NFL Week 12 Picks: A Bold Prediction for Each Thanksgiving Day Game

Behold! Predictions that will free you up to eat and visit with family while not worrying about missing some of the football action because you will already know what is going to happen.

My first prediction is that it is going to be an exciting day of football. What? Not bold enough for you? Well, these should be.

Lions will upset Packers

This game is going to be an offensive shootout thriller, and an upset to boot.

The Packers have appeared unbeatable thus far, but that does not mean they are without weakness.

The Packers rely on their amazing passing game to move the ball. They are third in the NFL in passing yards per game. The Lions are fifth in passing yards allowed per game.

What will really help the Lions find some measure of success in the game will be their ability to get pressure on the passer. The Lions are 10th in the NFL in sack percentage. Meanwhile, the Packers have not been great at protecting the passer, ranking 20th in sack percentage.

This will allow the Lions to slow the Packers down enough for their passing game to win the game.

Detroit is eighth in passing yards per game, and the Packers are 31st in passing yards allowed per game.

Last week Matthew Stafford threw five TD passes, and not one of those went to Calvin Johnson. That is shocking given that Johnson had caught 11 of Stafford's 20 TD passes heading into that game.

This will make it rough on the poor Packers secondary as it has to game plan on stopping an entire passing offense and not just key on Johnson.

This game is going to be close, but the Lions will complete the upset with a late touchdown catch by Megatron.

Tony Romo will lead fourth-quarter comeback

Tony Romo will gain a measure of redemption on those that have chucked the "choker" label at him this season. 

The Cowboys will be taking on the suddenly resurgent Miami Dolphins, who are no longer a walkover opponent for anyone.

At the root of their success is has a strong run D.

The Dolphins are seventh in rushing yards allowed per game and an even better fifth in yards allowed per rushing attempt.

They will use that defense, along with an improved run game to take a lead into the fourth quarter. But that is when Romo will go to work.

The Dolphins are 25th in passing yards allowed per game and 21st in yards allowed per pass attempt.

Romo will begin to pick that defense apart, and Jason Witten will do a lot of this late damage—Miami is 17th guarding opposing TEs.

Romo will put the Cowboys up for good with a TD pass to Witten with five minutes to go.

Alex Smith will throw two interceptions

Alex Smith has done an amazing job of avoiding interceptions this season. That will come to a screeching halt in this one.

The Ravens will force Smith and the 49ers out of their comfort zone.

The 49ers like to run the ball—they are fifth in the NFL in rushing attempts per game. That is not a path to success against the Ravens, as they are No. 1 in yards allowed per rush.

Smith will have to throw more than he is used to, and he will have to do so under pressure.

The Ravens know how to get to the QB. They are sixth in the NFL in sack percentage, which is bad news for a 49ers team that hasn't done a great job of protecting its QB. The 49ers are 21st in sacks-allowed percentage.

This means Smith is going to have to do much more than manage the offense. This will force him into bad decisions and throws against a Ravens defense that knows how to create turnovers.

Baltimore is 14th in interceptions this season, averaging just over one a game.

All of this will lead to two interceptions by Smith in the first ever Harbowl.