NFL Week 12 Picks: Vegas Odds, Props and Predictions Before Thursday Night

The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs are both going in the wrong direction. 

The Bills have fallen to 5-5 and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Head coach Sean McDermott tried to give his team a lift by installing Nathan Peterman at quarterback prior to their Week 11 game on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers, and the result was a disastrous five-interception effort in the first half.

Peterman returns to his seat on the bench in the Week 12 game against the Chiefs, and Tyrod Taylor goes back under center, according to the Buffalo News.

Taylor is an up-and-down quarterback who is at his best when he is on the move as a passer or a runner. He usually does his best work while moving his feet, but he can struggle when he remains in the pocket and peruses the field.

He tends to hold onto the ball in those circumstances. It's clear that Taylor is not a perfect quarterback, but he is far more developed than Peterman and he does have a talent. The return of Taylor should help the Bills prepare for a better effort against the Chiefs.

Kansas City has had its own problems, and the Chiefs have fallen to 6-4 after a 5-0 start. This is more than a dip after a hot start, as the Chiefs are struggling quite a bit on offense right now after lighting up the scoreboard at the start of the year. 

The Chiefs could not get into the end zone against the lowly New York Giants last week, and that's an awful sign. QB Alex Smith was being discussed as an MVP candidate earlier in the year, but he was held to 230 passing yards and threw two interceptions against New York. After ranking as the top offense earlier in the season, the Chiefs have slipped to sixth in that category.

The Kansas City defense has been vulnerable throughout the season and ranks 28th in yardage allowed. That should give the Bills an opportunity to move the ball with Taylor under center. 

Kansas City is a 10-point favorite in this matchup, according to OddsShark. The Chiefs are not playing well enough to cover that kind of spread against nearly any team, and the pick here is to take the Bills and the points to cover the spread at Arrowhead Stadium.

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NFL Week 12 Schedule, Odds

(Point spread information provided by OddsShark)

Minnesota (-3) at Detroit | O/U 44.5

L.A. Chargers (-1.5) at Dallas | O/U 47.5

N.Y. Giants at Washington (-7.5) | O/U 44.5

Buffalo at Kansas City (-10) | O/U 46

Carolina (-5) at N.Y. Jets | O/U 39.5

Chicago at Philadelphia (-13.5) | O/U 44

Cleveland at Cincinnati (-8) | O/U 38

Miami at New England (-16.5) | O/U 47.5

Tampa Bay at Atlanta (-10) | O/U 48.5

Tennessee (-3) at Indianapolis | O/U 45.5

Seattle (-6.5) at San Francisco | O/U 45

Denver at Oakland (-5) | O/U 43.5

Jacksonville (-5) at Arizona | O/U 38

New Orleans at L.A. Rams (-2.5) | O/U 53.5

Green Bay at Pittsburgh (-14) | O/U 43

Houston at Baltimore (-7) | O/U 38

New Orleans Saints at L.A. Rams

The Saints continue their remarkable turnaround season as they take on the Rams on the West Coast for the first time since 1992.

New Orleans has won eight games in a row and has a one-game lead in the NFC South over the Carolina Panthers. The Saints have the top-ranked offense in the league, but the most remarkable stat may be their No. 13 ranking on defense.

The Saints had been at or near the bottom in each of the last two years, and their dramatic improvement has taken quite a bit of pressure off veteran quarterback Drew Brees.

In recent years, it seemed Brees was responsible for most of the success the team had. In addition to the improved defense, the Saints have also had a productive running game with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara doing the damage.

The Rams have also had a resurgent season and they are in first place in the NFC West with a 7-3 record. They are coming off a 24-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

While the final score was convincing, the two teams battled on even terms for much of the game before the Vikings took charge at home.

The Rams have a varied attack with second-year QB Jared Goff under center and Todd Gurley running the ball. They have the league's fourth-ranked offense, and head coach Sean McVay deserves significant credit for engineering this turnaround.

The Rams are 2.5-point home favorites, and this should be a close game that either team could win. Since the Saints are so hot, the feeling is that Brees will find a way to come through when the game is on the line. Take the 2.5 points and go with the Rams.

Prop bet

The Minnesota Vikings have not lost since dropping a Week 4 game at home to the Detroit Lions.

The Vikings get their chance for revenge on Thanksgiving as they go to Ford Field to play in the 12:30 p.m. ET game.

Prop bettors have a chance to wager on the first TD scorer in this game, and they should have a chance for an excellent return on their investment if they are successful, per the following numbers from Oddschecker.

Minnesota running back Latavius Murray is the favorite at 7-1, while Detroit wideout Golden Tate is 8-1. Murray scored two TDs in the Week 11 win over the Rams.

Wide receiver Adam Thielen is 10-1 to score the first touchdown of the game, and fellow wideout Stefon Diggs is also 10-1.

Marvin Jones and Ameer Abdullah are 10-1 for the Lions, while Theo Riddick and Eric Ebron are 16-1 shots.

We are going to go with Abdullah to score first in this vital game for the Lions, who are trying to play their way into contention. Abdullah has three rushing TDs and one as a receiver.