NFL Week 12 Picks: Predictions for Every Game

Parity is alive and well in the NFL following another wild weekend that featured more than its fair share of shocking results. 

The favored Denver Broncos handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season in Sunday's marquee matchup. Denver's 27-17 victory certainly tightens things up in the AFC playoff race, but given how erratic the league has been in 2013, it provides little insight as to what will unfold this coming weekend.

To put the bizarre year into perspective, only nine teams are more than one game out of the playoff picture.

Without further ado, here are my early predictions for every game in Week 12. 

Matchup/Prediction	Comments
New Orleans Saints 31, Atlanta Falcons 21	Atlanta has lost four in a row and is giving up 33.8 points per game during that streak. Bad news with the Saints coming to town.
Green Bay Packers 20, Minnesota Vikings 17	The Vikings are 0-5 on the road this season and don't tackle well enough to beat a desperate Packers team at Lambeau.
Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Cleveland Browns 16	Pittsburgh has loads of confidence, having won four of its past six games to re-enter the playoff picture.
Detroit Lions 34, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27	The Lions will finally host a game for the first time in nearly a month. Plus, the Bucs have yet to break through on the road this season.
Kansas City Chiefs 24, San Diego Chargers 13	See below.
Chicago Bears 26, St. Louis Rams 18	St. Louis is as erratic as it comes, while Chicago has won two of three since its bye week.
Carolina Panthers 23, Miami Dolphins 14	Carolina's rugged defense should terrorize a makeshift Dolphins offensive line.
Baltimore Ravens 20, New York Jets 16	Despite their poor start, the Ravens have lost only once at home this season, and that was to Aaron Rodgers. Geno Smith is no Aaron Rodgers.
Houston Texans 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 23	If Houston's eight-game losing skid doesn't end at home against the Jaguars, when will it?
Oakland Raiders 24, Tennessee Titans 21	Both Oakland and Tennessee are very much alive in the AFC playoff race, but the difference is that the Raiders boast a top-five rushing attack.
Indianapolis Colts 31, Arizona Cardinals 17	See below.
New York Giants 27, Dallas Cowboys 20	See below.
Denver Broncos 30, New England Patriots 24	The Broncos scored 27 points on one of the NFL's best scoring defenses in Week 11 and remain the league's most potent offense.
San Francisco 49ers 34, Washington Redskins 26	Washington is free-falling, and its porous defense will struggle to contain the league's fifth-ranked rushing attack.

Kansas City Chiefs over San Diego Chargers

The Chiefs are no longer unbeaten, but they will enjoy some home cooking this weekend when they return to Kansas City to take on division rival San Diego.

While the Chargers have shown glimpses of greatness at times this season, it's hard to believe in a team that's lost three in a row and four of its last five on the road. Not to mention Arrowhead Stadium is one of the tougher venues in the NFL.

On the field, the Chiefs will have the advantage as well. Despite coming off a loss, Kansas City's defense will be confident having held Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos to a season-low 27 points in Week 11.

Offensively, the Chargers should struggle to move the ball consistently. San Diego is a middle-of-the-pack running team and will be pitting its strength against Kansas City's strength whenever Philip Rivers drops back to pass.

The Chiefs secondary ranks inside the top 10 in fewest passing yards allowed and should be able to neutralize San Diego's big-play receivers. 

Kansas City's elite pass rush is also something to keep an eye on. The Chiefs rank tops in the league with 3.6 sacks per game and are led by Justin Houston (11 sacks) and Tamba Hali in that department (nine sacks).

Indianapolis Colts over Arizona Cardinals

While the Arizona Cardinals have won three in a row and four of five at home this season, there's a reason they are flying under the radar.

The Cards' last three wins have come against lackluster competition, with none of the three teams having won more than two games this season.

On top of that, Arizona is just 1-3 this season against teams with a winning record. The Indianapolis Colts are 7-3 coming into Week 12's showdown and have been road warriors this season, going 4-1 away from home in 2013.

The biggest stat to watch for in this game will be turnovers. Arizona ranks fourth in the NFL in most giveaways this season, having turned the ball over 21 times in 10 games. Meanwhile, only two teams have committed fewer turnovers than Indianapolis through 11 weeks. The Colts have 11 giveaways through 10 games.

What's more, Chuck Pagano's Colts have turned the ball over just two times total in five road games.

Indy's Andrew Luck has thrown only six interceptions all season, while only Eli Manning and Geno Smith have tossed more picks than Arizona's Carson Palmer, who has 15 interceptions coming into Sunday's matchup.

New York Giants over Dallas Cowboys

Look for the NFC East race to get even muddier this weekend when the surging New York Giants host the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. 

Dallas will be fresh off a bye but in search of its second road win of the year.

Meanwhile, New York is rolling, having won four straight games. The Giants' unbelievable turnaround is the result of fewer turnovers, increased intensity and better awareness on defense over the past month.

Over their current stretch, the Giants are holding opponents to just 11.8 points per game. Offensively, they have committed just six turnovers over the past four games compared to 23 through their first six. 

This isn't the same Giants team the Cowboys faced back in Week 1. Dallas can't expect to get bailed out by six turnovers again in Week 12. And with injuries looming large on Monte Kiffin's defensive unit, it could be a long day for the Cowboys, who lack a running game capable of keeping the Giants defense honest.

While New York hasn't had a ton of success running the ball, keep in mind that it has made strides since Andre Brown's return in Week 10. More importantly, it has made a conscious effort to pound the rock, attempting 31.3 rushes per game during its current streak.

The 'Boys have attempted just 19.3 rushes over that time.

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