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

Week 12 features two NFL games with huge playoff implications.

The New Orleans Saints will look to win their ninth straight when they travel to face the 7-3 Los Angeles Rams. A victory will keep the Saints within striking distance of the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC.

On Thanksgiving, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will battle in a key NFC North tilt between the division's two best teams. A victory will put the Vikings three games clear of Detroit, but if the Lions win, they will be just one game back of the Vikings with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand.

Elsewhere, we may see a few more blowouts than usual given the spreads, but the Kansas City Chiefs just lost outright to the New York Giants despite being 10-point favorites. Ultimately, anything can happen on any given day in the NFL.

Here's a look at the Week 12 games, alongside some picks. All spreads and over/under totals are via OddsShark.

Thursday, November 23

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (EVEN, 44.5 O/U)

Pick: Lions 20, Vikings 17

Los Angeles Chargers at Dallas Cowboys (-4)

Pick: Chargers 27, Cowboys 17

New York Giants at Washington Redskins (-7.5, 44.5 O/U)

Pick: Redskins 24, Giants 14

Sunday, November 26

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-7.5)

Pick: Bengals 24, Browns 10

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-16.5, 47.5 O/U)

Pick: Patriots 34, Dolphins 14

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (-9.5, 45 O/U)

Pick: Chiefs 27, Bills 13

Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles (-11)

Pick: Eagles 27, Bears 10

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons (-8.5)

Pick: Falcons 24, Buccaneers 14

Carolina Panthers (-4.5, 40 O/U) at New York Jets

Pick: Panthers 26, Jets 10

Tennessee Titans (-4.5) at Indianapolis Colts

Pick: Colts 24, Titans 23

Seattle Seahawks (-7) at San Francisco 49ers

Pick: Seahawks 38, 49ers 20

New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams (-2.5, 54 O/U)

Pick: Saints 30, Rams 20

Jacksonville Jaguars (-4.5, 38 O/U) at Arizona Cardinals 

Pick: Jaguars 21, Cardinals 20

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders (-5, 43 O/U)

Pick: Raiders 27, Broncos 24

Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers (-13.5, 41 O/U)

Pick: Steelers 28, Packers 10

Monday, November 27

Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (-7.5)

Pick: Ravens 17, Texans 10

Best Bet: Favorite

It's hard not to feel queasy when taking a small road favorite, but the Carolina Panthers have won their last three games by a combined score of 82-41 and are looking sharp following an uneven first half of the season.

Quarterback Cam Newton looked like the 2015 NFL MVP version of himself last Monday when he threw four touchdown passes and rushed for 95 yards in a 45-21 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Wideout Devin Funchess shined in his new role as the team's true No. 1 wide receiver by catching five passes for 92 yards and two scores, and the run game was fantastic (294 yards).

The New York Jets have crushed their low preseason expectations and have fought hard all season, losing only one game by more than nine.

However, their offense has been hit or miss this year and laid an egg by scoring just 10 points against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that could only boast wins against the 3-7 Chicago Bears and 1-9 New York Giants prior to beating Gang Green.

On the flip side, the Panthers are firing on all cylinders, and all three phases are clicking right now. Look for them to clear the spread by two full touchdowns.

Best Bet: Underdog

The Indianapolis Colts may be 3-7, but they more often than not find ways to hang around games deep into the second half.

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has started nine of the Colts' 10 games. Only three of the nine games have featured double-digit deficits. One of those three was a wire-to-wire blowout (a 27-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars). The Colts were beating the Seattle Seahawks 15-10 in the third quarter of a road game before collapsing and losing by four scores.

The last of those three games was a Monday Night Football contest against the Tennessee Titans, their opponent this Sunday. The Colts led 19-9 in the third quarter and were tied at 22 in the fourth before Tennessee scored two late touchdowns, one of which was a 72-yard Derrick Henry run with less than a minute left.

The moral of this story is that the Colts always hang around in games despite the litany of injuries and issues the team has encountered this year. That's why this 4.5-point spread seems a touch too high, especially given the fact that the Colts are the home team. Look for them to cover and perhaps win outright.

Best Bet: Over/Under Total

The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers only scored a combined 21 points when they faced off earlier this season, but look for both teams to nearly triple that number when they play in the Bay Area on Sunday.

The Seahawks' run game has struggled all season, but quarterback Russell Wilson has an unbelievable ability to make plays out of nothing, which has kept the offense afloat all year. He has an excellent rapport with wide receiver Doug Baldwin (54 catches, 633 yards, three touchdowns) and has found tight end Jimmy Graham and wideout Paul Richardson for 11 combined scores.

San Francisco showed some signs of life on offense in a 31-21 win over the New York Giants last Sunday. Granted, Big Blue is just 1-9, but that has to be encouraging for a young team that finally got its first win last week.

With cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Kam Chancellor unfortunately out for the year with injuries, San Francisco may find some success through the air as they did last week. Look for speedy deep threat Marqise Goodwin to be targeted in this game, as he was when he scored on an 83-yard touchdown pass against New York.