NFL Picks Week 12: Latest Odds, Over/Under Lines and Predictions

The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions are traveling in opposite directions.

The Eagles had reached the .500 mark when they beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9, but they have dropped two home games in a row to the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Bucs, and they have fallen to 4-6. 

The Eagles were significant favorites in both games and had a sizable lead against Miami, but they fell apart against both teams.

Now they go to Detroit on Thanksgiving Day against the Lions. While Detroit was awful in the first half of the season, it has beaten the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders in back-to-back weeks and is playing respectable football for the first time this season.

There's every reason to think both trends will continue in the early holiday game. Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly's offense has never hit its stride this year, and it doesn't seem likely to happen with Mark Sanchez at quarterback.

While Sanchez certainly understands the game plan and he can get hot from time to time, he has had a significant problem with turnovers and interceptions throughout his career.

On the other hand, Matthew Stafford has thrown just one interception in the last two games. If he doesn't turn the ball over, the Lions have the weapons in Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and Theo Riddick to move the ball consistently.

The Lions want to give their fans a Thanksgiving Day gift, and they have a chance to make the Eagles look like turkeys.

The game is rated as a toss-up, according to Odds Shark. However, based on the way the two teams are playing, the Lions should be three- or four-point favorites. Take the Lions and watch them take control in the third quarter and cruise home in the fourth.

Game	Line	Over/Under	Selection
Phialdelphia at Detroit	Even	45.5	Detroit; Over
Carolina at Dallas	Even	46	Dallas; Under
Chicago at Green Bay	Green Bay -10	47	Chicago; Over
Minnesota at Atlanta	Atlanta -1	4	Minnesota; Under
St. Louis at Cincinnati	Cincinnati -10	42	Cincinnati; Under
New Orleans at Houston	Houston -3	47.5	Houston; Over
Tampa Bay at Indianapolis	Indianapolis -3	47	Tampa Bay; Over
San Diego at Jacksonville	Jacksonville -4	46.5	Jacksonville; Over
Buffalo at Kansas City	No line	--	Kansas City
Miami at New York Jets	New York Jets -3.5	42.5	New York Jets; Under
Oakland at Tennessee	Even	44	Tennessee; Under
New York Giants at Washington	Even	47	New York Giants; Over
Arizona at San Francisco	Arizona -11.5	45	Arizona; Under
Pittsburgh at Seattle	Seattle -4.5	44.5	Pittsburgh; Under
New England at Denver	No line	--	New England
Baltimore at Cleveland	Cleveland -2.5	41.5	Cleveland: Over

Bears, Packers will put on high-scoring Thursday night show

The NFL added a third Thanksgiving night game several years ago to go with the traditional games in Detroit and Dallas during the afternoon.

This year, the Green Bay Packers will host the Chicago Bears in an NFC North battle between traditional rivals in that night game.

It has been difficult for the Bears to come up with wins in this series throughout the last two decades. The Packers have dominated, and it hasn't mattered whether the game has been played in Green Bay or Chicago.

The Packers have won 10 of the last 11 meetings, including a 31-23 victory at Soldier Field in Week 1. The Packers are likely to come out ahead once again, but we are not interested in the 10-point spread that they are going to have to cover.

Instead, we like the over-47 in this game. The Packers rediscovered their offensive game in their 30-13 win at Minnesota in Week 11, while the Bears have been playing much more competitive football in recent weeks.

Jay Cutler has been turning the ball over less frequently than in previous seasons, and he seems better equipped to get a in a shootout with Aaron Rodgers and play respectably. Cutler is throwing for an average of 250.0 yards per game, and he has a 13-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

We see both teams exchanging scoring drives throughout the night. The 47 points will be in jeopardy in the third quarter, and the over will come through early in the fourth.

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Winston has Bucs on winning path

Early in the season, it looked like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and No. 1 draft pick Jameis Winston would have a disastrous 2015 season.

After being ripped 42-14 by Tennessee and Marcus Mariota in the season opener, the Bucs knew they had a problem. Their rookie quarterback struggled in his reads, and he was turning the ball over frequently. The Bucs lost three of their first four games.

But Winston paid no attention to the critics and the worry warts. He did his work, practiced hard and improved. Suddenly, the former punchless Bucs are 5-5 and have won three of their last four games.

The Bucs go to Indianapolis this week and are three-point underdogs against the Colts. We don't think Winston will be bothered by going on the road, and the Bucs should play another strong game.

Winston has turned his season around as he is completing 58.3 percent of his passes with a 15-9 TD-to-interception ratio.

The Colts are struggling to compete with backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the lineup in place of the injured Andrew Luck.

Look for the Bucs to make it four wins in their last five games as they climb over the .500 mark for the first time this season and put themselves in the playoff chase.