NFL Week 12 Picks

Hey gang,

Just taking some time out from working on the horror story to make this week's NFL picks. For those who are curious, there is still quite a bit of work to be done on the story, and I'm not sure when it will be done. It's turning out to be a bigger project that I thought it would. I hope to finish it before Thanksgiving, but in order to do that, I'll need to devote some serious time to writing in the next four days. So I can't make any promises. But I will say that, whenever it's done, it will be worth the wait. I'm really digging this one.

Good news-- I remembered to pick the Thursday game this week! And I was right! Of course, it was Pittsburgh against Cincinnati, so picking the Steelers wasn't rocket science. On to the rest of the picks.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: STEELERS. I'm 1-0! Hooray!

Carolina at Atlanta: PANTHERS. The Falcons are good. But the Panthers are better. I am somewhat leery of taking the road team here, as home field advantage has been a fairly solid predictor of success in the NFC South this season, but I just think the Cats are good enough to get it done.

Houston at Cleveland: BROWNS. I'd probably take the Texans here if Matt Schaub was playing QB for them, and not Sage Rosenfels. Should be an entertaining game with some good offense.

San Francisco at Dallas: COWBOYS. Dallas beat the Redskins last week, the Eagles are struggling, and the Giants have a tough game against the Cardinals. Could be a solid week for Jerry's 'Boys.

Tampa Bay at Detroit: BUCCANEERS. And the quest for 0-16 goes on.

New Jersey Jets at Tennessee: TITANS. Actually, I think there's a good chance this is the week Tennessee stumbles. But I hate the Jets and they're certainly no sure thing to win this game. They're on the road, and the Titans have a great defense, which increases the probability of Favre throwing multiple interceptions. That's what I'm hoping for.

Buffalo at Kansas City: CHIEFS. I can't believe how quickly this season has gone from euphoria to agony. A little part of me died when Lindell missed that field goal Monday night. Maybe I'm only picking the Chiefs here because I'm pessimistic and angry and feeling resentful toward the Bills. But it is worth pointing out that the Bills and Chiefs have won the same number of games in the past month-- zero-- and KC has shown occasional signs of competitiveness lately. Plus the Bills are playing on the road after a Monday night game, in a stadium that is notoriously difficult for road teams. You have to admit there is a decent possibility the Chiefs pick up win #2 here, and the Bills will drop below .500.

Chicago at St. Louis: BEARS. Chicago, you made me look like a d-bag last week when I picked you to beat Green Bay and you got your asses handed to you on a platter. Don't let it happen again.

New England at Miami: PATRIOTS. I know, the Dolphins beat the Patriots at Foxborough earlier this season, so why wouldn't they beat them again at home? Well, for one thing, it's still difficult for me to imagine a world in which the Patriots get swept by the Dolphins. For another, the Patriots just look like a much better team right now, despite the previous loss to Miami and the fact that the teams have identical records. In recent weeks, Miami has struggled in home games against the Raiders and Seahawks. A good east coast team should blow out a bad west coast team at home every time. The fact that those games were close is making me seriously question Miami's status as a wild card contender.

Minnesota at Jacksonville: VIKINGS. One of the toughest games of the week to call. Interconference match up, two teams that look fairly close in terms of talent (even though the Vikings have won two more games), hard to say what's going to happen. When in doubt, take Adrian Peterson's team.

Philadelphia at Baltimore: RAVENS. I would really like to think McNabb was joking when he said he didn't know an NFL game could end in a tie last week. But I'm afraid he might have been serious. Anyway, you tie the Bengals, I don't pick you to beat a good team on the road the following week. That's just how it works. On the other hand, this could follow the pattern of McNabb saying something ridiculous, stirring up controversy, and then coming out and playing a great game the next week. That could happen. But I'm not betting on it.

Oakland at Denver: BRONCOS. It's really starting to look like Denver will win this division. I know, I can't believe it either.

New York Giants at Arizona: GIANTS. Since the Bills are tanking and I hate the Jets, I have decided to reluctantly acknowledge the G-men as a New York team (even though they're not). Anyway, this is definitely the game of the week, and I could see the Cards winning, especially since it's in the desert. But I just couldn't bring myself to pick against the champs when they're playing as well as they are now. If Arizona does somehow win this game, things will get a lot more interesting in the NFC.

Washington at Seattle: REDSKINS. But I did consider taking the Hawks for the upset here. It's always tough to go coast to coast, the Reskins aren't that good, and I think Seattle has been making some small improvements lately. Still, erred on the side of caution and took the team that has won 6 games over the team that has won 2.

Indianapolis at San Diego: COLTS. If Indy wins, it will set them up nicely for a playoff run, and it would likely be the final nail in the coffin for the Chargers. If SD can defend the home turf and pull off the win, it will make the AFC playoff picture much more complicated and keep them alive in the division.

Green Bay at New Orleans: PACKERS. Ugh, another difficult to predict game involving the Packers. I'm always wrong about these. You should probably take the Saints with confidence.

Okay, that's all for now. Hopefully I will remember to come back in a few days and make my Thanksgiving picks in time.

-Niztradamus