NFL Week 12 Lines and Betting Picks
Before we get to NFL Week 12 lines and betting picks, let’s recap the chalky weekend. Favorites went 8-4-1 (66.7%) against the closing line and Overs hit 7-6. With over 66% of favorites cashing, Sunday played out quite differently than the previous 10 weeks of the football season where underdogs were 85-59-5 before favorites went on their Week 11 tear.
As for last week’s article, my early betting card was much better than Week 10’s. Early betting picks for Week 11 went 6-3, and we cashed in winning tickets on Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football . Now let’s take a look at an early look at NFL Week 12 lines and lock in our favorite early betting picks. We’ll try to spot soft opening numbers, helping us beat the closing line come Sunday.
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As always, use RG’s NFL odds comparison tool to look at NFL Week 12 lines across the industry and find out what online sportsbook has the best price for your favorite NFL betting picks.
NFL Week 12 Lines and Betting Picks
- Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans -3.5, O/U 45.5
- Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints -8.5, O/U 47
- Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills -5, O/U 37.5
- Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins +3.5, O/U 41.5
- Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns -11, O/U 44.5
- New York Giants at Chicago Bears -6.5, O/U 40.5
- Oakland Raiders at New York Jets +3.5, O/U 47
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals +6, O/U 39.5
- Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles -2, O/U 48
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons -4, O/U 52
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans -3, O/U 41.5
- Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots -6, O/U 46
All odds referenced herein are from FanDuel Sportsbook and accurate as of Tuesday morning unless otherwise stated.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans -3.5, O/U 45.5
Update: For an in-depth Thursday Night Football betting preview read Thursday Night Football Betting Picks: Colts at Texans
The Houston Texans were completely shut down against the Baltimore Ravens while the Colts bounced back from an embarrassing loss to the Miami Dolphins to beat the Jaguars 33-13. Last time the Colts and Texans met up was in Week 6 and the Texans walked away with a 30-23 win at home. We’ll have a more in-depth betting preview for Thursday Night Football on Wednesday. I’m going to stay away from the game until then.
My Pick: Pass
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints -8.5, O/U 47
The Panthers were dominated by the Atlanta Falcons, giving Atlanta just their third win of the season. At the same time, the Saints were dominating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I like the Saints to win big again and the Panthers’ struggles to continue. Kyle Allen clearly isn’t the answer for Carolina.
My Pick: Saints -8.5
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills -5, O/U 37.5
Brandon Allen looked in his second start for the Denver Broncos, leading them to an early 20-point lead against the Vikings. Unfortunately, Denver’s defense couldn’t hold up , allowing 27 points from the Vikings in the second half while the offense grew stagnant. The Buffalo Bills continue to beat bad teams and bad teams only. Their lack of competition makes it difficult to know how good (or bad) the Bills really are. My guess is they aren’t that good, which is why I lean toward staking the points with Denver.
My Lean: Broncos +5
Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins +3.5, O/U 41.5
The Detroit Lions put up points against the Cowboys without Matthew Stafford, but their 31st-ranked defense gave up 35 points, including 21 in the second quarter. The Redskins, on the other hand, were blown out by the New York Jets. The Redskins offense is a mess and the fans that do show up are busy chanting for Dan Snyder to sell the team rather than producing any home-field advantage. Inside the Redskins locker room, I think it’s even worse than we realize.
My Lean: Lions +3.5
Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns -11, O/U 44.5
The Cleveland Browns are 11-point favorites after losing possibly their best player to a season-long suspension. I have no idea how the Browns will respond following the drama-filled Thursday, so I have no interest in betting on a side. Instead, I’ll be counting on a low-scoring affair.
My Pick: Under 44.5
New York Giants at Chicago Bears -6.5, O/U 40.5
With the Bears’ offensive struggles persisiting, head coach Matt Nagy sat Mitch Trubisky in the fourth quarter Sunday night. That shouldn’t make much of a difference as veteran backup Chase Daniels has plenty of experience and has played just as well as Trubisky this year. This is another game that I like to be very low scoring.
My Pick: Under 40.5
Oakland Raiders at New York Jets +3.5, O/U 47
The Jets have been terrible for most of the year, but have had some bright moments, including a win against the Dallas Cowboys. The Raiders are fighting for a playoff spot, but the Bengals gave them a scare on Sunday. I’m happy to take the 3.5 points with the Jets, but I think we might get 4 or 4.5 points if we wait until later in the week.
My Lean: Jets +3.5
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals +6, O/U 39.5
The Pittsburgh Steelers look to rally around the Terrible Towel after a terrible Thursday night. I don’t think much of Mason Rudolph and the Steelers, and now they’re without one of their best offensive linemen. With that said, I still like the more than the Bengals, even while spotting Cincinnati 6 points.
My Pick: Steelers -6
Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles -2, O/U 48
The Eagles are 2-point favorites after only putting up 10 points against the New England Patriots. In their game against New England, the offense clearly missed vital playmakers in the running game as well as the passing game. The Seahawks will have the advantage of extra rest coming off a bye week, but I still like the Eagles to bounce back for one of their biggest games of the year.
My Pick: Eagles -2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons -4, O/U 52
The Atlanta Falcons have won two in a row, and Jameis Winston continues to turn over the ball for the Buccaneers, throwing four interceptions to the Saints in Week 11. I don’t think the Falcons are nearly as bad as their record is. Plus, their defense has shown tremendous improvements over the last two weeks. Long story short, my doesn’t need to be twisted to bet against Winston.
My Pick: Falcons -4
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans -3, O/U 41.5
Since sitting Marcus Mariota and turning to Ryan Tannehill, the Tennessee Titans are 3-1. The Jaguars fell to 4-6 in a 33-13 loss to the Colts on Sunday in Nick Foles first game back since Week 1. The offense clearly struggled in Foles’ return but I like them to get it together in his second game, at least enough to cover the spread in Nashville.
My lean: Jaguars +3
Dallas Cowboys at New England Patriots -6, O/U 46
Are the Cowboys good? Is Dak Prescott an MVP candidate? It’s tough to tell when the Cowboys still have only beaten one team with a winning record. They’ll have their chance to make a statement against the New England Patriots and the best defense in the NFL. I’m not sure they pull off the win, but I do like them to cover. Tom Brady was disgruntled after the Eagles-Pats game, and rightfully so. Brady completed only 26-of-47 passes and struggled with his accuracy even on short routes. The first half was one of the worst halves I remember watching from Brady.
My Pick: Cowboys +6
Check back for more in-depth NFL betting previews for Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football later in the week.
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images