Week 12 NFL Picks: Vegas Odds Advice, Latest Spreads and Predictions

The Dallas Cowboys have reeled off nine straight victories after a Week 1 loss to the New York Giants. They have a two-game lead in the NFC East and have been led by rookie sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.

Prescott has been quite remarkable at quarterback for head coach Jason Garrett. The numbers are beyond belief for a rookie, as Prescott has completed 67.7 percent of his passes while averaging 255.6 yards per game. Both of those are good, but his 17-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio requires a second and third look to comprehend.

Matchup	Spread	O/U	ATS and O/U Prediction
Minnesota at Detroit (Thursday)	DET -1.5	41.5	DET/O
Washington at Dallas (Thursday)	DAL -6	52	WASH/U
Pittsburgh at Indianapolis (Thursday)	PIT -9	48.5	PIT/O
N.Y. Giants at Cleveland	NYG -7	44	NYG/U
San Francisco at Miami	MIA -7.5	44	MIA/O
L.A. Rams at New Orleans	NO -7	45	NO/O
Tennessee at Chicago	TEN -4.5	42	TEN/O
Jacksonville at Buffalo	BUF -7.5	44.5	BUF/U
Arizona at Atlanta	ATL -4	50.5	ATL/O
Cincinnati at Baltimore	BAL -3.5	40.5	BAL/O
San Diego at Houston	SD -1.5	46	HOU/O
Seattle at Tampa Bay	SEA -6	45	SEA/O
Kansas City at Denver	DEN -3	39.5	KC/U
Carolina at Oakland	OAK -3	49	OAK/O
New England at N.Y. Jets	NE -7.5	47	NE/U
Green Bay at Philadelphia (MNF)	PHI -4	47.5	GB/O

Beyond the numbers, Prescott is a calm and mature leader who has taken the correct tone with his older teammates and gotten the results that the Cowboys have needed.

“Dak acts like he’s been here for a long time,” Cowboys tight end Jason Witten told Jason Reid of The Undefeated. “The way he prepares, the way he trusts the people around him and takes ownership of his mistakes … everyone noticed that right from the beginning.”

Elliott has fulfilled all the hopes the Cowboys had for him when they drafted the Ohio State product with the No. 4 pick in this year's draft. When a team picks a running back that high, they have hopes of him becoming a superstar.

So, in that regard, his 1,102 rushing yards with a 4.9 yards-per-carry average and nine touchdowns are part of the plan. However, it usually takes time for rookies to have an impact, so he is far ahead of schedule.

When the Cowboys (9-1) take the field against the Washington Redskins (6-3-1) Thursday, they will be a six-point favorite, according to Odds Shark.

Mark Tenally/Associated Press/Associated Press

Kirk Cousins is averaging nearly 300 passing yards per game and has a 17-7 TD-to-interception ratio. Cousins has gone from being a question mark at the start of the 2015 season to a legitimate star as he tries to lead the Redskins to their second consecutive playoff appearance.

The Redskins need this game badly if they are going to stay in the race for the NFC East and help their playoff chances. The Cowboys are coming off consecutive victories over the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, and both of those teams needed those games badly.

If the Cowboys could summon top efforts against those two teams, it seems quite likely they will do the same against their longtime rivals.

Nevertheless, we like the Redskins to get the cover in this game and end Dallas' winning streak. Washington is 7-1 against the spread in its last eight games and 18-6 in the last 24 games of the series.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Seattle at Tampa Bay

If there was a turning point in the Seahawks' season, it occurred in Week 10 when Pete Carroll's team pulled off a Sunday night road victory over the New England Patriots.

That win came against Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski during a short week—the Seahawks had played the previous Monday night—after a cross-country trip.

There's no overstating how much confidence that victory brought to Seattle.

If they can beat the Patriots on the road, is there any assignment that's too tough for the Seahawks? The answer likely to be shouted in the Seattle locker room is a resounding no.

The Seahawks (7-2-1) will be tested again this week as they go to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers (5-5). Tampa Bay is coming off a memorable upset, having beaten the Chiefs on the road in Week 11.

This should be one of the more interesting quarterback confrontations as Russell Wilson goes up against Jameis Winston.

Wilson has long been known for his leadership and clutch play, and he has improved as a pocket passer. Winston got off to a flat start this season, but he has picked it up and has a 20-10 TD-to-interception ratio.

Winston will have a hard time against Seattle's hard-hitting defense led by linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright along with defensive end Cliff Avril and his 10 sacks.

The Seahawks are six-point favorites, and that punishing defense will take over and limit Winston. Seattle wins this game by double figures.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

N.Y. Giants at Cleveland

The NFC East has become the powerhouse division of the NFL. While it seemed to be a struggle for all four teams in the division a year ago, none of the teams have a losing record this year.

The New York Giants have five straight victories and have built a 7-3 record. They are not a complete team because they have no running game (77 yards per game, 31st in the NFL), but the big difference this year is their ability to come through in close games.

The Giants are 6-1 in games decided by six points or less, and they appear to be well-prepared for a strong stretch run.

In addition to the partnership of Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr., the defense is much-improved over the unit that ranked 32nd in the NFL a year ago.

The Giants have the 16th-ranked defense this season, and they are led by second-year strong safety Landon Collins. He leads the team with 80 tackles and five interceptions to go along with three sacks.

The Giants are seven-point favorites over the winless Cleveland Browns this week, and the New York win streak should reach six games.

The Browns regularly stay close throughout the first half, but they don't have the depth to compete for 60 minutes. That's how we see this game going as well. The Giants will likely have a small lead at halftime, but they will stretch it out during the third and fourth quarters and the Browns will lose by two touchdowns or more. 

Stats are courtesy of CBS Sports unless otherwise noted.