Once again this season, the Baltimore Beatdown staff is picking the winners for each week’s slate of contests throughout the year. Results will be tracked throughout the year to see who is most accurate with their predictions.
Readers can participate by voting in the polls for each game below. Join in on the fun and chime in with your thoughts on every matchup!
Updated Standings:
- BB readers (110-51)
- Vasilis (106-55)
- Kyle (103-57)
- Frank, Spencer, Dustin (101-59)
- Peter (99-62)
- Jakob (97-64)
Consensus Selections —
The team was in agreement on the following matchups in Week 12:
- Bills > Chargers (BUF -5.5)
- Giants > Bengals (NYG -5.5)
- Dolphins > Jets (MIA -7)
- Rams > 49ers (LAR -7)
- Packers > Bears (GB -9)
- Seahawks > Eagles (SEA -5.5)
This week’s slate of unanimously picked games includes four teams favored by 5.5 points, two teams favored by a touchdown, and a near-double digit favorite in Green Bay.
Beginning with the latter, the Packers were picked to defeat the Bears across the board in an NFC North showdown. Green Bay is coming off an overtime loss to the Colts in Week 11, while the Bears have lost four straight games.
Elsewhere, the Dolphins and Rams are each favored by seven points in their respective divisional contests. Our staff picked both Miami and Los Angeles to prevail against the Jets and 49ers, respectively.
Another unanimous predicted winner is the Giants, who haven’t found themselves in this position all season. New York has won two straight games and faces a favorable matchup against the Bengals without Joe Burrow.
In Buffalo, we’re in store for what should be a high-octane showdown between two young quarterbacks in Josh Allen and Justin Herbert. It’s Allen’s Bills, though, that the staff picked to win across the board. The Seahawks, who are also a 5.5-point favorite against the Eagles on Sunday night, round out this section.
Lone Wolf Selections —
The following writers were alone in these picks in Week 12:
- Frank is alone in taking the Lions to defeat the Texans on Thanksgiving (DET +3)
- Jakob likes the Jaguars to win their second game of the year against the Browns (JAX +7)
- Vasilis thinks the Falcons will upset the Raiders at home (ATL +3)
- Kyle has the Broncos defeating the Saints at home (DEN +5.5)
- Spencer is rolling with the Patriots over the Cardinals (NE +2.5) and the Buccaneers to topple the Chiefs (TB +3)
The Lions have lost on Thanksgiving three years in a row, and Frank is the only writer who envisions them snapping this skid on Thursday. Detroit is a three-point underdog at home against the Texans, who are seeking their fourth win of the season.
Jakob is laying down a huge upset pick in taking the Jaguars over the Browns. Cleveland is 7-3 on the season whereas the Jaguars have not won since Week 1. However, Jakob likes Jacksonville to not only cover a +7 spread but also outright win.
Another upset this week would be the Falcons defeating the Raiders. Of the staff, only Vasilis is predicting this to happen. Both teams are coming off losses in Week 11, albeit in much different fashions, and the Raiders are favored by exactly a field goal. Las Vegas’ divisional rival, the Broncos, are a 5.5-point underdog against the Saints. Kyle is the lone staff member predicting Denver to win.
Finally we have Spencer, who is on this list twice. His first selection is the Patriots to upset the Cardinals at home. New England is a narrow 2.5-point underdog but has previously played well in games in which they weren’t favored in. Spencer also likes the Buccaneers to defeat the Chiefs. Tampa Bay is reeling from another disappointing loss in primetime.