Week 12 Predictions

Cincinnati 17, Pittsburgh 30 - Cincinnati came off an impressive tie (wow, that sounds weird) with the Eagles, but I wouldn't expect the same against the Steelers. The offense is shaky, but the defense is an elite unit. The Bengals are a great cure for a struggling quarterback.

Philadelphia 31, Baltimore 29 - Well as long as this one doesn't go to overtime the Eagles should be fine. Unless you're the Giants, you beat the Ravens through the air. Donovan McNabb is a fairly good vertical passer, and DeSean Jackson has the speed to make the Ravens' injury-ridden secondary vulnerable to the big play.

Chicago 27, St. Louis 10 - What was that about Matt Forte getting too many carries? I don't think it'll be too much of a problem in this one, as he'll be averaging somewhere in the 5-10 YPC range. The Rams are terrible in every aspect of the game, and since there will probably be more Bears fans at the game they won't even have a home-field advantage.

NYJ 20, Tennessee 24 - 11-0? The Titans need to lose every game from now until the end of the season to give the Colts even a chance to win the division. Don't count on that happening against the Jets, who despite being fourth against the run have that stat skewed by New England, who put the game firmly in the hands of Matt Cassel. The Titans will run and will run often- and if that doesn't work Kerry Collins has shown he can still throw it if he has to.

New England 27, Miami 24 - The first time Joey Porter trash-talked the Patriots, New England was a different team. Matt Cassel has completely changed everyone's perception of him, and he looks like a legitimate NFL quarterback. The Dolphins defense has been stiff against the run (especially at home), but it wouldn't surprise anyone if Bill Belichick let Cassel throw 40 times against the Dolphins' weak secondary.

Houston 28, Cleveland 33 - Brady Quinn injury aside, the Texans just lost to the Colts and let Joseph Addai go off on them for 105 rushing yards and a rushing TD (not even including the receiving TD he had). Jamal Lewis isn't Addai, but he is a pounder behind an offensive line that, after a shaky start, has started to become something to worry about. Quinn continues to protect the ball and use his checkdowns, and the Houston defense isn't that great to begin with.

Tampa Bay 27, Detroit 20 - The Lions' offense is showing signs of improvement, mainly because nobody can cover Calvin Johnson and he even gives double coverage a run for his money. Daunte Culpepper is slowly getting back into the swing of things, but with the total absence of a running game against one of the better defenses in the league it won't be pretty for Detroit.

Minnesota 24, Jacksonville 20 - Troy Williamson issues aside, neither of these teams look very good right now (with the exception of Adrian Peterson). Jacksonville showed promise in the first half against the Titans, before the Titans defense decided that they'd actually play like they meant it and virtually shut them out in the second half. MJD and Fred Taylor can't find any holes, while David Garrard hasn't lived up to the largish contract he signed in the offseason. Remember when the Jaguars said they weren't worried after starting 0-2? I wonder if they're worried now.

Buffalo 20, Kansas City 21 - If you made a movie about Buffalo you'd call it "First to Worst". The Bills look awful. The offense apparently is not capable of functioning when Lee Evans is double covered. You know a team sucks when the opponent can scheme out the best player and they can't adjust to make up the difference. Buffalo is far and away the worst team in the AFC East. On the other hand, the Chiefs took the Chargers down to the last possession and barely lost, while Tyler Thigpen has been the best quarterback in the league over the past five games. Arrowhead is a great place to finally turn a good performance into a win.

San Francisco 19, Dallas 24 - If Romo's pinky was fully recovered, I'd expect the score to be a lot higher. As it stands, Marion Barber will probably be dancing around the 49ers' defenders not named Patrick Willis.

Oakland 21, Denver 30 - Denver still doesn't have a defense, but Oakland still doesn't have an offense. Jamarcus Russel is already starting to look like a colossal bust- his fault or not. The Raiders should run the clock with the ground game - Justin Fargas is a perfectly acceptable running back - and maybe take a shot or two down the field with Dre' Bly playing awful and Champ Bailey not at full health. Otherwise check down to the tight end. Of course, the Broncos are going to do the same thing... except they actually have a vertical threat for Oakland to worry about.

Carolina 23, Atlanta 28 - NFC South division game... take the home team. With Jake Delhomme coming off two atrocious games, he should be able to bounce back nicely- but the Falcons have done a complete 180 since last season and should be able to pull out the win.

NYG 34, Arizona 24 - I actually think this will be one of the better matchups of the week. For one, the Cardinals match up nicely with the Giants. Anquan Boldin catches the short balls and creates yards after the catch, negating the Giants' pass rush. Larry Fitzgerald is a huge target anywhere on the field. However, the Giants just made the Ravens' run defense look like amateurs, and Brandon Jacobs is simply dominant. Literally nobody can stop him (ask LaRon Landry how that worked out), taking the pressure off Eli Manning and forcing opponents to bring a safety up to support.

Washington 23, Seattle 27 - There's nowhere to go but up in Seattle, and with Matt Hasselbeck getting another week of practice with his receivers that have returned from the dead and a home crowd, they should be the favorites. Plus Washington is the NFC version of the Buffalo Bills- a big slide down from first place in their division and suddenly seeing their playoff aspirations in doubt.

Indianapolis 30, San Diego 27 - Indianapolis has had trouble with San Diego over the years, losing to them twice last year. With the absence of Shawn Merriman and the rest of the Chargers defense playing noticeably over-par, Manning and company should have a field day. Remember when everyone thought Antonio Cromartie was in the conversation for best cornerback in the league? Not so much this year. Since he'll probably draw Reggie Wayne in coverage, I'd expect Wayne to have a big day.

Green Bay 35, New Orleans 27- The return of Reggie Bush to the lineup should make this a fairly exciting Monday night matchup. Drew Brees is ahead of the pace to break Dan Marino's single-season passing record, but somehow the Saints are going to miss the playoffs. Green Bay is probably going to remain tied for first place in the division unless the Bears and Vikings both lose, and need to start separating themselves from the pack if they want to guarantee a playoff berth.