NFL Week 12 Picks w/College Cross Country Report
The HOTPO hit Bethlehem, Pennsylvania last week to cover the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Regionals.
We were there to see the Marshall Thundering Herd and one of their runners that is loosely affiliated with the HOTPO.
We weren’t there to see a spectacular achievement. The Herd and the runner we cover were not going to advance, but it was an opportunity to compete at a high level one more time and put a mark on the wall. We were not disappointed.
The Herd hit a high-water mark, and our favorite runner nailed a personal record on a tough course. We are done covering collegiate cross country and on to one last season of track. Good stuff – proud of our runner.
Let’s do the picks.
NFL Week 12 Picks
New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens (-13.5): Look at that line! – RAVENS
Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears (-2.5): Pittsburgh QB Aaron Rodgers suffered a wrist injury last week. It doesn’t require surgery, but he isn’t perfectly well. Chicago has won seven of their last eight games. – BEARS
New England Patriots (-6.5) at Cincinnati Bengals: Cincinnati WR Ja’Marr Chase says he “didn’t spit on nobody,” but he will still be sitting this game out, because he did. There are rumblings that Bengal star QB Joe Burrow might play in this game after a long injury absence. New England is just too good to lose this game no matter who plays for Cincinnati. – PATRIOTS
New York Giants at Detroit Lions (-10.5): Let’s check this block and move out. – LIONS
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-6.5): I have not been impressed by the Packers. They barely beat the Giants last week, 10-7, and lost t the Eagles and Panthers (!) in the two previous weeks. Yet, as Jacob Westendorf of Sports Illustrated reports, Viking QB J.J. McCarthy “has struggled with injuries, inaccuracy and turning the ball over.” – PACKERS
Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5): Kansas City has been in the last seven AFC championship games, but currently wouldn’t qualify for the playoffs. To win their division, the Chiefs would likely need to beat three winning teams and win three times on the road – both things they have only done once this year. Still, emotional hedge. – CHIEFS
Seattle Seahawks (-13.5) at Tennessee Titans: What? Oh, sorry. Fell asleep. – SEAHAWKS
Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) at Arizona Cardinals: Getting to this game is like turning the corner on a good round of golf and seeing water and a tight fairway – a tough one. Arizona was a “competitive loser” until two weeks ago and seem to have now bottomed out. Jacksonville throttled the Los Angeles Chargers last week, 35-6, which I still can’t comprehend. – JAGUARS
Cleveland Browns at Las Vegas Raiders (-4): Cleveland backup QB Shedeur Sanders finally got meaningful playing time last week versus the Ravens and it did not go well. It was actually an historically poor performance (4-16, 47 yards, 1 INT). Both teams have the same 2-8 record, but until the Browns get decent quarterback play, they aren’t a good pick on the road. – RAIDERS
Philadelphia Eagles (-3) at Dallas Cowboys: With a 33-16 win last week over the Raiders, the Cowboys kept their slim playoff hopes alive and they should be super motivated for his divisional matchup with many playoff implications. Philadelphia secured a 16-9 victory over the Lions to maintain a share of the best record (8-2) in the NFC with the Rams. So much talk is on how poorly the Eagles offense is playing and the disconnect between WR A.J. Brown and QB Jalen Hurts, but this team just keeps winning games. – EAGLES
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-2): The Saints got a solid performance from their rookie, former backup QB Tyler Shough in a 17-7 win over the Panthers two weeks ago. The Falcons lost their QB Michael Penix to injury in a 30-27 to those same Panthers last week. These teams split their two games last year with the home team winning both games and New Orleans is coming off a bye. – SAINTS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5): This is a great matchup with significant playoff implications since the Rams are tied the Eagles with best record in the NFC and the Buccaneers are leading the NFC South. Los Angeles is on a five-game win streak and coming a big 21-19 win over the contending Seahawks last week. Tampa is on a two-game losing streak and still dealing with significant injuries on the offensive side of the ball, as reported by Ben Strauss of Clutch Points. – RAMS
Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (-7): Don’t look now, but Carolina is sneaking up on Tampa Bay, only a half game behind the division leader. San Francisco is holding onto the last playoff spot in the NFC right now, but hasn’t been able to string wins together since September. The Panthers could flip the script on a more predictable playoff contender, but I will take the home team with a large spread. – 49ERS
Next week: we plan to have a college football update with the Week 13 NFL picks. Enjoy the games.
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