NFL Week 12 Picks: Predicting Teams Due for a Loss

With 16 games on the schedule for Week 12, half of the teams in the NFL will exit the week with a loss. It's an inevitability that every team has to face at some point in the year (save for the rare undefeated season), no matter how hard they try to avoid it.

Of those 16 games, the following slideshow details four teams that are certain to lose. Upsets do happen, but these four face lopsided matchups they won't be able to overcome.

Miami Dolphins (at Dallas Cowboys)

The Miami Dolphins have won three straight games after dropping their first seven, and this Thursday they travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys, another team with a three-game winning streak of their own.

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo hasn't thrown an interception in those three games, and while that streak may not survive through the week, the Cowboys should keep on winning, handing Miami another loss and stalling their bid to turn around their disappointing season.

While the Dolphins have managed improvements to both their offense and defense, the challenges that the Cowboys present—the surging Romo, wide receivers Laurent Robinson and Dez Bryant and of course the breakout running back DeMarco Murray, in concert with a strong defense—will be too much for Miami in Week 12.

Cleveland Browns (at Cincinnati Bengals)

Though the Cleveland Browns managed a win last week over the Jacksonville Jaguars, that's hardly an impressive feat. Jacksonville fields the lowest-producing offense in the NFL, so even a team playing as poorly as the Browns were able to best them.

However, against a team as strong as the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland will do nothing but struggle. Much talk has been made of Cleveland's ability to stifle passing games, but the truth is that they've merely faced weak passing teams.

Against an aerial offense as strong as the Andy Dalton-led Bengals, the Browns have little chance to establish any type of control. And with their own offense struggling to accomplish much of anything and facing a legitimately strong defense, it's not going to be a close game.

Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Houston Texans)

The Houston Texans will be playing their first game with backup quarterback Matt Leinart under center, with starter Matt Schaub lost for the season with a severe foot injury.

While this may temper the team's passing offense (despite starting wideout Andre Johnson returning after an injury of his own kept him off the field for seven weeks), it won't be enough to cost them a win against the 3-7 Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Texans boast one of the best ground games in the league, with both Arian Foster and Ben Tate racking up 100 or more yards on a regular basis. The switch to Leinart should only serve to assist the two backs, as they will see their already major role in the team's passing offense increase.

Even if the Texans' defense were weaker, it wouldn't matter—the Jaguars have the lowest-scoring, least productive offense in the league. Jacksonville will find themselves on the losing end of a blowout this Sunday.

Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)

For the second week in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs are featured in a nationally-broadcast prime-time game. And for the second week in a row, the Chiefs will be blown out when the 7-3 Pittsburgh Steelers come to town on Sunday night.

The Chiefs managed to make the New England Patriots struggle in Week 11, with a solid (and heretofore mostly absent) pass rush and a productive Tyler Palko-led offense able to rack up yards.

But those yards didn't translate to points, as the inexperienced quarterback threw three interceptions to the decidedly weak Patriots defense.

The Steelers boast a much stronger defensive unit, and while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is no Tom Brady, he's certainly more mobile, making it much harder for that Chiefs' pass rush to be effective.

Kansas City doesn't have much of a chance against the clearly superior Steelers this week, and the team's losing streak will increase,to four games.