NFL Predictions Week 12: Picks Guide, Odds Advice and Schedule Info

Those still suffering from a holiday hangover don't have long to nail down potential bets for the NFL's Week 12 slate before weekend kickoffs. 

If it's any consolation, the three-game slate on Thursday wasn't too hard to nail down. Minnesota took care of Detroit, Los Angeles exposed Dallas, and the Washington-New York Giants encounter was a snoozefest going to the former. 

At face value, the entire slate isn't overly difficult. There are some odd matchups, but would-be bettors who know how to pick and choose spots shouldn't have too many problems—it's something like picking and choosing spots on a holiday spread at a feast. 

Here's one final look at the lines out of Las Vegas and a few of the must-bet lines available.  

NFL Week 12 Schedule, Odds

Buffalo at Kansas City (-9) | O/U 45

Carolina (-6) at N.Y. Jets | O/U 39.5

Chicago at Philadelphia (-14.5) | O/U 44

Cleveland at Cincinnati (-8) | O/U 38

Miami at New England (-17) | O/U 47.5

Tampa Bay at Atlanta (-10) | O/U 49

Tennessee (-3.5) at Indianapolis | O/U 44

Seattle (-7) at San Francisco | O/U 42.5

Denver at Oakland (-4.5) | O/U 43.5

Jacksonville (-5.5) at Arizona | O/U 38

New Orleans at L.A. Rams (-1.5) | O/U 53.5

Green Bay at Pittsburgh (-14) | O/U 41

Houston at Baltimore (-7) | O/U 38

Cleveland at Cincinnati (-8) 

It hasn't been wise to bet with the Cincinnati Bengals most of the year—except when they play the Cleveland Browns. 

Last time that happened, the Bengals blew away any and all spreads with a 31-7 win in Cleveland. 

Why expect anything different this time?  

The Bengals look as good as they have all season coming out of a 20-17 win against the Denver Broncos. Granted, it took a few fluky big plays, and overall the team is 2-3 over its last five with the only other win against the miserable Indianapolis Colts. 

But it sure beats being the Browns, a team still winless and searching for answers. They're playing hard and only lost 19-7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. But losing 10 in a row is losing 10 in a row, and it has been a bumpy ride for rookie DeShone Kizer under center, who has five touchdowns against 14 interceptions. The state of a team is dire when the headlines solely focus on a player's return in a few weeks above all else: 

The Bengals are talented enough to stutter a Kizer attack while making some headway of their own through the air. Cleveland doesn't have anyone who can match A.J. Green, and in trying to do so, they coughed up two touchdown passes to back up tight end Tyler Kroft the last time these two met. 

Cleveland stands a better chance if it decides to lean on a strong duo of Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson Jr., but it's hard to imagine they'd change their ways if they haven't figured it out already. 

Prediction: Bengals 28, Browns 17

Tennessee (-3.5) at Indianapolis 

Not even a standard three-point spread between rivals here exists for this AFC South encounter. 

Not hard to see why—the spread in Week 6 between the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts was likely rather similar, yet Marcus Mariota and the hosts walked out of there with a 36-22 win. 

There, Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett attempted 37 passes but only mustered 212 yards. Mariota, on the other hand, threw for 306 while his ground game bullied its way to 168 yards and two touchdowns on a 4.9 per-carry average. 

And as NFL Media's Ian Rapoport pointed out, it took some late good news for the Colts to even have Brissett on the field: 

While Brissett has flashed as a backup, he's still only managed nine touchdowns against five interceptions while dealing with a miserable situation that has seen him sacked 35 times and trying to compensate for a defense that ranked 29th with 28 points allowed per game. 

As for the Titans, they're not dead in the water just yet in the AFC South at 6-4 and have won four out of their last five. A 40-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last time out is concerning, but it came on a short week, and this game features quite a bit of difference in terms of quality of competition. 

Like they did in the first game, the Titans can lean on the combo of DeMarco Murray (443 yards, four touchdowns) and Derrick Henry (441, three) to control the pace on the way to a win. 

Prediction: Titans 27, Colts 17

Jacksonville (-5.5) at Arizona 

Hidden Truth: Jaguars Defense Can Beat Anyone in AFC Playoffs, Even Patriots

On paper, it doesn't usually get much easier than this. 

Thanks to injuries, the Arizona Cardinals will trot out Blaine Gabbert against the Jaguars. Meaning, the guy who threw for three touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss recently will have to take on his old team, a team happening to boast a unit with 40 sacks, seven interceptions and 11 forced fumbles. 

These Jaguars are making history left and right on the defensive side of the ball, with household names and otherwise: 

Believe it or not, the Jaguars offense hasn't been too bad either. The defense and rushing attack is so strong it has managed to mask Blake Bortles, which is quite the feat in itself. He's still inaccurate and only completing 58.4 percent of his passes, but he isn't often in a situation where he can lose games outright. 

Part of the credit goes to breakout rookie back Leonard Fournette, owner of 740 yards and six touchdowns on a 4.2 per-carry average despite dealing with nagging injuries and missing a game. 

The one disclaimer here is the Jaguars haven't looked as great on the field as they have on paper lately. They needed overtime to get past a better-than-their-record Los Angeles Chargers team before only putting up the 19-7 win in Cleveland. But it seems like this slight downswing in performance while still winning is built into this spread. 

As such, owners shouldn't have much in the way of hesitation here. It's hard to come up short against a Gabbert-led team missing its best offensive player, especially with one of the league's best defenses flying around and making plays.  

Prediction: Jaguars 24, Cardinals 17

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds according to OddsShark.