NFL Week 12 Picks: Playoff Contenders That Will Grab Big Wins on Sunday

The playoff races are heating up in the NFL, and by the end of Week 12, things will likely remain close to a boil.

Even with six weeks left in the season, there have been few teams that have set themselves apart from the rest. As such, many of the division races are extremely close. Nobody aside from the 10-1 Seattle Seahawks has been able to build an almost unassailable lead.

Looking at the schedule for Week 12 and how the games could shake out, it's interesting to see how the playoff picture could be affected.

Time (ET)	Home Team	Away Team	Pick
Thur., Nov. 21
8:25 p.m.	Atlanta Falcons	New Orleans Saints	NO
Sun., Nov. 24
1 p.m.	Detroit Lions	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	DET
1 p.m.	Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	GB
1 p.m.	Houston Texans	Jacksonville Jaguars	HOU
1 p.m.	Kansas City Chiefs	San Diego Chargers	KC
1 p.m.	Miami Dolphins	Carolina Panthers	CAR
1 p.m.	Cleveland Browns	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT
1 p.m.	St. Louis Rams	Chicago Bears	CHI
1 p.m.	Baltimore Ravens	New York Jets	BAL
4:05 p.m.	Oakland Raiders	Tennessee Titans	OAK
4:05 p.m.	Arizona Cardinals	Indianapolis Colts	ARI
4:25 p.m.	New York Giants	Dallas Cowboys	DAL
8:30 p.m.	New England Patriots	Denver Broncos	NE
Mon., Nov. 25
8:40 p.m.	Washington Redskins	San Francisco 49ers	SF

These four teams either have work to do or face tricky games where they risk letting the competition gain ground, but they will ultimately get the job done on Sunday with huge victories.

Baltimore Ravens

One win and the Baltimore Ravens are right back in the AFC North race. Between the three 4-6 teams in the division, the reigning Super Bowl champs are the best-positioned squad to give the Cincinnati Bengals a run for their money.

For those arguing that the Bengals are a lock to win the division, I would counter with Andy Dalton.

The Ravens get the Jets on Sunday. New York has alternated wins and losses this year, and since it's coming off a loss, it makes sense that it would get the win. That's almost airtight logic.

However, Geno Smith has gone without a touchdown in four of his last five games. The Jets seem to be coming back to earth a little bit after there was so much promise earlier in the season.

Baltimore has a good enough defense that it can force Smith into mistakes, which will help to cover up its offense's deficiencies.

New England Patriots

Rarely does a Bill Belichick-coached team lose back-to-back games. It's that plain and simple.

Belichick is a very smart guy. He will use that controversial ending to the Patriots' Monday night loss to the Carolina Panthers as fuel in preparation for the Denver Broncos. New England's players will be looking take all their frustrations out on Sunday.

While New England can't match Denver's aerial attack, don't forget that Tom Brady had 296 passing yards against Carolina, which boasts one of the best defenses in the league.

The healthier Shane Vereen gets, the better the Patriots offense will become. New England has had a good running game this year, and having one more talented running back only serves to take more pressure off Brady.

Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears

I lump both of these teams together because they make for one of the most compelling division races in the league. The Lions and Bears have identical 6-4 records, with Detroit getting the advantage in any tiebreaker scenarios by virtue of its two wins over Chicago.

The Green Bay Packers are a game back at 5-5, but their playoff hopes are on hold until Aaron Rodgers comes back from his collarbone injury.

So, for the time being, it's a great head-to-head battle between the Bears and Lions. Both have very winnable games, with Chicago going on the road against the St. Louis Rams and Detroit welcoming in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Expect the top two to remain the same in the NFC North when Sunday's games are over.