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

Nov 16, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Houston Texans quarterback

(15) throws a pass during the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Packers 38 Vikings 20

Minnesota will slow down the Green Bay Packers…and only give up 38 points. Aaron Rodgers has the Pack rolling in such a way that scoring 38 points is “bad”. Put simply: the Vikings don’t have the offensive resources to keep up with Green Bay, and that will ultimately do them in tomorrow.

Colts 41 Jaguars 17

Andrew Luck and company got thoroughly embarrassed last week against the Patriots, so expect them to come out firing at home against Jacksonville. T.Y. Hilton and Luck will go to town against the 27th ranked pass defense in the league, and the defense will have the opportunity to play with a lead, which is where they thrive.

Texans 27 Bengals 24

I’m probably going to regret picking Houston, but what the hell. I am fully on the Ryan Mallett bandwagon, and I believe he will out-duel Andy Dalton tomorrow afternoon in Houston. Mallett has one of the best arms in the entire league, and as he proved last week, if he can keep his accuracy and fundamentals down, he is a dangerous gun-slinger.

Bears 26 Buccaneers 23

Uh. Can I pick a tie? These two teams are having awful 2014 campaigns, each struggling in every facet of the game. Now, with that said, both the Bucs and Bears are coming off wins in week 11, which could be a positive sign for things to come. Chicago wins because they’re at home.

Seahawks 23 Cardinals 17

If Carson Palmer were leading Arizona, I would give them this victory. But I can’t see Drew Stanton going up to Seattle and getting a win against an angry Seahawks’ defense. Russell Wilson has struggled this year, and he will continue to struggle against the Cardinals’ aggressive defense. But Seattle makes a few more plays late, and gets a huge divisional win.

Rams 20 Chargers 19

I’m going to ride the Rams until they fail…which will probably be this week since I am picking them. St. Louis completely shut down Peyton Manning‘s offense last week, which means they should have no trouble with Phillip River’s struggling group. Shaun Hill completes another long touchdown bomb to Kenny Britt to complete the comeback win for the Rams.