Ravens (7-4)

7th seed: Denver Broncos (6-5)

Super Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Denver @ Buffalo

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh

LA Chargers @ Houston

In the Hunt

Indianapolis (5-6), Miami (4-6), Cincinnati (4-7), NY Jets (3-8), New England (3-8), Cleveland (2-8), Tennessee (2-8), Las Vegas (2-8), Jacksonville (2-9)

Should be noted that just because of the Bills handing the loss to the Chiefs doesn't change seeding. Buffalo still has two losses to its belt sadly. Pittsburgh would own the tiebreaker if they as well as the Ravens come to the same record. Let's go to the NFC. 

Seeding

1st seed: Detroit Lions (9-1)

2nd seed: Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)

3rd seed: Arizona Cardinals (6-4)

4th seed: Atlanta Falcons (6-5)

5th seed: Minnesota Vikings (8-2)

6th seed: Green Bay Packers (7-3)

7th seed: Washington Commanders (7-4)

Super Wild Card Weekend Matchups

Washington @ Philadelphia

Green Bay @ Arizona

Minnesota @ Atlanta

In the Hunt

LA Rams (5-5), Seattle (5-5), San Francisco (5-5), Tampa Bay (4-6), Chicago (4-6), New Orleans (4-7), Dallas (3-6), Carolina (3-7), NY Giants (2-8)

I kind of forgot how rough the NFC South is. If the Buccaneers and Falcons had the same record, Atlanta would own the tiebreaker due to head-to-head record. The upcoming Seahawks-Cardinals game in the late window this week will be a big one in the NFC West. Definitely a log jam with the other three teams in the NFC West. 

Week 12 Preview

The Twelfth week of the National Football League's regular season will start in Cleveland, Ohio and finish up in Inglewood, California. The week features a 13-game slate where 26 teams will play. Six teams are on a bye. Teams on a bye are the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets. There will be seven division games, two interconference games, three NFC games and one AFC game. The week features a Thursday night game, seven early games, three late games, a Sunday night game and a Monday night game. The doubleheader will go to FOX and CBS will have the single, regional game. 

Week 12 Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern.

Pittsburgh (8-2) @ Cleveland (2-8) (Amazon; 8:15 pm)

Pick: Steelers

The Steelers beat the Ravens and the Browns lost to the Saints last week. The old classic Steelers-Browns rivalry renews with a new chapter added to the rivalry. Pittsburgh comes into this game with a big win against rival Baltimore. They won it on the leg of Craig Boswell with six field goals in the game. The offense wouldn't get a touchdown but they didn't really turn the ball over a lot either. The defense would take over and in that series, it usually is a defensive struggle where both teams defense would showcase. The Steelers should be able to win this game with a bit more offense as the Browns offense isn't really that particularly great. They can put up points with Jameis Winston at quarterback but it feels like for every touchdown he throws, he tosses an interception. 

Cleveland comes into this game with a 2-8 record. Essentially another lost season after the season they had last year where Joe Flacco lead them to a playoff berth. Injuries and bad play have ravaged the Browns in this season. Their wins came from Jacksonville and Baltimore. Other than that it has been a long season. They need to have a continuation of running the ball effectively and not turning the ball over. Their defense needs to have a good game as well. No penalties at all. The game feels a bit more in favor for the Steelers who seem to be on a roll. I'll go with the Steelers achieving another winning season under Mike Tomlin. 

All-time series: Steelers lead 81-63-1

Detroit (9-1) @ Indianapolis (5-6) (FOX; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Lions

The Lions beat the Jaguars and the Colts beat the Jets last week. The Lions have been having a great season. A season that has been very successful as they have a 9-1 record. Their best start to a season since 1934. They have done it all with a team game where everyone is in charge and play a balanced offense and play team defense. The Lions look like a team that might be the best in the NFL. They have yet to prove it via championships but they aren't your daddy's Lions let alone your grandpa's. With the matchup against the Colts, I think they can find a win against the Colts by doing what they the do best. If there was a weakness to the Lions, it is beating themselves up via turnovers or penalties. Both things they don't do really well. 

Indianapolis had a good win against the Jets. They got a bit of control back to their season and they still have a possibility of landing a playoff spot. If the cards play right of course. They even proved me wrong as Anthony Richardson played a good game against the Jets when I assumed Joe Flacco was the better quarterback. It happens a bit often but fortunately I don't get paid to do this. I won't lie, the Colts definitely got a bit of a challenge on their hands in this one. Their defense will need to play a great game as both the pass and run games of the Lions are a potent combo. Turnovers will need to be avoided at all cost in order to win of course. If they can get into the Lions heads, they might become less disciplined. Maybe it might work but I'll go with the Lions. 

All-time series: Colts lead 22-20-2

Dallas (3-7) @ Washington (7-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Commanders

The Cowboys lost to the Texans and the Commanders lost to the Eagles last week. Dallas has been in free fall for quite a while. They actually have a better record on the road than at home. You can't get blown out at home if you're not at home for a football game. Pretty sound logic I would say. Dallas could very well find a way to win in this game against Washington. The rivalry will be heated as both of these teams know each other very well. If the Cowboys have any shot to win, they need to get their running game going like as soon as possible. Rico Dowdle is probably their best option as Ezekiel Elliott has seen a bit of a decrease in workload recently for some odd reason. He has more rushing touchdowns than anyone in the running unit. It will also be a big game for their defense as they have kind of let the team down as well. 

Washington has been kind of a free fall as well but at least they can win games at home. Let alone games from not being blown out and somehow win at the last play. See the Chicago @ Washington game for example. They have done it with a good running game than has a plethora of running backs that can come in and provide yardage. Jayden Daniels looked like a candidate for Rookie of the Year for the offense with Bo Nix coming right up. I think he needs to have a good game to help seal it. Washington is favored by 10 points in this game but I think it'll be a bit closer as this is a rivalry game and anything can happen in these kind of games. Suffice to say, I'll take the Commanders. 

All-time series: Cowboys lead 78-48-2

Kansas City (9-1) @ Carolina (3-7) (CBS; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Chiefs

The Chiefs lost to the Bills and the Panthers had a bye last week. Kansas City hadn't played well for the past few weeks. They barely won against a Broncos team and would beat them by a blocked field goal. I think the pressure of staying undefeated was starting to affect them. With the loss to the Bills done an over with, Andy Reid will ride them hard and they can get back to the task at hand. The Chiefs will need to have a good week of practice and get ready for the Panthers. The defense should be able to handle them well but I feel the offense needs to rule the day.

Last time we saw Carolina it was a win against the Giants in Germany. Bryce Young didn't play great but he wasn't awful either. The Panthers just scored enough points to get a win and keep the Giants from winning. Chuba Hubbard had a great game however. He will be the key to this game but Young will need to step up in this game. The best case scenario is that the Panthers find a good balance of pass and run and get first downs. The worst case is that Bryce Young reverts back to rough play and giveaway the ball a fair amount of times. I'll take the Chiefs for the rebound win.

All-time series: Chiefs lead 5-2

Minnesota (8-2) @ Chicago (4-6) (FOX; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Vikings

The Vikings beat the Titans and the Bears lost to the Packers last week. Minnesota looks to be the team to beat in the NFC North. They have had quite the season with Sam Darnold being the guy to lead the Vikes to the playoffs. It has to be one of the remarkable stories in the league. The rest of the team seems to be doing well. At least well enough to get to the playoffs and be a one and done team sadly. But that's in the future. The Vikings should be able to handle the Bears as their defense is one of the better units in the NFL and should make Caleb Williams' life a bit interesting. I think the Vikings should be able to handle them offensively as well. 

The Bears have had a rough go of it as of late. They haven't looked good for probably over a month. At least not since whooping the Jaguars in London. Since the Commanders loss, they just seem a bit out of place. They did get rid of their old offensive coordinator and brought in a new one. Caleb Williams seems to be bit more open to working with him. I think the Bears key to this game is keeping the Vikings offense off the field and holding them down to at least 20 points. The Vikings haven't lost in a while and they seem to be due for a loss. I don't see it happening in this one as I think they take the win. 

All-time series: Vikings lead 66-58-2

New England (3-8) @ Miami (4-6) (CBS; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Dolphins

The Patriots lost to the Rams and the Dolphins beat the Raiders last week. New England has seen a bit of a rise lately. Yes they did lose two of their last four games but their offense has seen a bit of an improvement over the last few weeks with Drake Maye starting. Yeah he had his growing pains but it seems that he is starting to mature into a veteran with each passing game. The running game has been getting better as well. I think the Patriots need to cut down on the mistakes and turnovers in order to win games. Sustaining drives and playing positional football will follow and points will come. What they can do against a Miami team is another question. Perhaps the offense can exploit the Dolphins defense a bit and give them a bit of a headache. It is the Patriots defense that has me questioning on if they can win this game. 

Miami seems to be on the rise with Tua Tagovailoa came back to the Dolphins. The quarterback came back at a relatively good time. The Dolphins are 4-6 and still have work to do if they want to get to the playoffs. They have a good shot to do it as well but they need to likely win out to get a playoff spot. I like the Dolphins in this matchup as they have a good offense that can handle the Patriots in the game. The passing game has been their strong suit as they have quite a few receivers that can beat out anyone. DeVon Achane should be able to find some holes as well. I think the game will be more of how well the Patriots offense can do and if they can keep up with the Dolphins. If the Patriots turn it over then I think it'll be a Dolphins dub. 

All-time series: Dolphins lead 63-55

Tampa Bay (4-6) @ NY Giants (2-8) (CBS; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Giants

The Buccaneers had a bye and the Giants had a bye as well. Last time we saw the Buccaneers was a loss to the 49ers. They kept the game close but it wasn't a win by any stretch of the imagination. They had a chance to win as the 49ers missed three field goals in the game. Had they had Chris Godwin or Mike Evans, they probably might win. The good news is that Evans might be back for this game. That will help out take the pressure off of Baker Mayfield and Cade Otton. Chris Godwin is still up in the air for his return timeline. I'm not sure how well the Buccaneers can play at this point of the season. The Giants are likely going to be a team that will be drafting early in next year's draft. I wouldn't underestimate the Giants as they can play spoiler. 

The Giants are a pretty rough team. They eventually made the decision to go with a different quarterback from Daniel Jones. The new quarterback is folk hero Tommy DeVito. DeVito hasn't really had a lot of playtime in 2024 as he was really only around for a good portion of the season last year. Enough for the memes to reign supreme. I think the folk hero will find a bit of an easier time to get a win. Malik Nabers has been a good option to go to in the passing game. Darius Slayton isn't too bad as well. Tyrone Tracy Jr. has been a good running back for the Giants. At least given the circumstances he has been a good option. I'm not sure how well this game will go for either team. It seems that the Bucs are the favorite but I'm going to go on a risk and take the Giants. Don't let me down Danny Tommy DeVito!

All-time series: Giants lead 16-9

Tennessee (2-8) @ Houston (7-4) (CBS; 1:00 pm)

Pick: Texans

The Titans lost to the Vikings and the Texans beat the Cowboys last week. Tennessee is not a particularly great team. They have wins against the Dolphins and the Patriots. They have kind of been competitive but usually ended up being on the losing end. Facing the Vikings last week didn't really help their cause much at all. I think they're just trying to get by the rest of the season and get to next year's draft in the spring. If they want to win they need to be very opportunistic on defense. If they can knock off the Texans off a bit on timing they can win but it seems like a bit of a stretch. 

The Texans have had a bit of a rough time but they got back on track with a win against Dallas. Now I get it that Dallas is terrible but beating the Cowboys has to mean something. The Texans are likely going to win the AFC South, it is just a matter of when. If they lose this game it would have to be a bad way to lose. CJ Stroud has been known to throw interceptions in a game this season but he has also played well. Joe Mixon has been a great piece to the Texans offense. The defense has also been playing well too. As I said, it would have to be a bad way to lose for the Texans to lose this game. I'll go Texans. 

All-time series: Titans lead 23-21

Denver (6-5) @ Las Vegas (2-8) (CBS; 4:05 pm)

Pick: Broncos

The Broncos beat the Falcons and the Raiders lost to the Dolphins last week. Bo Nix has been a bit of a good surprise lately. A dark horse for Rookie of the Year for sure. The Broncos didn't just win against the Falcons, they blew them out by a 38-6 margin. The Falcons are a relatively good team but they weren't last week. Going into this week, I have to imagine that they will continue to achieve good things with Bo Nix and company. The Broncos weaknesses are probably more on their offense but that's only really if they give up the ball a lot. It has happened before but they have won more games than lost them. Denver's defense has been the strong area as there were games where they kept them in games but lost regardless. 

Las Vegas has been a pretty terrible team. They have had troubles with the quarterback position and their running game hasn't been that great. Sad thing is that their defense isn't bad but with an inept offense, they end up being a team that spends a lot of time on the field on defense. Something that I feel that they will be doing a lot of when they take on Denver this week. Gardner Minshew needs to play a lot better if the Raiders are to win this game. It seems a bit crazy as typically the Raiders have had the upper hand against the Broncos recently. I don't trust the Raiders as they just have a team that gives up the ball a lot. I'll go with the Broncos as a safe pick. 

All-time series: Raiders lead 73-55-2

Arizona (6-4) @ Seattle (5-5) (FOX; 4:25 pm)

Pick: Cardinals

The Cardinals had a bye and the Seahawks beat the 49ers last week. The Cardinals have been a fun surprise this season. It is like Kyler Murray being healthy and having weapons to throw to can make a large difference. Murray is a long shot for MVP but man he is fun to watch at times. The Cardinals have a big game this week against the Seahawks. They are in 1st place for the moment but the other three teams in their division are at 5-5. Seattle is one of those three teams. Arizona has a good offense and the Seahawks don't have a great defense. I feel there has to be something to give in this game. The running game of the Cardinals is one of the best in the NFL. I have to think they will take advantage of it. 

Seattle came into San Francisco and finally got a win. It was a big game and they still have a chance to make the playoffs at this point. On the plus side, they got the 49ers monkey off their back. With that they face off against another division opponent. The Seahawks season has been pretty much what their record suggests, middle of the road in general. The offense at times can play well and then play awful. Their defense has been kind of the same as well. I'm not sure how well they can do against a Cardinals team that is above average. I think they might be a bit much for them to handle. Still it is at home where the 12th man is at. I'll take the Cardinals. 

All-time series: Seahawks lead 27-22-1

San Francisco (5-5) @ Green Bay (7-3) (FOX; 4:25 pm)

Pick: Packers

The 49ers lost to the Seahawks and the Packers beat the Bears last week. San Francisco comes into this game with a 5-5 record in an NFC title defense season. The defending conference champs have seen its struggles. The 49ers struggles really boil down to three things: attention to details, finishing games and injuries. The 3rd issue has been something they've been dealing with for a long time past this season. They now have to go on the road and play a fairly good Packers team. The 49ers have typically had the Packers number, especially in the playoffs. It was usually a guarantee that they would beat them in an anti-climactic way. The big thing is that they need to play well all of the game and not let off. The Packers defense is fairly good and they need to be careful as well.

Green Bay comes into this game with a dramatic win against rival Chicago. It was a close game as the Bears nearly won it on a field goal. Granted the field goal attempt was blocked and they won. The Packers have been on the losing end of games against the rival San Francisco 49ers. Especially in the playoffs. This game isn't the playoffs but they need to play better. The Packers should try to be opportunistic against the 49ers offense as they aren't quite a good offensive team when it comes to turnovers. I feel the Packers will get a win and get the monkey off their back and beat the 49ers.

All-time series: Packers lead 38-34-1

Philadelphia (8-2) @ LA Rams (5-5) (NBC; 8:20 pm)

Pick: Rams

The Eagles beat the Commanders and the Rams beat the Patriots last week. Philadelphia had a big game against the Commanders. The offense was off to a slow start and then the 4th quarter happened and they scored 20 points and gave them enough of a win and now have 1st place in the NFC East. They come into this game with a 8-2 record. I think the Eagles are a bit of a vulnerable team if they get off to another slow start. The defense could be a bit of a challenge as they take on a Rams offense that is starting to get back to being what they started last year. 

The Rams were another team that started off a bit slow against New England. Once momentum was starting to curve their way, points were piling up. Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are not injured and as long as Matthew Stafford is healthy and he has his wide receivers, the Rams can do no wrong. I do question the Rams defense and how well they can play against another great offense in the Eagles. I don't know if they can shut them down but if they can slow them down it'll be a good case for them to win. The Eagles will probably win but I'll go on a whim and take the Rams to win. 

All-time series: Eagles lead 23-20-1

Baltimore (7-4) @ LA Chargers (7-3) (ABC; 8:15 pm)

Pick: Ravens

The Ravens lost to the Steelers and the Chargers beat the Bengals last week. Harbaugh Bowl IV as Jim Harbaugh hosts his Chargers against John Harbaugh's Ravens. The Ravens come into this game with a loss to the Steelers. It is interesting that they can just dominate against the rest of the NFL but have a 1-8 record against their rivals. Coming into this contest, the Ravens will need to get the loss out of their heads and focus on the task at hand. They do have some cushion against the rest of the AFC North but they can't falter now. I still think the defense of the Ravens should find some advantage over the Chargers. They also have some knowledge over JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards as they were former Ravens. The emergence of Ladd McConkey as a pass catcher is also a problem as well.

The Chargers come into this game with a tough win against the Bengals. They fought a back and forth affair against a pretty good Bengals offense. Fortunately, they also had a bad defense as well that gives up points as much as they get them. The Chargers are kind of a weird team. They have been playing well with an offense that is formidable that is similar to the Ravens. They have running backs that were at one point in their career, Baltimore Ravens. The game will be a big test to how well the Chargers have progressed under Jim Harbaugh. We haven't seen them in this position for quite a while and they need to do it with playing smart football. I am not sure how well this game will go but I think I will go with the Ravens.

All-time series: Ravens lead 9-6

Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings

CBS Single 

Kansas City @ Carolina 

Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

New England @ Miami 

Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

Tampa Bay @ NY Giants 

Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty

Tennessee @ Houston 

Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker, Jay Feely

Denver @ Las Vegas (Late)

Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

FOX Early

Dallas @ Washington 

Joe Davis, Greg Olson

Minnesota @ Chicago

Kevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston

Detroit @ Indianapolis

Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

FOX Late 

San Francisco @ Green Bay

Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady

Arizona @ Seattle

Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez 

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2024 Week 12 Maps

Records

2024:
Week 1: 14-2
Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 10-6

Week 4: 10-6
Week 5: 3-11

Week 6: 13-1

Week 7: 13-2

Week 8: 9-7

Week 9: 12-3

Week 10: 10-4

Week 11: 11-3

Total: 115-51

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2
2023: 161-111

See you all after the Monday night game for the Week 12 Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom