NFL Week 12 Picks: Upcoming Odds and Predictions for Full Schedule

The NFL action gets started early in Week 12 thanks to three high-quality games on Thanksgiving Day.

We have gotten used to overlooked Thursday night battles, but with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions in first place, the holiday hosts will make sure things stay interesting in divisional battles. Meanwhile, the rest of the weekend slate features several close battles that could be decided by a single big play.

With all 32 teams in action, it will be a busy week you don't want to miss. 

	Thursday, Nov. 24
	Sunday, Nov. 27
	Monday, Nov. 28
Time (ET)	Matchup	Pick	Spread
12:30 p.m.	Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions	Vikings	DET -2.5
4:30 p.m.	Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys	Cowboys	DAL -6.5
8:30 p.m.	Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts	Colts	PIT -2.5
1 p.m.	Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears	Titans	TEN -1
1 p.m.	Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills	Bills	BUF -7
1 p.m.	Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens	Bengals	BAL -3.5
1 p.m.	Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons	Falcons	ATL -4
1 p.m.	New York Giants at Cleveland Browns	Giants	NYG -7
1 p.m.	Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints	Saints	NO -7
1 p.m.	San Francisco 49ers at Miami Dolphins	Dolphins	MIA -8
1 p.m.	San Diego Chargers at Houston Texans	Chargers	PK
4:05 p.m.	Seattle Seahawks at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Seahawks	SEA -5
4:25 p.m.	Carolina Panthers at Oakland Raiders	Raiders	OAK -4
4:25 p.m.	New England Patriots at New York Jets	Patriots	NE -8.5
8:30 p.m.	Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos	Chiefs	DEN -3.5
8:30 p.m.	Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles	Eagles	N/A

Top Games to Watch

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

The Minnesota Vikings were arguably the best teams in the NFL for the first month before becoming one of the worst for the next month.

The 5-0 start was quickly followed by four losses in a row where the team looked lost on both sides of the ball. However, the squad was able to bounce back in Week 11, thanks in part to non-offensive touchdowns. 

Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press noted the turnaround:

You can't rely on these types of plays, but forcing turnovers goes a long way, and this defense can do that.

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford has done a good job of avoiding turnovers this season with only five interceptions to 18 touchdowns in 2016. However, now that this Vikings defense is back near full strength, he will be under pressure all game long and is bound to make a mistake or two.

Meanwhile, the Lions have been playing with fire throughout the season, trailing at some point in the fourth quarter in each game this year. They have come back for six wins, but you won't be as fortunate every week.

This should be a low-scoring battle with the defenses making the plays that can help a team win. Quarterback Sam Bradford hasn't been great, but he will do enough to win on Thanksgiving.

Prediction: Vikings 16, Lions 14

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts have turned to desperation mode early this season. After getting off to a 3-5 start, they have bounced back with two wins in a row—the first time they've won back-to-back games.

While Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans wasn't always pretty—a 21-0 lead came down to the last possession—it was an important one for a squad with postseason aspirations.

"Every game from this point on you have to treat it like a playoff game," linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com. "You win or you go home. It's that weird time of the season where every game matters, and we have to stack as many wins as possible."

The reality is when quarterback Andrew Luck is playing like he did in the first half, this is a team that can beat almost anyone in the league.

This includes the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have a lot of playmakers on both sides of the ball but have struggled with inconsistency. Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns was the first since Oct. 9 against the New York Jets. While the team has had to deal with injuries to QB Ben Roethlisberger and difficult matchups in this stretch, it has still been a long time since the entire team played well as a whole.

The Thanksgiving night game should feature a lot of long pass plays from both teams, but the Colts are playing just well enough to pull out a win while moving one step closer to the playoffs.

Prediction: Colts 31, Steelers 28

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

The Denver Broncos had a much better week than the Kansas City Chiefs, and they didn't even play. They were able to use their bye to rest up and apparently gain ground in the AFC West.

Kansas City struggled in Week 11, losing its first home game of the year to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 19-17 defeat ended a five-game winning streak, featuring one of the worst offensive showings of the season.

With that said, the offense wasn't completely off. Alex Smith played a strong game personally, earning a total QBR of 94.6, which was a season-best mark, according to ESPN.com. He had one interception but otherwise did a good job of helping the offense move the football.

The Chiefs just simply didn't have enough chances.

While the Broncos have one of the top defenses in the NFL, Kansas City's style of hard running and efficient passing is the best way to beat it.

On the other side of the ball, Denver has many more question marks between quarterback Trevor Siemian and the run game without injured running back C.J. Anderson. Against a Chiefs defense that is allowing just 15.8 points per game in the last six games, this group could struggle, even after a bye.

Look for the Chiefs to pull off a road upset after a disappointing Week 11 loss.

Prediction: Chiefs 20, Broncos 17

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter.