NFL Week 12 Predictions

With the short week, I have had little time to savor my best week of the season, an astounding 14-2 with picks. Ah. But I have to move on, so

Onto this week.

Colts @ Lions
The Manning onslaught rolls on against a weak Lion defense. Detroit fans will have a hard time downing their turkeys after this one. Eat early. Prediction: Colts.

Bears @ Cowboys
The Bears have a pretty good defense under Lovie Smith, something the Cowboys can't even dream of right now. With Drew Henson likely the starter, Dallas will have exactly one weapon on offense: Julius Jones. It won't be anywhere near enough. Prediction: Bears.

Bucs @ Panthers
The Panthers have put up some offense the last two weeks. But the Buc defense will slow them down. Prediction: Bucs.

Browns @ Bengals
I'll repeat what I've said for several weeks, the Bengals have turned a corner with Palmer and are starting to play well. Too late for this season, as I predicted, but things are looking good for next year in a surprisingly competitive AFC North. Prediction: Bengals.

Titans @ Texans
Despite the disappointment of last week, Houston is still the better team with the better offense. Prediction: Texans.

Chargers @ Chiefs
We all knew this game would feature one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Who knew it would belong to San Diego. Prediction: Chargers.

Jaguars @ Vikings
This will be a test game for the Vikings. They rallied to beat an NFC-average Lion team. But can they handle one of the better AFC teams? Are they really out of their funk? With Leftwich making his return, the Jag offense will challenge the so-bad-they-don't-have-an-adjective Viking defense. The Jags still aren't a high-power offense in terms of touchdowns. Leftwich puts up good yardage, and will again this week with the so-called Viking defense, but not too many touchdowns. Worse, he has almost as many interceptions as touchdowns, and if there's one element in the Viking version of defense that actually looks like it belongs in the NFL its their secondary. Prediction: Vikings.

Eagles @ Giants
Eli's baptism of fire continues. Prediction: Eagles.

Redskins @ Steelers
Against the relentless Pittsburgh blitz, will the Redskins even score? Prediction: Steelers.

Saints @ Falcons
Is New Orleans even trying anymore? Prediction: Falcons.

Ravens @ Patriots
I've been saying the Patriot weakness is defending against the run. With their beatup secondary, the problem is actually defending the outside by the secondary. The Chiefs dropped at least one big pass play to the outside against one of the backups, on a play much like their first touchdown (Patriot defender caught looking inside, allowing Chief receiver to the outside, having to jump to drop to bat an arching pass from Green.) There was also a potential touchdown pass up the middle, where the receiver beat double coverage and Green hit him right on the pads. Problem is it was the pads, not the hands. For this week, the Ravens, though Boller is improving, is not such a challenge to the Patriot secondary. Prediction: Patriots.

Jets @ Cardinals
With McCown's surprise benching last week, the Cardinals fell apart. That's not necessarily surprising. After a surprise cut of Lawyer Milloy last year, the Patriots came out and got blown out by the Bills to start the 2003 season. We remember how that turned out. Of course, the Cards are not the Patriots. Can they respond and get back to playing like they were? Against the Jets, I don't think so. Prediction: Jets.

Dolphins @ 39ers
(For an explanation of 39ers, see last week's predictions.) The battle for the worst team in the league and next year's first draft pick. Who is worse? Miami. Prediction: 39ers.

Bills @ Seahawks
With Buffalo rediscovering the joy of first downs and touchdowns, this game should be a surprising test for Seattle. The Bills bring a solid running game and strong defense. Bledsoe proved last week he still knows a thing or two about throwing a pass, too. Against this, the wavering Seahawks will again start Trent Dilfer at quarterback. I smell an upset. Prediction: Bills.

Raiders @ Broncos
The tradition of this rivalry always makes for a compelling game. Unfortunately, the talent on the visiting sideline does not. Prediction: Broncos.

Rams @ Packers
The Rams just don't seem to know who they are anymore. The only thing consistent about them is Viking-like defense. Gotta stick with the hot team. Prediction: Packers.

Last Week: 14-2 (ooh yeah!)
Season: 93-67