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Admin November 18, 2024
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The stakes are more obvious now that Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season is here, with division races and the playoff picture rounding into shape with less than two months until the postseason begins. The schedule this week includes several matchups that are likely to factor into seeding and one that could dictate whether a disappointing contender even gets a shot to make it back to the Super Bowl.
The action really starts to heat up in the late afternoon window on Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers face a playoff rematch on the road at the Green Bay Packers. They are hoping to stay afloat in the NFC playoff race following big preseason expectations in the wake of last year’s run to a conference title. The Seattle Seahawks are also set to host the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals at the same time.
Week 12 then wraps up with back-to-back primetime games at SoFi Stadium. The Los Angeles Rams host the Philadelphia Eagles for “Sunday Night Football” and then the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers meet for “Monday Night Football” in the first game between brothers Jim and John Harbaugh since Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL this season with the Chargers.
It has the makings of another impactful week in the NFL and analysts are already weighing in on what might happen. Here is an early look at picks and predictions for every game on the Week 12 schedule:
NFL Week 12 game predictions, picks
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, Nov. 18
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns
- Date: Thursday, Nov. 21
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Huntington Bank Field (Cleveland)
- TV: None
- Streaming: Amazon Prime Video
- Spread: Steelers (-3.5)
∎ Fantasy Life: Browns are the pick
“The perfect opportunity to sell high on Pittsburgh and buy low on Cleveland. While the Steelers have been excellent as underdogs throughout Tomlin’s tenure, this is the spot where they’ve historically struggled. … The Browns are a respectable team, while the Steelers seem prime for some regression.”
∎ Bookies.com: Steelers cruise
“The Steelers can stifle whatever attempt the Browns and Jameis (Winston) make on offense. … Mike Tomlin’s act travels well on the road.”
Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: NFL+, Paramount+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Chiefs (-11)
∎ Arizona Republic: Chiefs 27, Panthers 13
“The Chiefs no longer have the pressure of remaining undefeated on their shoulders. With the burden gone, Kansas City will roll.”
∎ Pro Football Network: Chiefs 27, Panthers 13
“The Kansas City Chiefs have the perfect bounce-back spot against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11. While the Panthers have won two straight, they’ve beaten the New Orleans Saints and the Giants — hardly stiff competition. The Chiefs are the better team in every aspect. The biggest question to ask yourself is whether you are comfortable laying 11 points.”
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Soldier Field (Chicago)
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: NFL+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Vikings (-3.5)
∎ Pro Football Network: Vikings 21, Bears 13
“The Vikings are the superior team both offensively and defensively. The biggest issue is ultimately whether Sam Darnold can avoid turning the ball over as much as he has been recently. Minnesota’s defense should be able to shut down Chicago’s offense, as other teams have done in recent weeks. Minnesota laying the points is the play here.”
∎ Arizona Republic: Bears 23, Vikings 20
“The Bears aren’t this bad, are they? They are 0-4 on the road, but 4-2 at home, where this NFC North rivalry game will be played. Chicago will end its four-game skid with an upset win.”
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: NRG Stadium (Houston)
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: NFL+, Paramount+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Texans (-7.5)
∎ Arizona Republic: Texans 24, Titans 16
“The Texans are 4-1 at home this season, one of the better home teams in the NFL. That’s bad news for the Titans.”
∎ Pro Football Network: Texans 17, Titans 13
“It’s difficult to trust a Houston Texans team that has only won one of its six games by more than a single score, with five of those wins being by a combined 18 points. However, they are the superior team on both sides of the ball.”
Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 1p.m. ET
- Location: Lucas Oil Stadium
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: NFL+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Lions (-8)
∎ Fantasy Life: Colts can’t tame these Lions
“When you’re this good—and the public is betting on you every single week—you’re not supposed to keep covering the spread. So, naturally, the Lions are 8-2 against the spread so far this season. … What in the world can the Colts do to slow this team down? They managed to beat the Jets in Week 11, but everyone beats the Jets at this point. The Lions are a completely different animal.”
∎ BetMGM: Hold your nose and back the Colts
“For all of Indy’s issues this season, they’re 11th in expected points added per play and 13th in defensive success rate. … This is also a Detroit team that has struggled to cover big numbers away from home. Only twice in five road games has Detroit won by double digits with one coming due to a defensive score.”
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: NFL+, Paramount+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Dolphins (-7)
∎ Fantasy Life: Take the points with the Patriots
“I don’t think the Patriots are nearly as bad as we thought they would be coming into the year.Drake Maye has given them new life on offense, and he continues to improve on a weekly basis.
∎ Bookies.com: Patriots because of Maye
The Dolphins have covered in eight-straight games against the Patriots, and 10 of 15 Dolphins-Patriots games have gone under the points total. The question to ponder on this number is will the Patriots let Drake Maye cook? … Maye can keep it close and put up points, especially if the shackles are removed.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Giants
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: NFL+, Paramount+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Buccaneers (-5)
∎ Bookies.com: Giants cover
“The Giants are ranked sixth against the pass and the Bucs have the No. 6-ranked passing offense. The Buccaneers have a quiet running game, which will be the difference here as the Giants are inept against the run and rank 29th. This number moved a bit too much this week, however, with the QB change for the Giants.”
∎ Pro Football Network: Buccaneers 27, Giants 17
The Buccaneers’ defense always makes you somewhat nervous to bet on because they have a collapse in them at any given moment. However, the Giants are not the team likely to exploit that with either Drew Lock or Tommy DeVito under center.”
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Northwest Stadium (Landover, Maryland)
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: NFL+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Commanders (-10)
∎ Arizona Republic: Commanders 28, Cowboys 17
“Jayden Daniels has just one touchdown pass in the past two games, both losses for Washington. The rookie QB and the Commanders will bounce back against the Cowboys.”
∎ Pro Football Network: Commanders 27, Cowboys 13
“The Washington Commanders should have the perfect bounce-back spot in Week 12, taking on some combination of Cooper Rush and Trey Lance at home. The Commanders have lost back-to-back games against playoff contenders, but one thing we can rely on them this year is to put away the lower-quality teams.”
Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
- Location: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
- TV: CBS
- Streaming: NFL+, Paramount+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Broncos (-5)
∎ Bookies.com: Ride the Broncos
“All the trend lines point toward the Raiders. They’ve won outright and covered in 8 straight home games against the Broncos. This time. the Broncos have a quarterback in Bo Nix who’s enjoying the second growth spurt of his rookie season.”
∎ Arizona Republic: Broncos 24, Raiders 14
“Bo Nix is really progressing under Sean Payton, but Denver’s defense is going to be the difference in this one.”
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Location: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: NFL+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Packers (-2)
∎ Bookies.com: Packers Moneyline
“The Packers are 7-3 straight up but just 4-6 against the spread. The 49ers have failed to cover 7 of 8 games against teams with a winning record.”
∎ Arizona Republic: 49ers 24, Packers 23
“This game is pretty much a must-win for the 49ers, who are now 5-5 on the season. They’ll escape Green Bay with a very narrow victory.”
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Location: Lumen Field
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: NFL+, YouTube TV (NFL Sunday Ticket) or Fubo
- Spread: Cardinals (-1)
∎ Pro Football Network: Cardinals 24, Seahawks 23
“The Cardinals are the better team offensively, but the Seahawks are better on defense and have a slight edge on special teams. Our metrics say the Cardinals should win, but their road performances have been mixed, especially when traveling north. Arizona is 0-2 on the road when traveling significantly north. However, Seattle has lost four in a row at home, so this game is anyone’s guess at this point.”
∎ Arizona Republic: Cardinals 28, Seahawks 27
“The Cardinals are 6-4 and atop the NFC West standings. The Seahawks are right behind them at 5-5, making this game a very important one. We’ll go with the team that has won four straight in a thriller.”
Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 24
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- Location: SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles)
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock, Fubo
- Spread: Eagles (-3)
∎ Action Network: Lay the points with Philadelphia
“I love how Philly matches up with the Rams. The Eagles’ young cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have a tall task against the two-headed monster in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. However, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio forces long drives and baits mistakes. Because of that, the Eagles have forced a staggering 11 turnovers in the past four games.”
∎ Bookies.com: Eagles stay hot
“Right now, the Rams are the first team out in the NFC. The first-place in the NFC East Eagles (8-2) are capable of superb ball control. They have the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL (181.3 yards per game) and will use it often here … And the Eagles’ defense should neutralize the Rams’ passing game. They rank No. 2 in passing defense and No. 7 in passing offense, respectively.”
Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers
- Date: Monday, Nov. 25
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Location: SoFi Stadium
- TV: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2
- Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo
- Spread: Ravens (-3)
∎ BetMGM: Go with the Ravens
“The time has finally come to sell the Chargers. Los Angeles has closed a market favorite in six straight games, winning five of those contests outright. However, this team is 0-2 straight up as a market underdog this season. … It’s a nightmare matchup for the Chargers offense. A team that loves to run the ball shouldn’t find much success against the Ravens defense.”
∎ Bookies.com: Ravens are the pick
“The Ravens run the ball better than any team in the NFL, and SoFi (Stadium) offers the perfect track for Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers, Derrick Henry, and the rest of the Ravens’ offense to break out.”
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