Athlon's experts predict winners for every game, including a critical "Sunday Night Football" matchup between Green Bay and Minnesota
It's Week 12 of the NFL season and it's Thanksgiving and football fans already have much to be thankful for after the Rams and Chiefs treated everyone to the highest-scoring game in "Monday Night Football" history. Those two teams get Week 12 off but don't worry, there's still the annual Thanksgiving tripleheader to look forward to.
Chicago and Detroit will get things started on Turkey Day, followed by Washington vs. Dallas and then the nightcap has Atlanta taking on New Orleans. First place in the NFC East will be on the line when the Redskins (6-4) and Cowboys (5-5) meet for the second time this season. Washington must move forward without quarterback Alex Smith, who broke two bones in his right leg in Sunday's loss to Houston. Colt McCoy will take over as the starter and on Monday the team signed Mark Sanchez to be his backup.
On Thursday night, the Falcons (4-6), who have lost two in a row will try and cool off the red-hot Saints (9-1), winners of nine straight including Sunday's 48-7 dismantling of Philadelphia. Speaking of the Eagles (4-6), the defending Super Bowl champions desperately could use a win at home against the Giants (3-7).
Elsewhere, New England (7-3) returns from bye and will look to get back into the win column against the Jets (3-7), while the Packers (4-5-1) and Vikings (5-4-1) are set to face off on "Sunday Night Football" in a critical NFC North matchup as both teams are trying to stay close to the first-place Bears (7-3).
After orchestrating a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Jacksonville on the road, Pittsburgh (7-2-1) will take on Denver (4-6), who pulled off its own come-from-behind road victory Sunday against the Chargers, in the Mile High City. The Steelers have won six in a row and are starting to create some distance between them and the rest of the AFC North.
But the hottest team in the AFC is Houston (7-3), winners of seven straight after starting the season 0-3. The Texans have built a two-game cushion in the AFC South and will put their winning streak on the line against Tennessee (5-5) on "Monday Night Football."
So which teams will come out on top in every NFL game in Week 12? Athlon's own Rob Doster (AthlonDoster) and John Gworek (JohnGworek), along with AthlonSports.com contributor Bryan Fischer (BryanDFischer), predict the winners for every game this week:
NFL Week 12 Predictions
Teams on bye: Kansas City, Los Angeles Rams
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Rob Doster |
Bryan |
John Gworek |
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Jacksonville at Buffalo |
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Cleveland at Cincinnati |
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Miami at Indianapolis |
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New England at New York Jets |
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New York Giants at Philadelphia |
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San Francisco at Tampa Bay |
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Seattle at Carolina |
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Oakland at Baltimore |
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Arizona at Los Angeles Chargers |
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Denver at Pittsburgh |
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Green Bay at Minnesota (SNF) |
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Tennessee at Houston (MNF) |
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| Week 11* | 8-6 | 9-5 | 9-5 |
| Season* | 92-54 | 98-48 | 102-44 |
*Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland in Week 1 and Minnesota vs. Green Bay in Week 2 both ended in ties.
