2010 NFL Predictions: Week 12 (Thanksgiving Edition)

There are quite a few intriguing matchups; unfortunately, none of them will occur on Thanksgiving Day. All three Thanksgiving games feature teams with mirror-image records, and the Monday Night Football matchup of the week is also ugly, but that's because it features a couple of floundering NFC West squads. Still, Thanksgiving games often have a way of being unexpectedly exciting, so hopefully the matchups that look like mismatches on paper don't end up playing out that way.

Last week's prediction record: 13-3

Record on the season: 88-56

Upset Special record: 4-6

Here are my predictions for Week 12 of the 2010 NFL season:

Thursday, November 25 (Thanksgiving): New England Patriots (8-2) at Detroit Lions (2-8)

The Detroit Lions have played much better at home this season than on the road. The New England Patriots, meanwhile, have been consistently winning even though they haven't been dominating their opponents statistically. This has a chance to be a repeat of the Patriots' game against the Cleveland Browns of a few weeks ago, but I'm not betting on New England collapsing like that twice in the same season.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: New England Patriots defeat Detroit Lions

Thursday, November 25 (Thanksgiving): New Orleans Saints (7-3) at Dallas Cowboys (3-7)

Both the Saints and the Cowboys are playing their best football of the season, so this matchup has the potential to be the most exciting of the three Thanksgiving matchups. The Saints have won three straight games by a combined score of 88-32. The Cowboys, under new coach Jason Garrett, have won back-to-back games by a combined score of 68-39. I think this game might come down to which quarterback plays better, and although Jon Kitna has looked much better than expected for Dallas the last two weeks, Drew Brees is the clearly superior quarterback.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: New Orleans Saints defeat Dallas Cowboys

Thursday, November 25 (Thanksgiving): Cincinnati Bengals (2-8) at New York Jets (8-2)

This might be the trap game of the week. The Bengals have been absolutely horrendous during their current seven game losing streak, including blowing a 28-3 lead to the Bills last week. The New York Jets have three straight wins, but all of them have been of the "last-minute heroics" variety, and they really haven't played well at all since their Bye Week back in Week 7. I'm not going to pick Cincinnati with the way they've been playing this season, but this matchup could be closer than the records would indicate.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: New York Jets defeat Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers (7-3) at Atlanta Falcons (8-2)

One of the biggest matchups of the week, two NFC juggernauts will square off in the Georgia Dome. The Green Bay Packers have been able to somehow overcome what appeared to be crippling injuries and look like one of the top three or four teams in the NFC. The Atlanta Falcons are the only 8-2 team in the NFC, and have won seven of their past eight games. Although I'm probably more impressed with the way the Packers are playing right now, Matt Ryan is 18-1 as a starter at home, and that very well may be the deciding factor in this one.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Atlanta Falcons defeat Green Bay Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3) at Buffalo Bills (2-8)

The Bills have looked good en route to winning back-to-back games, but it has to be remembered that those wins were against the Lions and the Bengals. The Steelers are a much better team, and they look like a team that is determined to not have another late season collapse like they suffered last year.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers (1-9) at Cleveland Browns (3-7)

If you've been following my picks, you know my opinion of the Carolina Panthers. It doesn't matter who starts at quarterback for the Panthers, the chances they win on the road against a surprisingly strong Browns team are very, very remote.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Cleveland Browns defeat Carolina Panthers

Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) at New York Giants (6-4)

The Jaguars have three straight wins; the Giants have two straight losses. The Jaguars are finding ways to pull out last-second victories despite being outplayed; the Giants are finding new and interesting ways to turn the ball over. It would appear that the Jaguars are playing better football right now, but the one thing that's been consistent all season is that quarterback David Garrard struggles against good defenses. The Giants have one of the best defenses in the NFL, and that probably gives them the slight edge, as long as Eli Manning can keep his interceptions (and fumbles) in check.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: New York Giants defeat Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings (3-7) at Washington Redskins (5-5)

It's tempting to pick the Minnesota Vikings now that they've finally decided to fire Brad Childress, but I'm not sold on Brett Favre's ability to lead this team. He looks old and uninterested, and although coaching changes often breathe new life into a team, I'm not sure if the Vikings are a good enough team for that new life to save them. The Redskins are one of the least impressive 5-5 teams in the league, but they should be able to beat the Vikings at home. Key word here is "should."

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Washington Redskins defeat Minnesota Vikings

Tennessee Titans (5-5) at Houston Texans (4-6)

The Texans are in a tailspin right now, losing four straight games, all of them at the mercy of an almost unwatchable pass defense. Luckily for the Texans, the Titans are reeling right now as well, and no one seems sure who is going to be ready to start at quarterback for the Titans this week. If it's Vince Young, the Titans will probably win. Since it's looking like it's either going to be Kerry Collins or practically unknown rookie Rusty Smith, I'm going to go with the Texans in this one.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Houston Texans defeat Tennessee Titans

Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) at Seattle Seahawks (5-5)

The Seahawks are 3-1 at home. The Chiefs are 1-4 on the road. The home/road splits might neutralize the fact that the Chiefs are the superior team in this matchup. I don't have much faith in this year's Seahawks team, however, so I'm still going to go with Matt Cassel and the Chiefs.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs defeat Seattle Seahawks

Miami Dolphins (5-5) at Oakland Raiders (5-5)

This could end up being the lowest scoring game of the week. The Dolphins have been doing a decent job lately of slowing the run, and the Raiders can't seem to muster much offense when their running game is slowed down. Couple that with Miami possibly having to turn to Tyler Thigpen at quarterback again, and I'm not sure if either team will even score a touchdown. Although the Dolphins have been surprisingly good on the road this season, I'm not sure if they'll be able to overcome the Raiders and the Oakland home crowd this week.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Oakland Raiders defeat Miami Dolphins

St. Louis Rams (4-6) at Denver Broncos (3-7)

Two of the Broncos' wins this season have been at home, but they haven't been able to put together any semblance of consistency this season. The Rams are 0-4 on the road, although three of those losses were by four or less points. Even with these stats seemingly going against St. Louis, I'm going to pick the Rams in this one. I can't really explain why, I just have a feeling that the Rams are going to keep pace in the worst division in football and win this game.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: St. Louis Rams defeat Denver Broncos

Philadelphia Eagles (7-3) at Chicago Bears (7-3)

One of the hottest offenses in the league (the Eagles) faces off against one of the strongest defenses in the league (the Bears). Since that matchup seems pretty evenly matched, this game might be decided by how well the Eagles' defense is able to contain the Bears' offense. Jay Cutler hasn't looked very sharp since suffering a concussion earlier in the season, and the Eagles actually sport 9^th ranked total defense in the NFL.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Philadelphia Eagles defeat Chicago Bears

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3) at Baltimore Ravens (7-3)

The Buccaneers have been good this season, but they've struggled when having to play the elite teams in the league. Tampa Bay's three losses have been by a combined score of 96-40 and were against the Steelers, Saints and Falcons. The Ravens have easily looked like one of the top teams in the NFL this season, and will even have home-field advantage.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: Baltimore Ravens defeat Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sunday Night Game: San Diego Chargers (5-5) at Indianapolis Colts (6-4)

Peyton Manning, at home, on Sunday Night Football. The stars would seem to be aligned in favor of the Colts right now, except for one tiny thing: The Chargers are currently in the middle of their yearly November run. The San Diego offense looks nearly unstoppable, and the defense is starting to lock down their opponents. Plus, both Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates will likely be back for this game, and although neither might be at full strength (or, in Jackson's case, in sync with the offense), but everything is going right for the Chargers right now, so why wouldn't it continue?

2010 Week 12 Prediction: San Diego Chargers defeat Indianapolis Colts

Monday Night Game: San Francisco 49ers (3-7) at Arizona Cardinals (3-7)

One of the ugliest matchups of the week, the loser of this game will occupy the bottom spot of the worst division in football. The 49ers looked like they were starting to turn their season around after replacing injured (and ineffective) quarterback Alex Smith with former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, but the 49ers were embarrassed by the Buccaneers last week. The Cardinals aren't doing any better, having now lost five straight games. Although the Cardinals are going to have home field advantage, I just don't see them winning this one. They're very lucky to have even three wins right now.

2010 Week 12 Prediction: San Francisco 49ers defeat Arizona Cardinals

Source:

All stats and standings from espn.com