Ramblin’ Fan’s NFL Picks and Predictions: Week 12

With week 11 in the books its time to review our NFL picks and look forward to week 11′s picks and predictions.  Week 11 was a mediocre week for our picks here at Ramblin’ Fan.  We went an unimpressive 7-8 with our NFL picks in week 11, so hopefully we can get back to our week 8 pace and hit double digits again in week 12.  This week three of the NFC West teams will be in action with the Seahawks on their bye and no matchups within the division.  The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons will play on Thursday Night Football to kick off the week.  Thanks for reading our weekly NFL picks article and as always Go Rams!!!

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons (TNF) The Falcons have looked like a mere skeleton of the team that was only a play or two away from the Super Bowl last season. The Saints on the other hand are fighting for playoff seeding, and right now appear to be the only team in position to challenge the Seahawks for homefield advantage. The game may be in Atlanta but I expect the Saints to cruise. Saints win 34 – 20.

Chicago Bears @ St. Louis Rams. The St. Louis Rams are coming off of one of their most convincing wins of the past decade, having gone on the road and dismantled the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams at 4-6 are somehow still in the hunt for the playoffs, even if their odds are slim to none. The Bears have been devestated by injuries this season, and have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. If the Rams can limit their mistakes and get Zac Stacy rolling early they could put together a second straight win against a playoff contender. Rams win 27 – 20.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns. The Steelers and Browns are both looking up at the Bengals in the AFC North this season. The Browns have been a bit of a surprise this season, while the Steelers have been surging as of late. This could be a very good game against two teams in the wild card hunt in the AFC. Steelers win 17 – 13.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions. The Lions have been pretty inconsistent this season, but are still currently leading the NFC North. The Bucs have rattled off 2 straight wins following their poor start to the season. The Bucs will be looking to play spoiler to the Lions, but the Lions offense is too explosive on the fast surface of Ford Field. Lions win 31 – 21.

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers. The Vikings have been a big disappointment after their playoff run last year. The Packers have been hit hard by the injury bug, and will be without All-Pro QB Aaron Rodgers this week. The Christian Ponder vs. Scott Tolzien battle likely wont be pretty, so I am going with the home team to squeak out a W and keep their playoff hopes alive. Packers win 28 – 20.

San Diego Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of their AFC West foe the Denver Broncos. They will face their second AFC West team led by a Pro-Bowl quarterback after playing mostly backups during undefeated start to the season. This could be a great game as Philip Rivers can get the ball out quick and neutralize the Chiefs pass rush. The home crowd provides just enough energy for the defense and special teams to steal another W for the Chiefs. Chiefs win 21 – 13.

Carolina Panthers @ Miami Dolphins. The Panthers have rattled off 6 straight wins and are in the playoff hunt. The Dolphins on the other hand have struggled recently, although they did get a win against the Chargers last week. The Panthers defensive front should have a field day against the patchwork Dolphins offensive line. Panthers win 28 – 17.

New York Jets @ Baltimore Ravens. Which Jets team is going to show up for this game? It is a good question as the Jets have managed to beat some of the best teams in the NFL (Saints and Patriots) and struggled against some of the lower tier teams. Inconsistent play is what you get with a rookie QB though. Ravens win 24 – 16.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans. A battle between two teams that have struggled quite a bit this season. The Jaguars have shown improvement down the stretch while the Texans continue to fall apart. Case Keenum and Andre Johnson have made some big plays this season, look for a couple of those again on Sunday. Texans win 24 – 14.

Tennessee Titans @ Oakland Raiders. The Raiders have a bit of a QB controversy brewing with Matt McGloin’s performance in his NFL debut last week. Of course that performance came against the Houston Texans, so perhaps we should wait before we get too excited. The Titans have a pretty stout defense and if they can get CJ2K on track this week they should be able to pull out the victory. Titans win 24 – 17.

Indianapolis Colts @ Arizona Cardinals. The Colts have struggled with slow starts this season, and it nearly cost them in their Thursday Night game against the Titans last week. The Cardinals are surprisingly tied for 2^nd place in the NFC West and in the thick of the playoff race. If Robert Mathis can get consistent pressure on Carson Palmer he will make some mistakes. Andrew Luck will need to play much better than he has over the past few weeks against a stout Cardinals defense, but he should be up to the task. Colts win 21 – 14.

Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants. The Cowboys and Giants are both chasing the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. The Eagles have a bye this week so if the Cowboys win they could come out of the weekend in a tie for first. The Giants have rattled off 4 straight wins after starting out 0-6 and are actually in the hunt for a playoff spot. These teams have had some great games over the past few seasons, so this could be another highly entertaining game. Giants win 20 – 17.

Denver Broncos @ New England Patriots (SNF). The Patriots have to still be stinging after their controversial loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Broncos on the other hand are riding high after downing the final unbeaten team in the NFL. The storyline of course is going to be all about Manning vs. Brady, and I am sure some of that “cold weather” garbage will be tossed around about Manning. The Broncos defense still isn’t playing great yet, but they have certainly improved recently. The Patriots defense has been decimated by injuries and may find it difficult to slow the Broncos attack. Another classic showdown between two of the games best. Broncos win 38 – 35.

San Francisco 49ers @ Washington Redskins. The 49ers offense has struggled mightily this season without Michael Crabtree. The Redskins have struggled both offensively and defensively, and don’t look much like the same team that went on the magical run to the playoffs last season. For a Rams fan this may be the one time to root for the 49ers as any Redskins loss equals a Rams win (in draft positioning). It may be hard to do, but try to root for them as it would be in the Rams best interest. That or hope for a tie! 49ers win 31 – 17.

NFL Week 12 Matchups

Pick

Saints @ Falcons

Saints

Bears @ Rams

Rams

Steelers @ Browns

Steelers

Bucs @ Lions

Lions

Vikings @ Packers

Packers

Chargers @ Chiefs

Chiefs

Panthers @ Dolphins

Panthers

Jets @ Ravens

Ravens

Jaguars @ Texans

Texans

Titans @ Raiders

Titans

Colts @ Cardinals

Colts

Cowboys @ Giants

Giants

Broncos @ Patriots (SNF)

Broncos

49ers @ Redskins (MNF)

49ers

Last Week

7-8

Overall Record

96-66