NFL Week 12 Predictions

November 20, 2007, 6:56 PM | 5 Comments

Note: Predictions for week 12 of the 2008 NFL season can be found here: NFL Week 12 Predictions.

There, that was much better! Last week I ended up going 13-3, which was a vast improvement over the week before. Most of the teams that should have won actually won their games, with the exception of the Steelers who lost to the 1-8 Jets. Yeah… ouch.

This week brings us a very short amount of down-time with the three Thanksgiving games on Thursday. Only 2 days between games taking place? Yeah, I can handle that! My apologies that I couldn’t get my picks out any earlier this week in light of Thursday’s games, but it’s just been too busy for that. Speaking of Thanksgiving, to all the US readers out there, have a happy and safe one and enjoy the time off!

As is the usual drill this time of year, week 12 is going to bring us a lot of great match-ups that have major playoff implications. Green Bay at Detroit, New Orleans at Carolina, Washington at Tampa Bay and Baltimore at San Diego. These are all games that could either make or break a team’s playoff chances. Some divisions are still wide open though, like the AFC and NFC West and South. Funny how it’s worked out like that in both conferences this year.

The Patriots and Packers can basically lock up their divisions (although not mathematically) with a win this week and you can bet both teams will give their best efforts to make sure that they get it done.

Game of the Week: Packers at Lions

Green Bay is visiting Detroit in what really looks like the best game on the plate for the Thanksgiving holiday and I’m pretty sure that if NBC had the ability to flex this game to Sunday night, they would have! Both of these teams have been major surprises this year and this game has drastic playoff implications. As mentioned above, a win for Green Bay could effectively clinch their division and give them a 4-game lead over the Lions in the NFC North.

Brett Favre is continuing to lead his team to victory week after week and the scary thing for opponents must be the fact that the team is getting better as the weeks go by. Green Bay is the youngest team in the NFL and you can only expect that with each win their team grows closer together and improves their cohesiveness, and that’s very promising for us Packers fans!

The Lions have also been a surprise this year but they seem like they’re starting to come back down to earth a little bit. After a 6-2 start they’ve now lost 2 in a row and are going to have a very tough time against the Packers. A loss for the Lions would probably still keep them in contention for a wild card spot, but it’s not a must win for them yet. I think it could turn out to be a close game, but I’m expecting another win for the Pack.

Fun stat: Lions QB Jon Kitna has been sacked 40 times this season; more than any other QB in the NFL. The Packers defense is salivating!

Here are my picks for week 12! Season total: 109-51.

Away	Home	Comments	Pick	Result
Packers (10-1)	Lions (6-5)	In what looks like the only compelling match on Thanksgiving the Packers can virtually seal up their division with a win in Detroit. Green Bay has been playing extremely well lately and should be able to beat the Lions in Detroit and then enjoy a nice Thanksgiving weekend.
Jets (2-9)	Cowboys (10-1)	Good for the Jets to stick it too the Steelers last week. That’s a huge win for a team that has seen nothing but disappointment all season long. Dallas won’t make the same mistakes as the Steelers though, setting up for what looks like the match of the year in the NFC next week against the Packers.
Colts (9-2)	Falcons (3-8)	Indianapolis was helped out last week by the Steelers loss, putting them back in 2nd place in the AFC. I don’t see them wasting the opportunity. Colts win. Note to the Falcons though: Keep Joey Harrington as your QB because he’s better than Leftwich.
Saints (5-6)	Panthers (4-7)	This may be the toughest game to pick this week. Both of these teams are disappointments. Both are struggling for consistency. Both had much higher expectations before the season started. I was going to take the Panthers, but they’ve been horrible at home and it’s time for that Saints roller coaster to climb up again.
Raiders (3-8)	Chiefs (4-7)	The Chiefs desperately need a win to keep pace in their division. Good thing they’re at home, because it’ll only help their cause.
Texans (5-5)	Browns (7-4)	Nice to see the Texans getting healthy again, but I don’t think it’s going to translate to a win this week. The Browns are a much better team than the Saints (who the Texans beat last week) and at home, they’ll be tough to beat.
Bills (5-6)	Jaguars (8-3)	Looks like the emotion the Bills showed on their Monday Night game earlier this year didn’t carry over to the Sunday night game where they were pounded by the Patriots. Jacksonville is a strong team that’s not getting enough credit and should be able to notch another win this week.
Seahawks (7-4)	Rams (2-9)	St. Louis has looked good over the past couple of weeks, but I think their short winning streak ends here. Seattle is starting to come together and really needs to win this game to keep the Cardinals at arms length.
Titans (6-5)	Bengals (4-7)	When will Tennessee’s offense wake up and score points? They showed signs of brilliance on Monday night, but didn’t get the job done in the end. They’re really missing Albert Haynesworth on their Defense as well. The Bengals continue to put up a lot of yards but they’re not converting to wins. I have to take the Titans again, but it could be a tight one.
Redskins (5-6)	Buccaneers (6-5)	This is a pretty tough game to pick really. Washington has been in every single game they’ve played this year and Tampa is starting to turn it on to make a good stretch run. I think the Redskins are a better team though due to a tougher schedule and tougher division, so I’ll go with them on the road.
Vikings (5-6)	Giants (7-4)	Minnesota did pretty well last week without Adrian Peterson which is a good sign for their team. What would concern me though is the 22 points they gave up to the Raiders, almost a touchdown more than their season average of 17.6. The Giants should be able to take advantage and get to 8-3.
49ers (3-8)	Cardinals (5-6)	The Cardinals are back at .500! Don’t look now, but the Cardinals might actually have a chance to make the playoffs this season. They’ll have to start by knocking off the 49ers this week in Arizona.
Ravens (4-7)	Chargers (6-5)	San Diego has to win this game. The Broncos are biting at their heels now in the AFC west race and they just can’t afford to lose. The Ravens lost a heart breaker last week against the Browns (courtesy of the Immaculate Deflection), but their issues still remain and I think that the Chargers should be able to get by.
Broncos (5-6)	Bears (5-6)	The Broncos were actually impressive on Monday night and seem to be getting healthy at just the right time. If they want to push the Chargers and have a shot at their division crown, they’ll need to win games like this on the road. Jay Cutler is looking pretty good too, and that definitely helps their chances.
Eagles (5-6)	Patriots (11-0)	Pencil permanent marker in another win for the Patriots. 11-0 is but 5 days away.
Dolphins (0-11)	Steelers (8-3)	So much for all that talk about whether or not the Steelers were an elite NFL team. Elite teams don’t lose to 1-8 teams. Good teams may give up a few of those, but not elite ones. Pittsburgh gets back on track this week against the lowly Dolphins… I think.

This week’s poll: Which team on the brink will not make the playoffs? Cast your votes and let me know what you think!

It should be a great week and I’ll be watching for all of those matches that could determine a lot of what we’ll see in January. Here are this week’s ESPN Expert Picks.

Update: 10-6 this week, which brings my total up to 119-57.

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