With the NFL regular season home stretch coming up, the playoff races around the league are heating up. Currently, 26 of 32 teams are within two games of a playoff spot. The result is a lot of important matchups with 13 of the 14 games having playoff implications.
SB Nation's panel of six NFL experts expect an entertaining week, with just four teams being unanimous picks to win. New Orleans over Atlanta, Detroit over Tampa Bay, Kansas City over San Diego and San Francisco over Washington were the only unanimous picks.
That leaves several toss up games, including some which could serve as quasi elimination games. With 4-6 records, the Steelers and Browns don't have much margin of error going forward. Four of the six experts picked Cleveland to win. The 4-6 Titans will take on the 4-6 Raiders in another key wild card game. The six experts are split 3-3 on who will win that one.
In the NFC, Carolina and San Francisco are popular picks, but the majority expect Arizona to keep pace. The experts were split on the matchup between Chicago and St. Louis, with the 4-6 Rams likely needing a win to stay in contention. The Cowboys and Giants will play a crucial NFC East game, but the Cowboys are heavy favorites with five experts picking Dallas.
Here is a complete look at the Week 12 NFL picks:
Ryan Van Bibber | Joel Thorman | Jason Chilton | Stephen White | David Fucillo | Matt Ufford | |
Saints at Falcons | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints |
Buccaneers at Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions | Lions |
Steelers at Browns | Browns | Steelers | Browns | Steelers | Browns | Browns |
Vikings at Packers | Packers | Vikings | Packers | Packers | Packers | Packers |
Chargers at Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs | Chiefs |
Bears at Rams | Bears | Rams | Bears | Rams | Bears | Rams |
Panthers at Dolphins | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Dolphins | Panthers |
Jets at Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Jets | Ravens | Jets |
Jaguars at Texans | Jaguars | Texans | Texans | Jaguars | Texans | Texans |
Colts at Cardinals | Cardinals | Colts | Cardinals | Colts | Cardinals | Cardinals |
Titans at Raiders | Titans | Raiders | Titans | Raiders | Raiders | Titans |
Cowboys at Giants | Cowboys | Giants | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys | Cowboys |
Broncos at Patriots | Broncos | Patriots | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos | Broncos |
49ers at Redskins | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers |
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