NFL 2024 Week 12 Prequel
Thursday, November 21, 2024, 8pm
Pittsburgh Steelers (-3 1/2) at Cleveland Browns — The Steelers are very good. The Browns are very bad. Baker Mayfield will not be returning to Cleveland to give the Browns a fighting chance. The Steelers have the better quarterback and a good running game. They will power through Cleveland. Steelers cover
Sunday, November 24, 1pm
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5) at New York Giants — The Buccaneers are nothing special but the Giants are a mess. Daniel Jones has finally been benched. Bring on Tommy “Cutlets” Devito. Baker Mayfield has more weapons. The spread is high for a road team, although the Giants offense is anemic. Devito might be able to briefly spark the Giants just enough. Buccaneers win but fail to cover
Kansas City Chiefs (-11) at Carolina Panthers — The Chiefs will be angry after seeing their unbeaten season go down at Buffalo last week. They play one of the worst teams in football in Carolina. Yet the Chiefs do not win blowouts. They win close games. A garbage touchdown to defeat the spread is very realistic. Chiefs win but fail to cover
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders (-10) — The Cowboys have lost five straight. With Dak Prescott gone for the year, Cooper Rush is just not the same. There is even talk of putting in Trey Lance. The Commanders have a decent defense and Dan Quinn would love to wallop his former team. Forget the high spread. The Cowboys have been blown out several times this year. Commanders cover
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (-7) — The Dolphins are not very good but the Patriots are worse. The spread is high given how sluggish the Dolphins are on offense but the Patriots lack the ability to keep up. The Dolphins lack the explosiveness to make this a blowout. Dolphins win but fail to cover
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans (-7 1/2) — The Texans are coming off a big emotional win at Dallas on Monday Night Football, but do not expect a letdown. The Titans are awful. CJ Stroud will throw the ball at will. Demeco Ryan’s defense will devour Will Levis. This could get ugly early. Texans cover
Detroit Lions (-7 1/2) at Indianapolis Colts — The Lions for their first time their entire franchise history are Super Bowl favorites. Will the press go to their heads? The Colts are not a terrible team. Anthony Richardson is back, giving the Colts a puncher’s chance. Lions win but fail to cover
Minnesota Vikings (-3 1/2) at Chicago Bears — The Vikings and the Bears have regressed in recent weeks, but Kevin O’Connell is a far better coach than Matt Eberflus. The Vikings have some serious playmakers on offense, starting with Justin Jefferson. The Bears could keep this game close but they seem to have spiraled in the last few weeks after a couple heartbreaking losses. Vikings win but fail to cover
4pm
Denver Broncos (-4) at Las Vegas Raiders — The Raiders have lost six straight games. They have no home field advantage. Their defense was their lone bright spot and it has fallen apart in the last couple of weeks. Their offense is awful. The Raiders offense will get beat up by the Broncos defense. If the Raiders defense does not fix their side of the ball, Bo Nix could pick them apart. These teams often play close games. Broncos win but fail to cover
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers (-1 1/2) — The 49ers are a shell of what they were last year. On paper they look good but on the field it is just not working. The Packers are the better team at this point. Jordan Love is playing well. Go with the better team and the home field. Packers cover
Arizona Cardinals (-1) at Seattle Seahawks — The Cardinals have very quietly gotten to 6-4, only one game ahead of the rest of the division. The days when the Seahawks 12th man tormented opponents is long gone. Kyler Murray is a playmaker. Geno Smith is competent, but he is not Murray. Cardinals cover
8pm
Philadelphia Eagles (-3) at Los Angeles Rams — The Eagles win close games. They do not blow teams out. Yet the Rams offense has not gelled yet despite getting their stars back from injury. The Eagles find ways to win, usually by building a big early lead and just barely not blowing it. Eagles cover
Monday, November 25, 8pm
Baltimore Ravens (-3) at Los Angeles Chargers — Welcome to the Harbowl. The Ravens are the better team. They will be angry coming off of a home loss to hated Pittsburgh. Expect the Baltimore defense and their running game to deliver another ugly win, the tradition of this franchise.The Chargers lack the meanness on defense to stop Lamar Jackson. Justin Herbert can only do so much. Ravens cover