Week 12 of the NFL betting season offers sees six teams on the bye and offers the slimmest schedule of the regular season.

The NFC playoff race grabs much of the spotlight.

The San Francisco 49ers visit Lambeau Field to face the Packers. Both teams are in the chase for playoff spots. The Packers would be a wild card. The 49ers are in a 3-team race for the NFC West.

RELATED: Super Bowl 59 Odds

The National Game of The Week on FOX kicks off at 4:25 p.m. with Tom Brady offering insight from the booth.

The week begins with the Steelers visiting Cleveland. Expect a rowdy and well-lubricated crowd. And not much offense from the home team.

Philadelphia heads to Inglewood to play the LA Rams at SoFi Stadium. Or, the Linc West as it will sound like after kickoff. The Baltimore Ravens play the LA Chargers in the same venue on Monday night.

Six teams are on the bye: Atlanta, Buffalo, Cincinnati, New Orleans, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars

2024 NFL Week 12 Picks

Now it’s on to our Week 12 NFL picks to back on your favorite sports betting app. 

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2024 NFL Week 12 Best Bets 

Thursday, November 21
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns, 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime)

Buzz: The crowd in Cleveland would normally be loud and lubricated by kickoff. This game will feel as much like a wake as a Thursday nighter. Wonder if our friends at the SuperBook in Las Vegas will be offering an over/under on fans shown with bags over their heads. Jameis Winston threw for 395 mostly-junk yards in a 35-14 loss at New Orleans. The Steelers can stifle whatever attempt the Browns and Jameis make on offense. Pittsburgh (8-2 SU and ATS) survived a rock fight with an 18-16 win over Baltimore. Beating the Ravens gives the Steelers a 2-game lead in the AFC North. Mike Tomlin’s act travels well on the road. Cleveland’s defense ranks in the bottom 5 of the NFL in scoring, passing, and rushing. That's enough to make even Russell Wilson produce, even on a 39-point total.

Best Bet: Steelers -4 (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Giants, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: The Giants have lost 5 straight and failed to cover in each game. All hail the return of Tommy Cutlets at QB. Tommy DeVito is in. Daniel Jones is out. A Northern New Jersey native, DeVito sparked excitement last season as a fill-in. The Giants have bottomed out again this season. Both teams are coming off on the bye. The Buccaneers nearly beat the 49ers at home in Week 10, grabbing an easy backdoor cover. The Buccaneers have lost 4 in a row straight up but are 6-4 overall on the line. Big Blue got “Das Boot” by the Panthers in overtime at Munich in Week 10. The Giants are ranked 6^th against the pass and the Bucs have the No. 6-ranked passing offense. The Buccaneers have a quiet running game, which will be the difference here as the Giants are inept against the run and rank 29^th. This number moved a bit too much this week, however, with the QB change for the Giants. We're taking the points, and an extra helping of chicken parm. 

Best Bet: Giants +4.5 (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: Matt Eberflus has run out of scapegoats. The Bears (4-6, 5-4) fired OC Shane Waldron after their 19-3 loss to New England in Week 10. Then promptly lost - again - to the Packers 20-19 thanks to a blocked field goal attempt in the game's final seconds. Chicago did get the back-door cover on the 6-point line. The Vikings (8-2, 7-3) have covered in 4 straight games on the road against Chicago. They have the 2nd best number on the line in the NFC. The Vikings are capable of scoring enough here. The Bears, not so much. Caleb Williams has plateaued. This one could bring out the bag-heads at Soldier Field. This number tightened 1.5 points after Sunday's games from Minnesota -5 to -3.5. That's a red flag, given that Minnesota won, Chicago lost, and both teams covered. Look for a squeaker on the total over 40 here. Along the lines of 21-20.

Best Bet: Over 40 Points (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: QB Anthony Richardson returned to give 5-6 Colts just enough juice to beat the Jets at MetLife. Stability at QB for the Colts means that Dan Campbell knows what to expect. The Lions have been ferocious when given the chance. Detroit has beaten 2 AFC South teams (the Jaguars and Titans) by a combined 104-20 score. And they scored 19 unanswered points to upend the Texans in Houston 26-23. That does not bode well for the Colts. Expect the Hoosier Dome to transform into Ford Field South Sunday. The stadiums are just about 4.5 hours apart. The Lions are tied for the best record in the NFL both SU (9-1) and ATS (8-2). The Colts are 8-3 on the line. They have covered just once in the past 3 weeks. This is the most points Indianapolis has gotten this season. But the Lions cover and cover big. 

Best Bet: Lions -8 (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: The Dolphins stacked a quick pair of back-to-back wins by beating the Rams at SoFi last Monday night, then routing the Raiders at home. Miami covered in both games with ease. New England has been infected with Drake Maye-nia. The rookie QB continues to improve each week. The rest of the team is struggling to keep up. Patriots coach Jerod Mayo whiffed defensively Sunday, in letting Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua tear up the Patriots defense for 295 yards and 4 TD passes. New England lost and failed to cover as 4-point underdogs in a 28-22 loss to the Rams. The coaching matchup between Mike McDaniel's offense and Mayo's defense is about as lopsided as it was Bill Belichick was going up against the Dolphins' latest coach of the week. The Dolphins have covered in 8 straight games against the Patriots. And 10 of 15 Dolphins-Patriots games have gone under the points total. The question to ponder on this number is will the Patriots let Drake Maye cook? Or will Mayo continue to stew in his own ineptitude? Take the points - especially with the hook. Maye can keep it close and put up points, especially if the shackles are removed. 

Best Bet: Patriots +7.5 (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: The Cowboys are a train wreck, wrapped in a plane crash, and covered in the Hindenburg explosion. Jerry Jones has sentenced Mike McCarthy to purgatory – meaning he won’t fire his beleaguered head coach during the season. Cooper Rush. Trey Lance. Troy Aikman. It doesn’t matter who is filling in for Dak Prescott this week. The Cowboys have all but tapped out. Washington QB Jayden Daniels will make another major statement in a rookie season full of them here. The Commanders are coming off a mini-bye and a game against the Eagles Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have a Monday nighter against Houston. Don’t sweat this number. Go under the total here. Dallas may not crack double-digits.

Best Bet: Under 45 Points (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes lost their first game of the season - and first one since Christmas - Sunday in an all-timer at Buffalo. KC (9-1) was a 3-point underdog. Mahomes is now 12-2-1 when getting points. The Chiefs have not covered a line greater than 6 points this season. And 7 of their 9 wins were one-score games. The Chiefs aren't blowing anyone out these days. That was true before they lost Sunday. The Panthers covered in 2 games ahead of their bye and are coming off an OT win in Germany. The Panthers’ defense will keep this one surprisingly close. Bryce Young should be able to find the end zone enough times for the number here. 

Best Bet: Panthers +11 (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: The Texans faced the Cowboys Monday night. They should be fully healthy – or as healthy as they can be – here against the Titans. Houston's ground game - notably QB C.J, Stroud and running back Joe Mixon - will control this one. Houston's defense allowed the final 19 points of the game 2 weeks ago at home in a 26-23 loss to the mighty Lions. The Titans won’t be scoring 19 unanswered points on anyone. They're scoring just 17 PPG, which ranks 28th in the NFL. They are an NFL-worst 1-9 ATS and failed to cover a 6-point number in a 23-13 home loss to Minnesota. Intra-division games are always tough given the familiarity between foes. We don't like the hook on this number. Back the under given Tennessee's inability to reach the end zone.

Best Bet: Under 41 Points (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)

Buzz: All the trend lines point toward the Raiders. They've won outright and covered in 8 straight home games against the Broncos. This time. the Broncos have a quarterback in Bo Nix who's enjoying the second growth spurt of his rookie season. The Broncos came within a blocked field goal of beating the Chiefs. Then Nix threw for 307 yards and 4 TDs at home in an easy 38-6 win and cover over Atlanta. The Raiders dissolved in South Florida Sunday and tapped out in the 4th quarter during a 34-19 loss to the Dolphins. Nix is the one this week. 

Best Bet: Broncos -5.5 (-110) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz:  The 49ers barely escaped from Tampa Bay with a 23-20 win in Week 10. The bottom fell out in a 20-17 loss at home to the Seahawks. At 5-5, the 49ers are on the outside looking in both the NFC West and NFC playoff picture. They legit need a win here to keep their playoff hopes in focus, given the likelihood of a tie-breaker coming into place to determine postseason entry or placement.  They also sit underwater at 4-6 ATS. The same story holds in Green Bay. The Packers are 3^rd in the NFC Central. They’ve won 5 of 7 games after (barely) beating Chicago. The Packers are 7-3 SU but just 4-6 ATS. The 49ers have failed to cover 7 of 8 games against teams with a winning record. Tom Brady will be guiding you in the booth here. But will Jordan Love or Brock Purdy do their best Brady imitation in a nationally televised game with playoff implications? Love is in the air. 

Best Bet: Packers ML (-112) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)

Buzz: Arizona has won and covered in 4 straight games. It is coming off the bye. Incredibly, the Cardinals have been an underdog in 5 of their past 6 games despite winning 5 of 6 straight up at the same time. Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. are a legit top-five, passer-receiver combo in the NFL. James Conner continues to consume time and space on the ground. Surprisingly, the Cardinals have the No. 5 rushing offense in the NFL. The Seahawks and Geno Smith return home in triumph after emptying the tank in their 20-17 win at San Francisco. They boast the No. 2 passing offense in the NFL. Yes, you read that correctly. The forecast calls for rain and chills in Seattle. The Cardinals aren't in the dome anymore. Seattle has beaten Arizona 5 straight times. Consider the under on the 47.5 points, as well, given the outlook for rain. 

Best Bet: Seahawks ML (-108) DraftKings

Sunday, November 24
Philadelphia Eagles at LA Rams, 8:25 p.m. (NBC)

Buzz: The NFL offers up back-to-back night games at SoFi Stadium. On Sunday night, Eagles fans will pack the house. The 5-5 Rams rebounded at New England Sunday. Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Kyren Williams put up 28 and covered a 4-point line at New England in an early East Coast game. Right now, the Rams are the first team out in the NFC. The first-place in the NFC East Eagles (8-2) are capable of superb ball control. They have the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL (181.3 YPG rushing) and will use it often here against LA's 22nd-in-the-NFL-in-scoring defense. And the Eagles defense should neutralize the Rams' passing game. They rank No. 2 in passing defense and No. 7 in passing offense, respectively. Philly has won 6 straight overall, and have 5 straight times on the road against the Rams. 

Best Bet: Eagles -3 (-110) DraftKings

Monday, November 25
Baltimore Ravens at LA Chargers, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)

Buzz: The Ravens still can't beat the Steelers. Sunday, Baltimore failed on a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game with 66 seconds to play an 18-16 loss. This week, Baltimore brings the NFL's No. 2 scoring (30.9 PPG), rushing (177.4 YPG), and No. 3 (252.8 YPG) passing offense to Inglewood. The Chargers counter with the NFL’s No. 1 scoring (14.5 PPG) defense. Justin Herbert tore up the Bengals Sunday night. He'll launch an aerial assault on Baltimore’s worst-in-the-NFL secondary, which is giving up 284.5 YPG. But the Ravens run the ball better than any team in the NFL. And SoFi offers the perfect track for Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers, Derrick Henry, and the rest of the Ravens offense to break out in the second half. Justin Tucker is insurance against any 2-point line. Especially in a climate-controlled, purple-and-black clad environment.

Best Bet: Ravens -2 (-110) DraftKings