NFL: Week 12 Picks

Last week was my best week - 13/14 correct picks!  I was and still am super pumped about it!  My only mistaken was my bold pick, where I overextended myself in picking the Detroit Lions to knock off the Green Bay Packers.  This almost occurred, but alas Rodgers and the Pack held strong.

So in light of the overextension with an inconsistent Lions squad, one would think that I would be more conservative this week.  I want to be, but I cannot be.  In these Week 12 Picks I have selected an unprecedented 11 road team winners!  11/14 is quote the fraction and it equals 79% of road teams selected to win.  I am going out on a limb here, given that the most road selections I have made previous is 7/14.  I was 5/5 on road picks last week.  It's a special week in the schedule with 3 Thursday games (American Thanksgiving), so maybe this will be a special week.

I think that this is the "week of the road team" and so here are my picks...

Texans* over Lions (Thursday)
Redskins* over Cowboys (Thursday)
Patriots* over Jets (Thursday nighter)
Titans* over Jaguars
Colts over Bills
Steelers* over Browns
Bengals over Raiders
Broncos* over Chiefs
Seahawks* over Dolphins
Falcons* over Buccaneers
Bears over Vikings
Ravens* over Chargers
Rams* over Cardinals
49ers* over Saints
Packers* over Giants (Sunday nighter)
Panthers* over Eagles (Monday nighter)

- * indicates road team
- 5/5 correct road team picks last week
- 13/16 road teams picked this week
- _______ indicates bold pick (under the circumstances)
- no byes this week

So, in short, the only home teams I have winning are the Colts, Bengals and Bears.  I think the Bills will give the Colts a game but Luck and Co. will come out on top.  I think the Dalton and the Bengals will continue rolling against the Raiders, and I think that the Bears will recover enough from last night's slaughter and defeat the Vikings.  The Lions/Texans' match-up will display arguably the two best receivers in the game in Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson.  It will surely be worth tuning in to watch.  My bold pick this week is the St. Louis Rams, who I think will charge into Arizona and take care of the Cardinals.

There are 2 marquee match-ups this week: 49ers at Saints (49ers picked) and Packers at Giants (Packers picked).  I think that Brees and the Saints will come out gunslinging but it will be the 49ers staunch defense that will stop the run and win the day.  I know that the Packers/Giants game will be close and hard fought, but I feel that Rodgers will slightly outplay Eli enough to escape Metlife Stadium with a "W".  All this being said, this is shaping up to be a crazy week in the NFL.

Enjoy the games folks, and a Happy Thanksgiving to all Americans! (Hope that I'm not a Turkey on these picks.)