NFL Week 12 Picks: Rounding Up Top Experts' Predictions

Even the NFL's liable to put on a stinker of a week every once in a while.

Looking at the schedule of games ahead in Week 12, it seems like there are more one-sided games than normal. Only a small handful have any sort of pregame intrigue.

Perhaps that's because it's later in the season, and any sense of uncertainty about the teams' identities is gone. Or maybe Sunday will play out like last week, when seemingly every game played against type.

Who the heck knows anymore?

That's why it's always helpful to consult those who know what they're talking about. Below, you'll find the picks from Bleacher Report's six NFL lead writers.

Matchup	Matt Bowen	Mike Freeman	Matt Miller	Ty Schalter	Michael Schottey	Mike Tanier
CLE at ATL	CLE	CLE	ATL	CLE	CLE	CLE
TEN at PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI	PHI
DET at NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
GB at MIN	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB	GB
JAX at IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND	IND
CIN at HOU	CIN	HOU	CIN	HOU	HOU	CIN
TB at CHI	CHI	TB	CHI	CHI	CHI	CHI
ARI at SEA	SEA	ARI	SEA	ARI	ARI	SEA
STL at SD	STL	STL	SD	SD	SD	STL
WAS at SF	SF	SF	SF	SF	SF	SF
MIA at DEN	DEN	DEN	DEN	DEN	DEN	DEN
DAL at NYG	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL
NYJ at BUF	BUF	NYJ	BUF	BUF	BUF	BUF
BAL at NO	NO	BAL	BAL	BAL	NO	NO

Note: You can view the selections from all 16 of B/R's NFL experts here.

Top Games

New England Patriots vs. Detroit Lions

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Before last week's 14-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions would've been viewed as a serious threat to the New England Patriots. Instead, few are backing Detroit, and the Pats opened as 5.5-point favorites, according to Odds Shark.

New England's won six games in a row, mitigating two great offenses in the process. Given how anemic Detroit's offense was against the Cardinals, things aren't looking promising for the NFC North co-leaders.

And just when you least expect it, a guy like Jonas Gray breaks out for 201 yards and four touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11, adding another weapon to the Patriots offense.

Now, it's ridiculous to expect that kind of showing against the Lions' great run defense, but Detroit's coaching staff will have to figure Gray into its defensive game plan nonetheless.

While validating Gray's abilities, ESPNBoston.com's Mike Reiss questioned whether the 24-year-old is the kind of runner built to succeed against Detroit:

"

At 230 pounds, Gray is a downhill runner who looks for contact. The one thing I’d say this week is that the Patriots, who pride themselves on being a game-plan type offense that changes significantly on a week-to-week basis to exploit the perceived weaknesses of the opponent, might not run it much because the Lions have been so good in that area (No. 1 in the NFL, 68.8 yards average per game, 3.0 average per rush).

"

Until Tom Brady proves otherwise, there's no reason to bet against him. Even if he has to shoulder the majority of the offensive burden, he'll be fine as long as he doesn't turn the ball over.

Prediction: New England 24, Detroit 20

Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

The beauty for the Arizona Cardinals here is that they can lose yet still have a two-game lead in the NFC West. And that's the worst-case scenario.

Drew Stanton proved a lot of his doubters—myself included—wrong last week. He doesn't need to be prolific, given the strength of the Cardinals defense and Andre Ellington in the backfield. Carson Palmer wasn't exactly lights out, yet Arizona still positioned itself as the NFC's best team.

The MMQB's Peter King pointed out that Stanton's always elicited head coach Bruce Arians' full confidence:

With that said, Stanton could be in for a rude awakening on Sunday.

Seattle's returning home after a bad defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Seahawks players will not only be smarting from that loss, but they'll also know that losing to Arizona this late in the season will do massive damage to their playoff chances.

According to FiveThirtyEight, Seattle's postseason hopes are nearly halved with a defeat:

Another key factor will be the area of the field Stanton targets the most. ESPN.com's Terry Blount explains how the 30-year-old quarterback has his most success on the right side of the field:

"

Rodgers is the clear No. 1 with a 96.6 QB rating on throws to the right side, but part of the reason could be that he didn't challenge (Richard) Sherman in the 36-16 loss to the Seahawks in the season opener at CenturyLink Field. Rodgers didn't throw a single pass in Sherman's direction.

Throwing to the right side of the field didn't work so well for Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer last December at Seattle, even though the Cardinals won, 17-10.

Palmer threw four interceptions that day, three of which were on the right side of the field, and two of those were Sherman picks.

"

Although Richard Sherman isn't enjoying his dizzying heights of 2013, he's still not the kind of cornerback QBs can afford to test on every drive.

There's a reason Stanton was a backup quarterback for pretty much his entire career. He won't be Andy Dalton-levels of bad, but one or two key mistakes will swing this game in Seattle's favor.

Prediction: Seattle 17, Arizona 13

Denver Broncos vs. Miami Dolphins

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

Somebody might want to let the Denver Broncos know that they're not playing actual dolphins—the kind that live in the ocean—this weekend. Part of Denver's preparation apparently involved viewing clips of animals attacking one another.

"We saw sharks coming out of the ocean attacking the seals, and that's how we want to attack the ball," said Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, per Mike Klis of The Denver Post. "It's good stuff. We continue to emphasize it."

Here's to hoping that Del Rio actually watched Deep Blue Sea because somebody told him it was a documentary.

Back to the subject at hand.

Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

According to Football Outsiders, the Miami Dolphins have the second-best pass defense in the league. Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball are both listed as doubtful, which means Miami can focus even more attention on Peyton Manning and the Denver passing game.

The Rams showed that Manning alone can't get it done if he doesn't have any support on the ground. Denver's coaches should figure out a way to have a stronger presence with the running game.

What will decide this clash is the performance of the Broncos defense, which is fifth against the pass and second overall, according to FO. Denver can't afford to let the Dolphins to eat up the clock with prolonged drives. The faster the tempo, the more it favors the Broncos.

Ryan Tannehill's in the midst of a career year, but in a head-to-head battle against Manning, you know whom you're taking, especially if the scores climb.

Miami will keep it close, but Denver gets the win.

Prediction: Denver 30, Miami 27