Week 12 Picks

Gotta do the picks kinda early this week, as we have 3 games this Thursday. Thanksgiving week is the greatest every year, as it sports the 3 F's of life all on one day: family, food, and football. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday (except the Eagles and Cowboys).

Upset Special
Oakland Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys
Line: Cowboys by 13 1/2
What to Watch For:
I'm going with the Raiders again, hoping another lackluster franchise comes through for me big time. It's not that I think the Raiders will actually win this game, but 13 1/2 points is way too big a spread. Think about it: the Cowboys have only scored 14 points in the last two weeks combined. That Raider defense is actually pretty good, and with Bruce Gradkowski at QB, the offense has played a lot better. Throw in the fact that the Raiders are much healthier than the very banged-up Cowboys, and we got us a game here! I, sadly, think the Cowboys take this one, but the Raiders will definitely keep it closer than 13.
Prediction:
Cowboys 17
Raiders 10

Blowout
Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings
Line: Vikings by 10 1/2
What to Watch For:
Adrian Peterson averages 138.5 yards a game against the Bears, and this year they're without Brian Urlacher. There, that was an easy preview. He also averages 2.0 touchdowns against them. Jay Cutler has this weird compulsion to throw interceptions, and Jared Allen will scare him into 2 more this game. The Vikings are absolutely rolling, the Bears are disintegrating, and this one will be over by halftime.
Prediction:
Vikings 31
Bears 14

Most Interesting Game
Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals
Line: Bengals by 14
What to Watch For:
Yeah, I'm picking the Browns again, and they really gave us a heck of a game last week! Really, though, I'm interested to see how the Bengals bounce back after a miserable loss to the Raiders last week. If they're going to be an elite team, which at 7-3 they could be, they need to act like one and beat up on bad teams. Dropping back to back layups would be inexcusable. Expect Carson Palmer and company to really put the stink on the Browns. I'm also curious to see if the juggernaut of an offense the Browns fielded against the Lions comes back for an encore. Against a Mike Zimmer defense, I sorta doubt it.
Prediction:
Bengals 30
Browns 13

Marquee Game
New England Patriots @ New Orleans Saints
Line: Saints by 1 1/2
What to Watch For:
Well, a 1 1/2 point spread isn't much of a home field advantage, but I'm honestly surprised the Saints are even favored in this game. A Bucs blowout notwithstanding, they've been playing very sloppily lately and seem to be at their most vulnerable. The Patriots, on the other hand, are fresh off a dominating performance against the overmatched Jets and seem to be playing their best at the moment. This should be a great game to watch, with a ton of points. Pats/Saints looks ready to be a classic shootout between two of the best QBs in the league. Sure, both teams sport improved running games and very competitive defenses, no one can pretend the big story here isn't the quarterback play. Enjoy this one, and enjoy watching two of the greats go at it TD for TD. I think the Patriots, riding a wave of good football, will end the Saints amazing 10 game win streak in a high scoring affair.
Prediction:
Patriots 41
Saints 38

Record:
Last Week: 3-1 straight up, 3-1 against the spread
Overall: 30-13 straight up, 25-18 against the spread

Again, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, and I'll be back with a new feature and some premature Giants draft talk later this week.

~Freeze