Week 12 NFL Picks: Odds, Prop Bets and Predictions for Sunday's Schedule

The New York Giants are breathing easier after watching the Thanksgiving Day games and how the results impacted their NFC East rivals.

The Philadelphia Eagles gave up a 45-spot for the second week in a row and dropped a 45-14 blowout decision to the Detroit Lions. When a team gives up 90 points in back-to-back games versus the Tampa Bay Bucs and Lions, it is basically telling the world that it has nothing left in the tank.

It was even worse for the Dallas Cowboys. A week after getting quarterback Tony Romo back from his collarbone injury, the undefeated Carolina Panthers never gave him a chance to breathe. He reinjured that same collarbone and is done for the season—and so are the Cowboys.

The Giants have not shown they can play consistently, but they showed a lot of skill and determination before they lost to the undefeated New England Patriots 27-26 in Week 10. After a bye week, the Giants should be ready for an excellent stretch run.

They begin that stretch with a road game against the Washington Redskins. According to Odds Shark, the Giants are listed as 2.5-point favorites, but that should not bother any handicapper who is interested in backing the Giants.

New York simply has too much skill in its passing game for the Redskins to handle. Eli Manning is enjoying one of his best seasons, and the wide receiver duo of Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle should get the best of a gritty but slow Washington defense.

Manning has 21 touchdowns to six interceptions, while Beckham has caught 63 passes for 863 yards and eight touchdowns. The Redskins rank 22nd in yards allowed, and the Giants beat them 32-21 at MetLife Stadium in Week 3. The only reason the game was that close was because the Redskins had a late kickoff return for a touchdown.

This game may not be easy, but the Giants will assert themselves in the third quarter and take control of the NFC East.

Game	Line	Over/Under	Selection
Minnesota at Atlanta	Atlanta -1	45.5	Minnesota; Under
St. Louis at Cincinnati	Cincinnati -10	42	Cincinnati; Under
New Orleans at Houston	Houston -3	48	Houston; Over
Tampa Bay at Indianapolis	Indianapolis -2.5	46	Tampa Bay; Over
San Diego at Jacksonville	Jacksonville -5	47	Jacksonville; Over
Buffalo at Kansas City	Kansas City -5.5	41.5	Kansas City
Miami at New York Jets	New York Jets -4	43	New York Jets; Under
Oakland at Tennessee	Even	44	Tennessee; Under
New York Giants at Washington	N.Y. Giants -2.5	47	New York Giants; Over
Arizona at San Francisco	Arizona -11.5	45	Arizona; Under
Pittsburgh at Seattle	Seattle -3.5	46	Pittsburgh; Under
New England at Denver	New England -2.5	43	New England
Baltimore at Cleveland	Cleveland -3	41	Cleveland: Over

Vikings, Falcons should keep it low-scoring

Early in the season, head coach Dan Quinn and the Falcons were on fire. They reeled off six straight wins, and it looked like it would be a stellar season in Atlanta, as quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman were all hot at the same time.

That's no longer the case, as the Falcons have lost four of their five games and their once prolific offense has been struggling. Freeman had been the igniter of this attack in the first six weeks of the season, but he won't play because of a concussion Sunday when the Falcons host the Vikings.

The Vikings will try to get back on track after losing at home to Green Bay in Week 11. They committed too many untimely penalties and were one step behind the Packers throughout most of the game.

But the Vikings have a powerful running game thanks to Adrian Peterson (1,006 yards) and an improving quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater who can usually manage the game without turning the ball over. He is completing 64.6 percent of his passes and has thrown just six interceptions.

This sets up as a ball-control game. That's the way the Vikings want to play, and that's how the Falcons are going to be forced to play. They will be competing against a strong Minnesota defense that ranks seventh in passing yards allowed and won't let Ryan throw the ball all over the field.

The over-under total is 45.5 points, and this game is a strong under play.

Pats are clear favorites to come away with second straight Lombardi Trophy

The New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers are both undefeated, but the Patriots have a considerably better chance to win the Super Bowl than their NFC counterparts, according to the oddsmakers.

The Patriots have suffered myriad injuries in recent weeks. Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are among the wounded. Nevertheless, the Patriots are plus-240 to win the league championship, according to Odds Shark.

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The Panthers are the third choice at plus-700. They rank behind the Arizona Cardinals, who are plus-500. The oddsmakers see a more well-rounded team in Arizona, as Carson Palmer is leading a high-powered passing attack.

While Cam Newton is being discussed as a possible MVP candidate and is having a strong season—he has thrown for 2,466 yards and 20 touchdowns—he is not as strong a pocket passer as Palmer is.

The Green Bay Packers are plus-800 and are ranked fourth among possible Super Bowl winners.

The Pittsburgh Steelers follow at plus-1,000. No other team is listed at better than plus-1,400.