NFL Picks – Week 12 – Bucs, Chiefs and Seahawks Refuse to Go Away

In our NFL picks for Week 12 this week we see that the playoff picture is getting a lot more interesting, with teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks refusing to go away. The question might be whether the Minnesota Vikings are willing to do what’s necessary to get back into it in the NFC wild card race.

They have made a move, getting rid of Brad Childress in favor of Leslie Frazier, and Brett Favre is secure for now. What wil happen this week? We discuss it in our NFL picks for Week 12.

[Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 55% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? Find out more exciting details HERE.]

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEEERS at BALTIMORE RAVENS

Odds for NFL Picks – Week 12

Baltimore -7.5

Tampa Bay +7.5

Total 41.5

Is it actually possible for the Bucs, who were a sad sack team just last year, to beat out the New Orleans Saints for a playoff spot? Maybe. Raheem Morris made the statement early in the year that his team was the best in the NFC, and they are only one game away from being tied for the best record. For that, the guy deserves votes for coach of the year.

Tampa Bay has its own "Big Three" pumping right now; Josh Freeman has a nifty 14-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, Mike Williams has averaged 15.8 a catch, and the big find was LaGarrette Blount, who has slashed his way to 441 yards. Why Tennessee cut him in the pre-season is still a mystery. The Bucs have sometimes experienced difficulty dealing with opposing power rushing attacks, but at 3.7 yards a carry, have the Ravens been overpowering many teams? Tampa Bay has been an exceptional road investment, having covered seven in a row as the visitor.

NFL PICKS – WEEK 12:   TAMPA BAY +7.5

—————————————-

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS at SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Odds for NFL Picks Week 12:

Kansas City -1.5

Seattle +1.5

Total 44

It’s hard to believe, but this game is being contested between division leaders. Kansas City rebounded from their beatdown at the hands of Denver to crush Arizona, but this is a different atmosphere for them, where the Seahawks have covered ten of their last 14, and slipped this year only against the Giants, when Charlie Whitehurst got his first NFL start at quarterback. Matt Hasselbeck is not a "down the field" type, and the Seahawks’ defensive line has been softened up a bit due to injuries, and those things present problems because KC’s secondary can be burned deep, and the running game IS deep (led by Jamaal Charles at 6.1 yards a carry). Dwayne Bowe has caught a touchdown pass in six straight games, and when you look at Matt Cassel on paper, you may be surprised to see that he has thrown 18 TD’s with just four interceptions. Kansas City is the less combustible side, but I don’t know that they are ready to play the favorite’s role at one of the NFL’s notoriously hostile venues.

NFL PICK – WEEK 12:  SEATTLE +1.5

————————————

MINNESOTA VIKINGS at WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Odds for NFL Picks – Week 12:

Washington -1

Minnesota +1

Total  43.5

The one thing you know about Leslie Frazier is that with him at the helm, there isn’t going to be any monkey business on this Viking team. Frazier did a smart thing when he stated very, very clearly that Brett Favre was his quarterback. No ifs, ands or buts about it. I’m not saying that is going to make Favre (17 INT’s) play any better, and there may be more of an emphasis on the running game now, but with a guy like Adrian Peterson (980 yards) in the fold, that can’t be a real bad thing. Clinton Portis is out again for Washington, and there were a host of Redskins who were carried off the field in Nashville. Sure, the team showed up for that one, but they are so Jekyll-and-Hyde that I wonder whether they are not the more dysfunctional team at this moment.

NFL PICK – WEEK 12:  MINNESOTA +1

———————————–

PITTSBURGH STEELERS at BUFFALO BILLS

Odds for NFL Picks – Week 12:

Pittsburgh -6

Buffalo  +6

Total  43.5

I understand that by and large, the Steelers take away the opponent’s running game (2.9 ypc allowed), and that the Steelers showed what they could do last week when flexing their muscles against this level of opposition. But the Bills have taken some positives out of the "moral victories" they had been posting (three straight losses by a field goal) before this two-game winning streak. Look – when you outscore an opponent 42-3 after going down 28-7, as Buffalo did against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, you most definitely have not given up on the season, so a rollover is the last thing Pittsburgh should expect on Sunday. And oh by the way, Ryan Fitzpatrick (18 TD’s, 9 INT’s, 1961 yards) might be having a more productive season than Ben Roethlisberger, who went down for a ten-count last week.

NFL PICKS – WEEK 12:  BUFFALO +6

Make your NFL Week 12 picks and bet them at BetOnline Sportsbook, click here!