NFL Week 12 Picks: New England Patriots Get Past Detroit Lions

Sep 14, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New England Patriots cornerback

(24) looks on during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. at TCF Bank Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Vikings 30-7. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Here are my week 12 NFL picks:

Patriots 31 Lions 16

This game is going to come down to the Patriots’ ability to protect Tom Brady, and Matthew Stafford‘s inability to find openings in New England’s secondary. The Lions have an excellent front four, but the Pats have plenty of mismatches to attack in the back end. If that offensive line of theirs can give Brady ample time, he will slice Detroit up.

On the other side of the ball, I expect the Pats to deploy Darrelle Revis on Golden Tate, and use Brandon Browner and a safety to double Calvin Johnson. Megatron will get his, but I believe this will limit the amount of damage he does deep, and with Tate stranded on ‘Revis Island’, Stafford’s offense will be in big trouble.

Turnovers will also play a huge role in this one, as the Pats will stay clean in that area, while Detroit coughs it up a few times.

Browns 27 Falcons 20

Cleveland is coming off an embarrassing showing against the Texans, but with the return of Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon, they will pull out a very nice win on the road in Atlanta. I still believe the Browns will make the playoffs, and a big reason is not only the return of those two explosive playmakers, but also the improved play of Joe Haden on the defensive side of the ball. He will be huge going forward.

Eagles 34 Titans 17

The Titans played one hell of a game last Monday night at home against Pittsburgh, but wilted late and got exposed by a strong Steelers’ running game. Philly will do fine on the ground as well, but they will also take advantage of that blitzing defense, getting a few big plays in the second half that allows them to pull away.