NFL Picks Week 12: Projecting Winners for Sunday's Biggest Games

Week 12 is here, and that means it's time for another round of fantastic NFL matchups.

Headlined by the big Sunday night showdown between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, it's easy to forget there are a bunch of other great games worth watching.

Whether it's an NFC East battle between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants or Andrew Luck taking on his old coach, Bruce Arians, Week 12 is jam-packed full of intriguing storylines.

Matchup	Winner
New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons	Saints
New York Jets vs. Baltimore Ravens	Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns	Steelers
Carolina Panthers vs. Miami Dolphins	Panthers
Chicago Bears vs. St. Louis Rams	Bears
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions	Lions
Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers	Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans	Texans
San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs	Chiefs
Indianapolis Colts vs. Arizona Cardinals	Cardinals
Tennessee Titans vs. Oakland Raiders	Raiders
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants	Giants
Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots	Patriots
San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Redskins	49ers

Indianapolis Colts vs. Arizona Cardinals

Lost in all of the Brady vs. Manning pandemonium is the showdown between the Arizona Cardinals and the Indianapolis Colts.

Facing off against their former offensive coordinator and interim head coach, Bruce Arians, the Colts will look to keep things rolling against a talented 6-4 Cardinals team.

Although the Colts may be the more talented team overall, this matchup doesn't bode well for a depleted Indianapolis wide receiving corps. 

With the elite coverage skills of Patrick Peterson looming, the Colts will somehow have to find a way to break apart from Pro Football Focus' (subscription required) 15th-ranked cornerback.

For the Colts, having to rely on running backs Donald Brown and Trent Richardson isn't a recipe for success against NFL's second-ranked run defense.

The silver lining for Indianapolis always comes back to its superstar signal-caller Andrew Luck. Producing seven fourth-quarter comebacks in a little less than two full NFL seasons, Luck has established himself as one of the premiere talents in the league.

If Arizona becomes complacent or quarterback Carson Palmer gets into trouble late, there's a real possibility Luck will lead his team to yet another fourth-quarter victory.

Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants

Don't look now, but the New York Giants are getting back to their winning ways. After starting off the season 0-6, the Giants have peeled off four straight wins.

Now just 1.5 games back of the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys in a monumental NFC East showdown.

This matchup is going to come down to the defensive side of the ball. And with a Dallas pass defense that is currently giving up 313 yards a game, Eli Manning and the Giants offense should be able to ignite the scoreboard whenever they feel like it.

With the coverage being shifted toward wide receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz, look for a whole lot of Rueben Randle this Sunday. The former LSU standout has become one of Manning's favorite targets, racking up 460 yards receiving to go along with six touchdowns this season.

For Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys to have any shot at winning this game, they will have to find a way to feed superstar wide receiver Dez Bryant the football.

Coming off a horrendous performance against the New Orleans Saints in Week 10, Bryant should be able to bounce back and shred the Giants secondary with his brilliant separation skills.

In the end, Dallas won't be able to score enough going up against a Giants defense that has only given up 20 points just once in its last four games.

Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots

It doesn't get much bigger than this. Another legendary chapter between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady is about to unfold this Sunday in Gillette Stadium.

As it stands right now, in head-to-head matchups, Brady has nine wins to Manning's four. But this season, everything looks a whole lot different.

For starters, this year Manning has Brady's former target, Wes Welker, at his disposal. And although the Denver Broncos reported that he suffered a concussion last week against the Kansas City Chiefs:

"

#Broncos injury update: WR Wes Welker is being evaluated for a possible concussion. #KCvsDEN

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 18, 2013"

Speaking on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan Show, Brady said he believes Welker will play this Sunday.

Welker's play aside, what this huge Week 12 battle comes down to is New England's ability to not only stop the Broncos on offense but also control the tempo of the game.

Averaging a ridiculous 455.5 yards per game, Denver has been destroying opposing defenses each and every week.

But if anyone can put the screws to Manning and his supercharged Denver offense, it's New England's mastermind head coach, Bill Belichick.

A coach known for taking away the most valuable asset an opposing team has, you can guarantee that Belichick isn't getting much sleep this week while he prepares for Manning.

In what could be the most entertaining game of the season, one thing the Patriots have going for them is history. Since 2010, this team has compiled a 24-2 record in the second-half of the season.

Their ability to consistently rebound from adversity and win big games is the main reason why the New England Patriots will be able to take down the Broncos this week. 

*All stats courtesy of NFL.com unless noted otherwise.