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NFL Week 12 Picks, Score Predictions

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By @BrianKalchik

NFL Week 12 Picks, Score Predictions

Jamaal Charles Chiefs
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Week 12 of the NFL season begins this Thursday Night with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Oakland Raiders and ending with the Baltimore Ravens taking on the New Orleans Saints. In between, there are several games which will have huge implications on who makes the playoffs and who misses out. Here are my picks and score predictions for Week 12 of the NFL.

15. Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Alex Smith Chiefs
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15. Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Alex Smith Chiefs
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Facing the winless Raiders, the Chiefs will suffer a natural letdown early on after defeating Seattle, but still easily will be too powerful for Oakland. The Chiefs win 31-14.

14. Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles

LeSean McCoy Eagles
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14. Tennessee Titans at Philadelphia Eagles

LeSean McCoy Eagles
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The Eagles ran into a juggernaut last week in the Green Bay Packers, and will take out their frustrations on the lowly Tennessee Titans. The Titans defense will make enough plays to keep the game close, but the offense will struggle against the Eagles. Philadelphia wins by double-digits 30-20.

13. Detroit Lions at New England Patriots

Theo Riddick Lions
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13. Detroit Lions at New England Patriots

Theo Riddick Lions
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In a matchup between two of the best teams in the NFL, the 7-3 Lions travel to Foxborough to take on the 8-2 Patriots. As good as the Lions have been this season, no one has been able to defeat New England at home in over a year, and the Lions offense won't be efficient enough to outscore Tom Brady and the Pats. New England wins 28-17.

12. Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

Eddie Lacy Packers
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12. Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

Eddie Lacy Packers
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The last time these two teams met, Christian Ponder started for the Vikings over an injured Teddy Bridgewater and Green Bay won easily. With Bridgewater back healthy, this game will be much closer than last time, but Green Bay is on such a roll that the Vikings won't be able to keep up. Green Bay easily wins 31-14.

11. Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck Colts
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11. Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck Colts
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After an embarrassing home loss to New England, the Indianapolis Colts will have no problems taking care of a Jacksonville team that just had their top corner arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. This game will be over by halftime with Indianapolis winning easily 42-14.

10. Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans

Andy Dalton Bengals
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10. Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans

Andy Dalton Bengals
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Both the Bengals and Texans put together impressive road wins last week and now face each other in a rematch of the 2011 and 2012 AFC Wild Card games. Houston won both of those by using a suffocating defense and Arian Foster on the ground. The formula won't change this week as Houston gets it done with a 24-21 win over the Bengals.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler Bears
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9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler Bears
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In what will be dubbed "The Lovie Smith Bowl," the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by Lovie Smith, travel to Chicago and take on his former team, the Chicago Bears. With revenge on their minds, especially josh McCown, the Bucs play an inspired game against the Bears and pull off the road upset 24-23.

8. New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

Sammy Watkins Bills
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8. New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

Sammy Watkins Bills
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The last time the Jets and Bills faced one another, it wasn't even close as the Bills easily won 43-23 after Geno Smith was benched in the first. The Jets have been better with Michael Vick in the lineup, but on the road, the Jets will once again fall short, this time losing 23-17 to their division rivals.

7. Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons

Joe Haden Browns
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7. Cleveland Browns at Atlanta Falcons

Joe Haden Browns
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A week ago, the Browns were leading the AFC North and the Falcons were second in the NFC South. This week, the roles have changed after Cleveland's loss to Houston and Atlanta's win over Carolina. The Browns and Brian Hoyer will run wild against Atlanta's porous run defense, and keep the ball out of Matt Ryan's hands. Cleveland bounces back with a 27-21 win over Atlanta.

6. Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson Seahawks
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6. Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson Seahawks
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The last time the Cardinals and Seahawks faced each other in Seattle, the Cardinals pulled off a stunning 10-9 upset. This season, the Cards will try to do the same thing, this time as the favorite and with Drew Stanton replacing Carson Palmer. After a loss on the road to Kansas City, the Seattle defense will be too much for Arizona to handle, and the Seahawks bounce back with a 21-17 win.

5. St. Louis Rams at San Diego Chargers

Phillip Rivers Chargers
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5. St. Louis Rams at San Diego Chargers

Phillip Rivers Chargers
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St. Louis has been giant killers this year, already defeating the likes of Seattle, San Francisco and Denver. On the other side, the Chargers have played down to their competition with two close wins over Oakland. In this game, the St. Louis front four will dominate San Diego's o-line, and the Rams pull another upset, this time 24-23 over the Chargers.

4. Washington Redskins at San Francisco 49ers

Vernon Davis 49ers
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4. Washington Redskins at San Francisco 49ers

Vernon Davis 49ers
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In the past two weeks, San Francisco has registered two impressive road wins over New Orleans and the New York Giants. Washington, on the other hand, has been dysfunctional all season and can't decide whether Robert Griffin III is their franchise quarterback. San Francisco blows this game wide open by halftime and wins easily 38-17.

3. Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos

Knowshon Moreno Broncos
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3. Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos

Knowshon Moreno Broncos
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The Denver Broncos were embarrassed and battered last week as they not only lost to St. Louis, but lost several offensive players to injury. This week, they face another attacking-style defense in the Miami Dolphins. Cameron Wake and Oliver Vernon will harass Peyton Manning all day, but the Broncos find a way to bounce back at home. Denver wins a close one 24-17.

2. Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

Tony Romo Cowboys
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2. Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

Tony Romo Cowboys
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Coming off their bye week, DeMarco Murray and the Dallas Cowboys will look to re-establish their running game against New York's poor run defense. With New York reeling on both sides of the ball, Dallas will find a way to win a tough game against their rivals with a 24-21 win.

1. Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints

Lorenzo Taliaferro Ravens
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1. Baltimore Ravens at New Orleans Saints

Lorenzo Taliaferro Ravens
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After two consecutive home losses, the New Orleans Saints will try to get back on track against a Ravens team that is coming off their bye week. Both defenses have struggled at times, especially in the passing game, and this Monday Night matchup could definitely be a shootout. Either way, I like the Saints to bounce back, albeit closely 27-24.

Brian Kalchik is a Detroit Lions writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

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