NFL Week 12 Picks
The 2008 NFL Season heads into Week 12 this weekend, with several intriguing matchups on the schedule. Our team of writers and handicappers pick four games from Week 12 and make their predictions.
New York Jets (7-3) at Tennessee Titans (10-0), 1:00 PM ET
Not so long ago, Brett Favre and Kerry Collins weren’t even expected to be starting this season.
Now two of the NFL’s oldest and most experienced quarterbacks will square off in the most highly anticipated game of Week 12.
With the New York Jets having ridden Favre’s arm to first place and the Tennessee Titans only recently relying more on Collins to stay unbeaten, the team that wins Sunday might be considered the AFC favorite to reach the Super Bowl.
The only AFC team hotter than the East-leading Jets (7-3), winners of four straight and six of seven, and the only one with a better record is their opponent this week. The Titans are looking to become the 13th team in NFL history to open a season 11-0 and the eighth since 1970.
The Titans, who beat New York 10-6 last year to end a three-game skid in the series, have an outside shot to clinch a playoff berth Sunday if they win while Miami, Baltimore and Pittsburgh all lose.
Pick: Tennessee – View Game Matchup | Best Line: -5 SBG Global
New York Giants (9-1) at Arizona Cardinals (7-3), 4:15 PM ET
The New York Giants hope their return to the site of their stunning Super Bowl victory allows them to take another step toward a second straight championship.
The Giants travel to University of Phoenix Stadium on Sunday to face the surprising Arizona Cardinals, who behind former Giant Kurt Warner have a chance to clinch the NFC West this week.
New York (9-1) defeated heavily favored New England 17-14 on Feb. 3 in Phoenix for its third Super Bowl title. The victory apparently didn’t dampen the Giants’ desire for another championship run, as they’ve emerged as the NFC’s dominant team this season.
New York continued to roll last Sunday, knocking off Baltimore 30-10 for its fifth straight victory. The Giants’ NFL-best rushing attack piled up 207 yards against a Ravens run defense that came in yielding a league-low 65.4 yards per game.
The Giants have won five of the last seven meetings with the Cardinals, avoiding a third straight loss in the series with a 42-19 home win in the last meeting in 2005.
Pick: New York – View Game Matchup | Best Line: -3 SBG Global
Chicago Bears (5-5) at St. Louis Rams (2-8), 1:00PM ET
Coming off their worst loss in more than five years, the Chicago Bears will try to take advantage of the limping St. Louis Rams in Sunday’s game at the Edward Jones Dome.
Even against a woeful St. Louis team, the Bears (5-5) could struggle to bounce back if they play as they did last Sunday in a 37-3 defeat at Green Bay. Their worst loss since a 49-7 drubbing to San Francisco in the 2003 season opener dropped them into a tie atop the NFC North with Minnesota and Green Bay.
In its second straight loss, Chicago had a season-low 234 total yards and scored its fewest points since last season’s opening game, a 14-3 defeat to San Diego.
After missing a game-and-a-half with a sprained right ankle, quarterback Kyle Orton went 13-for-26 for 133 yards and fumbled a snap that was returned for a touchdown. He was replaced midway through the fourth quarter by Rex Grossman.
The 50-percent completion rate was Orton’s lowest in a game this season and the 133 yards were his fewest in a full game, but the Bears will stick with him for Sunday.
The Rams are last in the league with 317 points allowed and rank 30th in total defense, surrendering 392.1 yards per game.
The Bears ended a four-game losing streak in this series with a 47-27 win in St. Louis in 2006.
Pick: Chicago – View Game Matchup | Best Line: -8.5 SBG Global
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins 1:00PM ET
The first time the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots met this season, a stunning blowout in Foxborough ended the Patriots’ 21-game regular-season winning streak and gave the Dolphins their first road win in nearly two years.
In the rematch, the circumstances will be shockingly different: Miami would have the inside track to the playoffs with a win, while New England’s chances of a sixth straight postseason berth could be critically wounded with a loss.
This time, the resurgent Dolphins will be the ones carrying a winning streak into the AFC East battle, looking for their fifth straight victory when they host the Patriots on Sunday.
Even though the Patriots were still adjusting to life without injured MVP Tom Brady on Sept. 21, they certainly weren’t expecting to suffer a 25-point home loss to a team that was coming off a 1-15 season and had lost 11 straight road games.
But the Dolphins – 0-2 at the time – surprised New England with their Wildcat offense. Running back Ronnie Brown received several direct snaps, rushing for 113 yards and four touchdowns and adding a passing touchdown to tight end Anthony Fasano in the 38-13 win.
Pick: New England – View Game Matchup | Best Line: +1 SBG Global
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Posted: 11/22/08 9:00PM ET
