NFL Week 12 Picks: Predicting the Steepest Margins of Victory

While it's tough to predict anything in the NFL with certainty these days, two games in Week 12 should be blowouts. 

The Atlanta Falcons stumbled through the first five weeks of the season, limping to a 2-3 start. Since then, Matt Ryan and company have found a groove, and if not for what was essentially a gift of a 26-23 overtime win given to the New Orleans Saints in Week 10, they would be undefeated since that start. As it sits now, Atlanta is 6-4 and has played much better in recent weeks. 

This Sunday, the Falcons square off against a 2-8 Minnesota Vikings squad still that may now be without superstar running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson is almost certain to miss Sunday's game, and that spells disaster for a Vikings team still trying to break in rookie starting quarterback Christian Ponder.

Without Peterson, the Vikings will have no way to control the clock against Atlanta. Even if rookie Julio Jones misses another week of action, Harry Douglas his filled in well for him and Roddy White has been rolling lately. Expect Ryan to have a field day against the Vikings and for Ponder to struggle without a solid running game.

The Kansas City Chiefs are stuck with Tyler Palko at quarterback with Matt Cassel likely done for the season. Last night against the New England Patriots, Palko showed why he has never been given a starting job in the NFL, as he threw three interceptions and no touchdowns in Kansas City's 34-3 loss.

The Chiefs opened the season 0-3 before reeling off four straight wins. Now, they've lost three in a row again to drop to 4-6, and this Sunday, they face a 7-3 Pittsburgh Steelers team that loves preying on inexperienced quarterbacks. 

Pittsburgh is coming off a bye, and before that, the Steelers made Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton look terrible in a 24-17 win. While they having been clicking perfectly offensively, the Steelers are dangerous and are bound to break out at some point. I think that will come against a hobbled Chiefs team that will struggle to control the ball and the clock.

With Palko under center, expect Kansas City to get rolled up by the Steelers on Sunday.