NFL Week 12 Picks: Predicting the Winner of All 15 Matchups

Many bettors saw plenty of money lost in Week 11 due to unexpected conclusions for many contests previously perceived as locks. After all, not too many of us saw Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos putting up a mere seven points against the St. Louis Rams—and that's only one of several examples.

Week 12 boasts a seemingly favorable lineup of Vegas spreads, giving us plenty of chances to recoup the coin lost following a turbulent week on the gridiron. While the upcoming slate of 15 games has many lines that back the favorites, there are a few games with upset potential.

With the early lines already in place, here's a look at each game, its corresponding odds and a pick against the spread, followed by an in-depth look at a couple of top upset predictions.

Matchup	Spread	Pick ATS	Reason
Kansas City at Oakland	KC -7	Chiefs	Kansas City is too well-rounded for a young Raiders team to keep up.
Cleveland at Atlanta	ATL -3	Falcons	Cleveland is unpredictable, and Atlanta has plenty of momentum.
Tennessee at Philadelphia	PHI -10.5	Titans	With Mark Sanchez at the helm, the Eagles won't win by 11.
Detroit at New England	NE -7	Patriots	No team is capable of keeping up with the Patriots right now.
Cincinnati at Houston	HOU -2.5	Bengals	The Andy Dalton we saw in Week 11 will be the one we see in Week 12.
Green Bay at Minnesota	GB -9.5	Packers	Minnesota doesn't have the firepower to keep up with a red-hot Aaron Rodgers.
Tampa Bay at Chicago	CHI -6	Buccaneers	See analysis below.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis	IND -14	Jaguars	The Colts will get the win, but injuries suffered in Week 11 will allow the Jaguars to keep it close.
NY Jets at Buffalo	BUF -4.5	Jets	Buffalo's inability to reach the end zone from inside the 20-yard line will continue to hurt.
Arizona at Seattle	SEA -6.5	Cardinals	See analysis below.
St. Louis at San Diego	SD -5.5	Chargers	San Diego's defense is playing well, and St. Louis is too unpredictable.
Washington at San Francisco	SF -8	49ers	The Redskins are terrible right now. The 49ers defense will feast on RG3 and Co.
Miami at Denver	DEN -7	Broncos	Expect a big rebound from Peyton Manning in Week 12.
Dallas at NY Giants	DAL -3	Cowboys	The Dallas offense is on fire, the Giants offense isn't.
Baltimore at New Orleans	NO -4	Saints	It's difficult to see Drew Brees and Co. losing three straight home games.

All game lines via Odds Shark and current as of November 17.

Top Early-Week Upset Picks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6) at Chicago Bears

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

It may seem crazy to pick a two-win Buccaneers team on the road in Chicago, but that's exactly what's happening here. Remember how Josh McCown won games for the Bears by throwing jump balls to his wide receivers in 2013? Well, he's at it again in Tampa Bay.

Rookie wide receiver Mike Evans is the real deal. He collected seven receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns in Week 11 against the Washington Redskins. The duo of McCown and Evans flourished despite a running game that only averaged 2.3 yards per carry.

Head coach Lovie Smith had some high praise for his wide receiver, via ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Chicago's defense has been susceptible to both the run and the pass, and if running back Charles Sims can get it going in Week 12, expect even bigger numbers from McCown and Evans in a balanced offense.

On the flip side, Jay Cutler produced a win in Week 11, throwing three total touchdowns to Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. However, the quarterback still showed his lack of ball security, tossing two interceptions in the process.

Tampa Bay defeated Washington by putting pressure on the quarterback, forcing turnovers and containing speedy wide receivers from going over the top of the secondary. That exact formula will prove to be how the Buccaneers earn another victory in Week 12.

Prediction: Buccaneers 26, Bears 21

Arizona Cardinals (+6.5) at Seattle Seahawks

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

For some reason, oddsmakers continue to go a little crazy with game lines geared toward the Seahawks when they're at home. Let's make this clear: This team isn't nearly as good as the 2013 version that won the Super Bowl.

On paper, the Seahawks are 4-1 at home this season. That's pretty good. However, that included an overtime win against the Denver Broncos and a close call against the hapless Oakland Raiders. Now, they must face a Cardinals defense that is playing lights-out.

Seattle was beaten at its own game by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. The Chiefs dominated on the ground and played very solid defense. Expect the Cardinals to be an even tougher opponent due to their ability to contain the running game. Arizona has the ability to force Russell Wilson and Seattle's 30th-ranked passing offense to win the game through the air.

The Cardinals may have lost Carson Palmer for the season, but backup Drew Stanton stepped up nicely against a very good Detroit Lions defense in Week 11. Stanton completed 21 of his 32 passing attempts for 306 yards and two touchdowns despite the lack of a running game.

Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald suffered an MCL sprain against Detroit; however, he's expected to play against Seattle, according to Kent Somers of AZCentral.com:

Yes, Stanton's two interceptions came on poor throws, and he will need to clean that up before playing the Seahawks and their ball-hawking secondary, but the quarterback already appears to be making strides.

Expect a hard-fought defensive contest with little running room for both teams. A superior Cardinals passing attack will lead to a close victory.

Prediction: Cardinals 20, Seahawks 17