Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there who realizes, like me, that Thanksgiving is meant to be for three things: Family, Food, and Football. Once again this year, we get a triple-header to feast on (Well, as long as you have NFL Network or live in or around New York or Denver.). Then on Sunday and Monday Night, we get our usual helping for games from around the league, topped off by the big game this week as the Saints host the Patriots in the Big Easy. So before you go into your tryptophan-induced comas, here are the Week 12 picks. Last week: 11-5. Season: 84-73-1 (.535)
Thanksgiving Games
Packers (-11) at Lions: The annual Turkey Day showdown between these two teams kicks off a real yawner of a holiday in terms of the matchups. There’s a ton of concerns for the Lions with respect to the shoulder of Matt Stafford and the Packers need to keep winning if they expect to win the NFC Wild Card. The Pack should win easy in Detroit.
Raiders (+14) at Cowboys: I fully expect the Cowboys to beat the Oakland Raiders, especially considering that they still have a full complement of running backs, unlike the Bengals who were stunned in the Black Hole last week. However, I think Oakland will come out playing very hard in this one and Bruce Gradkowski is trying to earn himself a shot at an NFL job for next season. It’ll be closer than you think.
Giants (-7) at Broncos: In a matchup of two teams that are in dire need of wins, the G-Men seem to have a lot more composure than the suddenly dysfunctional Broncos, who are looking to avoid their fifth-straight loss and completely erase a 6-0 start. If the Giants’ pass rush is as bad as its been in recent games, expect Brandon Marshall to have a big day, but I would still expect New York to pull this one out easily.
Sunday
Buccaneers (+13) at Falcons: There’s really nothing going right for the Atlanta Falcons right now. Matt Ryan has been less than stellar and Michael Turner is banged up. Tampa Bay seems to have found some hints of life with Josh Freeman under center. The Falcons win it, but Tampa stays with them the whole way.
Dolphins (-4) at Bills: Last week I figured that the Phins were basically done with the loss of Ronnie Brown. This week, I think Ricky Williams is going to carry the load once again, especially against the porous Bills run D. Miami is on the cusp of being in the playoff mix. They should get into the thick of the discussion after this one.
Browns at Bengals (-14): The Browns mustered 37 points last week in their loss to Detroit. I’d be surprised to see them score 37 points in all of their remaining games combined. Plus this week they get to face a very angry Cincy squad that’s coming off an unacceptable loss to the Raiders of all teams. Cincy will reassert itself as the best team in the AFC North this week.
Seahawks at Rams (+3): This game is a complete pillow fight, but I’ve liked what St. Louis has done the last couple of weeks. It’s amazing that, even though the season is over, they keep playing so hard. I think they’ll be rewarded with win #2 on Sunday.
Panthers (+3) at Jets: Has anyone been watching the Jets the last two months? They’re playing they way a rookie coach and QB combination should be expected to play. They might not win another game for the rest of the season. Maybe Rex Ryan will cry about that, too.
Redskins (+10) at Eagles: Two reasons to take Washington this week. The first is that they almost beat Dallas in Dallas last week (should have won, too). The second is that this is an NFC East game, and how often are these games actually blowouts?
Colts (-4) at Texans: After their loss to the Titans on Monday Night, I’m beginning to cool on the Houston Texans, who now really need a win to hang in the playoff race. Unfortunately, they face Peyton Manning & Co, who will not lose in Houston this time around. Way too hard to pick against Indy right now.
Chiefs at Chargers (-14): San Diego is riding one heck of a high right now after routing Denver last week. I don’t expect them to do anything less than run away with the AFC West now, and it starts with a big win over the lowly Chiefs.
Jaguars (+4) at 49ers: Jacksonville suddenly finds itself in 2nd place in an AFC South that most expected them to finish dead last in. San Francisco is quickly realizing the importance of needing a viable passing game in order to make the playoffs. Jacksonville will take this one and continue it’s unlikely playoff push behind another stellar performance by Maurice Jones-Drew.
Cardinals (+2) at Titans: I know that Vince Young has lit a spark under the Tennessee Titans, but they haven’t faced an offense like the Cardinals during the winning streak. Plus, the Cards are 5-0 on the road this year and can basically wrap up the non-competitive NFC West with a win on Sunday.
Bears at Vikings (-11): The Bears are basically in crisis mode at this point of the season, and the calls for Lovie Smith’s head have begun. The Vikings remain one of the hottest teams in the NFL this season and a frontrunner in terms of Superbowl contenders. The Vikes should cruise and continue on their march towards the NFC North crown and playoffs.
Steelers at Ravens (pick ’em): Interesting stat- Troy Polamalu has missed 4 games this season. In those games, Pittsburgh is 0-4. Also remember that one hard hit could end Ben Roethlisberger’s day and force Dennis Dixon into action. Dixon has thrown 5 career NFL passes. Against the Ravens’ D? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Monday Night
Patriots (+3) at Saints: I really want to take New Orleans in this game, but they have run into one of the teams I would least want to face in this part of the season. In the last 10 years, New England in 52-10 in regular season games after Thanksgiving. This is winning time and the Pats don’t lose very often in winning time. It’ll be a battle, but Brady and Belichick will find a way to outwit Brees.