NFL Picks Against The Spread 2016: Week 12 Games

Photo by: USA Today Sports.

Before Week 12 of the 2016 NFL season schedule kicks off, let’s have some fun by taking a look at the spreads for this week’s round of games. (Click here for our NFL Week 12 straight up predictions.)

Here are suggestions when trying to beat the odds. You can find all of today’s NFL betting lines and more at Bovada. My record so far this season is 75-61-11 after going 8-3-2 last week. Let’s get to the picks.

San Francisco 49ers at Miami Dolphins (-7.5): Taking the Dolphins to win straight up is an easy call. But can Miami cover a spread this big? The Dolphins have played well recently, and the 49ers are no good, so it hardly seems impossible. It’s just that 7.5 points is a lot to trust Miami with at this time. I’ll cautiously take them to cover. PICK: Dolphins -7.5

Tennessee Titans (-6) at Chicago Bears: The Bears have been bitten extremely hard by the injury bug this year. Chicago is down to Matt Barkley at quarterback. That’s very bad news for them since Barkley have never shown anything remotely resembling NFL starting potential. The Titans should win this game fairly easily. PICK: Titans -6

Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons (-6): Arizona’s defense figures to give the Cardinals a chance to win on the road. Their unit has allowed the fewest yards per play in the league. The feeling here is that the Falcons’ offense will still be too much for the Cardinals to deal with. Atlanta will be well-rested coming off their bye. PICK: Falcons -6

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-4.5): The Bengals really just don’t look like a good football team. Andy Dalton hasn’t played well (surprise) and Marvin Lewis is as uninspiring as he’s ever been. The Ravens are hardly a juggernaut but their defense should allow them to beat an undermanned Cincinnati offense. The Bengals are expected to be without A.J. Green and running back Giovani Bernard recently suffered a season-ending injury. No way the Bengals win on the road here. PICK: Ravens -4.5

New York Giants (-7.5) at Cleveland Browns: I’m still failing to realize how the Giants are 7-3. They’re not as good as their record indicates and I think that karma comes back to get them this week. For no real good reason other than this being a trap game for New York, I’ll take the Browns in an upset. Here’s to Cleveland avoiding a winless season. PICK: Browns +7.5

Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints (-7.5): No need to really overthink this one. It’s Drew Brees at home versus Jared Goff on the road. Who are you taking? The easy answer is Brees. Goff struggled in his NFL debut. He might have more success against the Saints’ porous defense but he won’t be able to out-duel Brees. PICK: Saints -7.5

Jacksonville Jaguars at Buffalo Bills (-7.5): With each passing week, it gets more and more difficult to believe Gus Bradley still has a job. The Jaguars’ head coach will likely be adding another loss to his record this week. Buffalo should win this game comfortably. PICK: Bills -7.5

San Diego Chargers (-3) at Houston Texans: I’m of the belief the Chargers are a little tougher than their record indicates due to the close games they’ve lost. But due to those losses, it’s also hard to fully trust the Bolts. The Texans, meanwhile, are definitely worse than their record suggests. Houston has played their best football at home, and they’re getting the points here, so I’m tempted to take them. This could be a close game. PICK: Texans +3

Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Oddly enough, the Bucs are 1-4 at home and 4-1 on the road this year. Tampa Bay’s home struggles are bound to continue as they face Seattle this week. The Seahawks are playing well recently. They’re arguably the best team in the NFC despite the Cowboys having a better record. Russell Wilson is healthy and Seattle’s defense is still really tough to crack. PICK: Seahawks -6.5

Carolina Panthers at Oakland Raiders (-3): The Panthers have rebounded a little since starting out 1-5. They’ve shown some fight in recent weeks so this game might not be a cakewalk for the Raiders. Still, Oakland is good enough to get the job done here. PICK: Raiders -3

New England Patriots (-8.5) at New York Jets: The Jets are going back to Ryan Fitzpatrick, so New York’s season is saved. Just kidding, he’s probably going to throw a billion picks while Tom Brady throws a billion touchdowns. Take the Pats, easy call. PICK: Patriots -8.5

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (-3.5): The Chiefs’ stock is down in recent weeks. They needed a big comeback to beat the Panthers and then they randomly lost to the Buccaneers at home. Denver is coming off their bye. They’ll be tough to beat at home as they try to get closer to the AFC West lead. PICK: Broncos -3.5

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (-4): Carson Wentz could be primed for a big day going up against Green Bay’s last-ranked pass defense. The Packers are 1-4 in road games this year while the Eagles are 4-0. The Birds have outscored opponents 108-38 in games at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles desperately need to win to keep their season alive and the feeling here is their success at home will continue. PICK: Eagles -4