NFL Week 12 Picks: Advance Warning for Teams Sure to Get Shellacked

In Week 12 of the NFL season, the following four teams could be in for big losses:

Minnesota Vikings (at Atlanta Falcons)

As if things weren't bad enough for the 2-8 Vikings, they now have to deal with the loss of All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson. For an offense that relies on establishing the run to take pressure off Christian Ponder, losing Peterson is a heavy blow. Toby Gerhart must now step into the lead role against one of the better run defenses in football.

On defense, the Vikings are still without both Antoine Winfield and Chris Cook in the secondary. If Matt Ryan can find the hot hand on Sunday, things could get real ugly for Minnesota. 

Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)

The Chiefs added Kyle Orton, but the quarterback position is still a huge weaknesses for Kansas City. Going up against a Steelers team that ranks in the top-five in almost every defensive category, will be a stern test. Tyler Palko really struggled last Monday night in New England. 

The Chiefs' best chance might be getting Jackie Battle and the running game going, but you'd have to think that's the area where the Steelers have been game-planning against all week. If Battle is stuffed early, the Steelers could run away with this one at Arrowhead. 

Washington Redskins (at Seattle Seahawks)

Call me crazy, but I'm coming around on the Seahawks, especially on defense. That unit really flies to the football and their two safeties—Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor—are good players. With the Redskins coming to Seattle, turnovers might be abundant. If the Seahawks can force some mistakes from Rex Grossman and the Redskins offense, Marshawn Lynch can turn short fields into points. It's hard to like this matchup for a floundering Redskins team. 

Cleveland Browns (at Cincinnati Bengals)

I think some may be discounting the Bengals now that they've lost two straight games to division rivals. While they may not be ready to take over the AFC North, Cincy can surely handle the lowly Browns at home. Cleveland still struggles to score points and quarterback Colt McCoy lacks the weapons to exploit the Bengals defense without Leon Hall.