2018 NFL Week 12: Picks

Here are my picks for week twelve of the 2018 NFL Season.

Thursday, November 22nd
Chicago Bears (7-3) vs Detroit Lions (4-6)- 12:30, CBS: The Bears are coming off a great Sunday night divisional home win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions are coming off a home win over the Carolina Panthers. Mitch Trubisky is not healthy and with a short turnaround, I think the Lions pull off the mild home upset.
Prediction: Detroit 26, Chicago 20.

Washington Redskins (6-4) vs Dallas Cowboys (5-5)- 4:30, FOX: The Redskins are coming off a brutal home loss against the Houston Texans in which quarterback Alex Smith broke his fibula. The Cowboys are coming off another good road win, this time in Atlanta against the Falcons. Smith is out for the season and now comes in Colt McCoy. Cowboys win an ugly one.
Prediction: Dallas 20, Washington 16.

Atlanta Falcons (4-6) vs New Orleans Saints (9-1)- 8:20, NBC: The Falcons are coming off a brutal home loss against the Dallas Cowboys. The Saints are coming off a phenomenal home win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The Saints are just on a roll right now and I don't see them losing here although I can see their rivals hang around.
Prediction: New Orleans 47, Atlanta 33.

Sunday, November 25th
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7) at Buffalo Bills (3-7)- 1:00, CBS: The Jags are coming off a brutal home loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in which they blew a 16-0 lead in. The Bills are coming off their bye and two weeks ago they killed the Jets in East Rutherford. Blake Bortles is currently playing himself out of a starting job and I think Josh Allen will come back from injury and show some flashes and lead the Bills to another win.
Prediction: Buffalo 20, Jacksonville 16.

Cleveland Browns (3-6-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-5)- 1:00, CBS: The Browns are coming off their bye and two weeks ago they won at home against the Falcons. The Bengals are coming off a tough divisional road loss in Baltimore against the Ravens. This is a must win for Marvin Lewis and the Bengals to keep themselves in the AFC picture and they'll get the job done against a team they've owned the last few seasons.
Prediction: Cincinnati 30, Cleveland 23.

New England Patriots (7-3) at New York Jets (3-7)- 1:00, CBS: The Pats are coming off their bye and two weeks ago they lost badly in Tennessee against the Titans. The Jets are coming off their bye and two weeks ago they got spanked at home against the subpar Buffalo Bills. The Pats badly need this game to keep themselves in play for a first round bye and I believe they'll get it done on the road.
Prediction: New England 30, NY Jets 20.

New York Giants (3-7) at Philadelphia Eagles (4-6)- 1:00, FOX: The Giants are coming off a home win over the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Eagles are coming off a disastrous road loss in New Orleans against the Saints. This has all the makings of the Eagles rebounding against their division rival, especially after the fact the Giants and their fans think they can win this week and conceivably get back into the NFC East picture.
Prediction: Philadelphia 31, NY Giants 27.

San Francisco 49ers (2-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-7)- 1:00, FOX: The 49ers are coming off their bye and two weeks ago they lost at home against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Buccaneers are coming off a road loss in East Rutherford against that same Giants team. This was a tough call, but give me Jameis Winston and the Bucs in a high scoring affair.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 37, San Francisco 34.

Seattle Seahawks (5-5) at Carolina Panthers (6-4)- 1:00, FOX: The Seahawks are coming off a huge Thursday night home win over the Green Bay Packers. The Panthers are coming off a bad road loss in Detroit against the Lions. This is the best of the early slate and I like the Panthers to rebound here at home in a close one.
Prediction: Carolina 27, Seattle 24.

Oakland Raiders (2-8) at Baltimore Ravens (5-5)- 1:00, CBS: The Raiders are coming off a road win in Glendale against the Cardinals. The Ravens are coming off a huge divisional home win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Lamar Jackson is starting again and I think he leads the Ravens to another win in which they absolutely need.
Prediction: Baltimore 24, Oakland 17.

Arizona Cardinals (2-8) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-3)- 4:05, FOX: The Cardinals are coming off a bad home loss against the Oakland Raiders. The Chargers are coming off a terrible divisional home loss against the Denver Broncos. The Chargers are just poised to bounce back here at home against arguably the worst team in the league and this is my lock of the week.
Prediction: LA Chargers 37, Arizona 16.

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2-1) at Denver Broncos (4-6)- 4:25, CBS: The Steelers are coming off a huge comeback road win in Jacksonville against the Jaguars. The Broncos are coming off a huge divisional road win in Los Angeles against the Chargers. This has all the makings of the Broncos pulling off the home upset to snap the Steelers win streak. I'm rolling with the home team led by their great pass rush.
Prediction: Denver 23, Pittsburgh 20.

Miami Dolphins (5-5) at Indianapolis Colts (5-5)- 4:25, CBS: The Dolphins are coming off their bye and two weeks ago they lost in Green Bay against the Packers. The Colts are coming off a dominant divisional home win over the Tennessee Titans. The Colts have been so good lately, especially at home as Andrew Luck is getting better by the week and actually has a great offensive line behind him. Colts win big again.
Prediction: Indianapolis 37, Miami 20.

Green Bay Packers (4-5-1) at Minnesota Vikings (5-4-1)- 8:20, NBC: This is a huge game for both teams as these two met in week two and tied. The Packers are coming off a brutal Thursday night road loss in Seattle against the Seahawks. The Vikings are coming off a disappointing Sunday night divisional road loss in Chicago against the Bears. I think this game is close yet again, but the difference here is the Vikings pass rush in their home building. Vikings get the big win and send Aaron Rodgers a potential death blow to his team.
Prediction: Minnesota 27, Green Bay 24.

Monday, November 26th
Tennessee Titans (5-5) at Houston Texans (7-3)- 8:15, ESPN: The Titans are coming off a bad divisional road loss in Indianapolis against the Colts. The Texans are coming off yet another close road win, this time in Landover against the Redskins. The Texans are a team that's getting lucky break after lucky break and they get another one with Marcus Mariota potentially being injured. That said, they get the win regardless of who quarterbacks the Titans.
Prediction: Houston 23, Tennessee 16.