NFL Picks Week 12: Analyzing Expert Predictions from Around the Web

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one. When picking NFL games, though, 90 heads are better than one.

Why makes picks on your own, or even look at just one expert, when you have the opportunity to see what close to 100 different people think will happen? NFL Pickwatch gives everyone that chance after compiling NFL predictions from analysts around sports media.

Week 12 features some close calls as well as a few locks, according to the experts. If you are trying to make bets or are simply in a pick 'em league, this should give you a good look at what to expect this weekend.

Here is a complete breakdown of the full slate of games as well as confidence ratings for each.

Away	Home	Consensus Pick	Confidence %
New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons	Saints	100
Carolina Panthers	Miami Dolphins	Panthers	95
Chicago Bears	St. Louis Rams	Bears	68
Jacksonville Jaguars	Houston Texans	Texans	95
San Diego Chargers	Kansas City Chiefs	Chiefs	91
Minnesota Vikings	Green Bay Packers	Packers	91
New York Jets	Baltimore Ravens	Ravens	73
Pittsburgh Steelers	Cleveland Browns	Steelers	64
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Detroit Lions	Lions	98
Tennessee Titans	Oakland Raiders	Raiders	54
Indianapolis Colts	Arizona Cardinals	Cardinals	55
Dallas Cowboys	New York Giants	Giants	70
Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	Broncos	71
San Francisco 49ers	Washington Redskins	49ers	95

Analysis

There is only one "lock" in Week 12, but you will need to hurry to catch it. All of the experts think that the New Orleans Saints will defeat the Atlanta Falcons, and it is hard to disagree.

Even though the Saints have struggled on the road this year, the Falcons have been awful pretty much everywhere. After giving up 41 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, Atlanta seems to have given up on the season.

New Orleans has an opportunity to beat up on a division rival when it is at its lowest, and Drew Brees and Co. should take advantage of this chance.

Interestingly, some of the other safest bets favor teams on the road. Most believe the Carolina Panthers will beat the Miami Dolphins and that the San Francisco 49ers will have an easy time against the Washington Redskins.

The confidence in the 49ers is surprising after two losses in a row, but it might simply be that the experts have even less trust in Robert Griffin III and the Redskins at this point.

As far as the Panthers are concerned, they proved they were among the league's elite with back-to-back wins over San Francisco and the New England Patriots. However, fans should still be concerned about a letdown performance against a team that has won its last two at home. 

Continuing the theme of big mismatches, the Detroit Lions have 98 percent of the vote over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Only ESPN's Mike Ditka has faith that the Bucs' recent winning streak will continue.

Similarly, only a few analysts think the Jacksonville Jaguars can defeat the Houston Texans, despite the fact that the favorite has lost eight games in a row.

On the other hand, there are two battles that feature more disagreement than the others. One of them features a pair of inconsistent teams: the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans. Both squads are 4-6 with some good wins and bad losses, and they are both dealing with serious questions at quarterback. Tennessee's defense could give it an advantage, but stay away from this game if possible.

Of course, the other close game features two teams looking to prove themselves in Week 12. The Indianapolis Colts have escaped a few shaky outings recently on the road, but they now go against the emerging Arizona Cardinals, who have won three in a row.

If the Cardinals can avoid mistakes, the experts agree that they can win at home.

One more game to watch out for is the game between the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams. While most of the analysts think the Bears will have an easy victory, the Rams are actually favored in this game, according to Vegas Insider.

While this might be a good chance to make an upset pick, it is clear many still think St. Louis should pull out the win in this matchup. Do not go overboard despite what the majority of experts think.

Feel free to use these predictions as a starting point to help you make your own decisions for the week ahead. 

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