NFL Week 12 Predictions: Can't-Miss Picks and Matchup Guide

Week 12 of the 2013 NFL season kicks off soon, with the Thursday Night Football contest offering bettors a chance to get ahead and build their bankroll for the Sunday slate.

If you aren’t sure how to bet the Saints at Falcons game—or the rest of the matchups for that matter—don’t worry, I have you covered.

Keep reading for the latest lines, my picks for the winner of each showdown, plus a closer look at a handful of contests you will definitely want to wager big on.

Away Team	Home Team	Spread	Prediction (ATS)
New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	NO -9	NO
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Detroit Lions	DET -9	DET
Jacksonville Jaguars	Houston Texans	HOU -10	HOU
Minnesota Vikings	Green Bay Packers	GB -5	GB
San Diego Chargers	Kansas City Chiefs	KC -4.5	KC
Carolina Panthers	Miami Dolphins	CAR -4	CAR
Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns	CLE -2.5	CLE
Chicago Bears	St. Louis Rams	STL -1	STL
New York Jets	Baltimore Ravens	BAL -3.5	BAL
Tennessee Titans	Oakland Raiders	OAK -1	OAK
Indianapolis Colts	Arizona Cardinals	ARI -2.5	IND
Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	NYG -2.5	DAL
Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	DEN -2.5	NE
San Francisco 49ers	Washington Redskins	SF -5	SF

New Orleans Saints (-9) over Atlanta Falcons

The Saints opened as a six-point favorite, as per ScoresAndOdds.com, but the line quickly shot up to nine after bettors wisely hammered the road team. Even you didn’t get in early, New Orleans is still worth backing big against the lowly Falcons.

Atlanta is simply a cupcake opponent that every team is seemingly working over on a regular basis, regardless of location.

The Dirty Birds are in the midst of a four-game losing streak that includes a recent 41-28 defeat against Tampa Bay and a home loss to the surging Seattle Seahawks.

The Falcons are mustering a mere 73.1 yards per game on the ground and have an ineffective passing game to rely on when they have to air it out. Tony Gonzalez’s numbers are down from last year, Roddy White has dealt with injury throughout the 2013 campaign and Julio Jones is out for the rest of the season.

Much of quarterbacks Matt Ryan’s statistical output comes in garbage time, as evidenced by his two touchdown throws this past Sunday that came after the team was trailing by 32 points.

The Saints defense is going to feast on this weakness, as they have limited opponents to a mere 191.4 yards per game through the air. Their weakness is a mediocre rush defense, but the Falcons are no threat to mount a strong ground-and-pound game against NOLA.

Factor in that Atlanta ranks near the bottom in the league in both passing yards (249.2) and rushing yards (132.7) allowed per game and that the Saints average 28.8 points per game and you have a recipe for a double-digit blowout.

Back the chalk and cash your ticket after Drew Brees leads his side to a massive victory on Thursday Night Football.

New England Patriots (+2.5) over Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are preparing to meet for the 14th time, this time on Sunday Night Football in Week 12 of the 2013 season. Brady’s Patriots have won nine of the 13 previous matchups—eight when Manning was with the Indianapolis Colts and one last year during his first season with the Broncos.

Brady and his Pats are looking for that 10th win against a bitter rival and are well positioned to get it at home in prime time.

The outcome of this game will almost certainly have playoff ramifications, as the 9-1 Broncos could build an insurmountable lead over the rest of the AFC field with a win.

However, 7-3 New England knows full well that it could gain ground and potentially nab a bye with a victory as an underdog in Foxborough for the first time since 2005.

Head coach Bill Belichick will certainly remind his squad that its eight-plus year span of being favored at Gillette Stadium has come to an end, adding a slight amount of motivation to come out and get a critical “W”.

Team	Pass Yards per Game	Rush Yards Per Game	Points Per Game	Pass Yards Against	Rush Yards Against	Points Against
New England	237.1	126.9	25.4	229.2	125.7	19.9
Denver	350.4	105.1	39.8	279.1	92.7	25.5

The Patriots may not be as offensively powerful as their opponent, but they have the advantage of home field and weather starting to turn cold in Massachusetts. As per Weather.com, the high in Foxborough on Sunday is 33 degrees Fahrenheit and winds could be blowing at over 20 miles per hour.

New England’s running game is more stout than Denver’s and it recently returned Shane Vereen to the lineup, giving yet another weapon out of the backfield for Belichick to utilize.

Player	Receptions	Targets	Yards	Touchdowns
Wes Welker	61	87	648	9
Demaryius Thomas	60	93	914	9
Eric Decker	54	82	792	3
Julius Thomas	45	62	590	10

Factor in star receivers Wes Welker’s potential absence for the Broncos and Manning could be without one of his favorite targets. The slot receiver has made a big impact in 2013, hauling in nearly a quarter of Manning’s league-leading 286 completions.

The game will be close, but it seems that New England has a slight edge—with or without Welker in the lineup. Back the home ‘dog and get paid in this thrilling Sunday Night Football contest.