2013 NFL Season: Pokorny's Week 12 NFL Picks

Different Tone Back in Week 1: Remember back in Week 1, when it was considered somewhat of an upset that the Saints were able to take out the Falcons by a score of 23-17? Flashforward to Week 12, and the Falcons are now considered the worst team in the NFC. The Saints used to suffer some upsets, but their defense will ensure they win a road game like this against a depleted division rival. Saints 31, Falcons 13

The Hottest Team in Football: I envy the Carolina Panthers right now. They have been able to build their team on both sides of the ball to a level in which I'd like to envision the Browns being at in the next year or two. The Chargers couldn't take advantage of the Dolphins' offensive line woes last week, but the Panthers will have no problems getting to Ryan Tannehill. What about the fact that Carolina is on the road? I don't think so that will phase them -- during their six-game winning streak, they blew out the Vikings and Buccaneers on the road, and then won a tough game at San Francisco. Panthers 27, Dolphins 13

Upset of the Week: The Bears have certainly been involved in some heart-thumping games, but what should we think about the Rams? After a three-game losing streak, they stunned everybody by blowing out the Colts 38-8 in Indianapolis a couple of weeks ago. Then they had a bye week. They are a tough team for me to put a finger on right now, so my flip of the coin will give them an upset win this week. Rams 23, Bears 20

Where is the Clicker...because anybody watching this game will be begging to change the channel ASAP. At this point, if I'm the Texans, I'd throw the game to try to improve my draft position over a division rival at the end of the year. The Jaguars are bound to stay in the basement for a longer period of time, while the Texans have more potential to regroup (like the Colts did) with a good offseason. I think they'll still try to win, though. Texans 20, Jaguars 13

Holding Down the Fort for Rodgers: At 320 points, the Vikings have allowed more points than any team in the NFL. It doesn't matter that the Packers are going with Scott Tolzien for another week; some of their defensive players are getting back, and Green Bay desperately needs a win to try to stay in contention in the event Aaron Rodgers is able to come back and rescue them. Packers 31, Vikings 20

Whose Side Are You On? Because both of these teams could end up holding a tiebreaker over the Browns, this is the most important non-Browns game to Cleveland fans this week. Honestly, it's kind of tough to say which outcome would benefit the Browns, because both teams are inconsistent and what they do in the following weeks will, in hindsight, dictate who Cleveland needed to win this game. Going based on their alternating wins and losses, I'll stick with the Jets rebounding this week. Jets 24, Ravens 13

Arrow Through the Chargers' Playoff Hopes: The Chargers weren't up to the challenge against the Broncos a couple of weeks ago, and now, they are losing all of the positive esteem they built up earlier this season since they are in the middle of a three-game losing streak. The Chargers do have the talent to win on any given Sunday, but nothing tells me that the Chiefs will suffer a letdown, knowing that they have a chance to recapture the division a week from now in a rematch against Denver. Chiefs 27, Chargers 14

Rejuvenated At Last: Yes! Yes! This is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers team I expected to see all season (the version that has come away victorious the past two weeks). It will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers' secondary matches up against Calvin Johnson. Detroit will be looking for a better performance after their slow start and then late-collapse against the Steelers, but they'll have to play this one down to the wire. Lions 21, Buccaneers 17

T-Rich Thinks He's Running Well: I fully know that I am being a broken record about this every week, but is anybody talking about the Arizona Cardinals yet? The Panthers have gotten all the publicity for their six-game winning streak to improve to 7-4, but the Cardinals have won three straight and are tied for second place in the NFC West with the 49ers. Based on what the Colts have been showing lately, they aren't a safe bet to win. However, Arizona has had a very soft stretch of games (Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville), so I'll give the Colts the benefit of the doubt this week (no thanks to Trent Richardson). Colts 24, Cardinals 20

What's His Name? McGloin? This game won't get as much attention as Jets-Ravens, but this is another important contest to Browns fans. Both teams are 4-6, so even if Cleveland wins this week, they'll still have the same record as one of these teams. Like the Jets-Ravens game, there really isn't a definitive answer as to who we need to root for in this game. I'm picking the Raiders to see if Matt McGloin can give them another unexpected spark. Raiders 16, Titans 13

Coughlin's Epic Comeback, Part III: About a month ago, everyone looked at this game and thought, "Ha! What a joke!" The Giants have ripped off four straight wins after starting 0-6 and would be tied with the Cowboys if they pull off a home win here. The problem for both teams? Philadelphia (on a bye this week) is quietly taking control of the division with Nick Foles under center. Giants 27, Cowboys 21

Game of the Week: It's amazing that despite playing in different divisions, we are never denied a prime time bout between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady every single year. Despite the Patriots' struggles this season, they are 5-0 at home. It will be a delight to watch both teams go back-and-forth, but the Broncos are too much of a complete team, while Brady still isn't getting the best production out of his receivers. Broncos 34, Patriots 28

Concerns in San Francisco: There has to be some concern among 49ers fans; at 6-4, they have lost every tough test they've faced this season, including against Seattle, Indianapolis, Carolina, and most recently, New Orleans. The 49ers should be able to continue preying on the weaker teams (a category the Redskins fall under this year), but they need to win every week to ensure two wildcard teams don't finish with better records than them. 49ers 23, Redskins 17

Avoiding the Basement: Whichever team loses this game will fall into the basement of the AFC North. It was nice to poke fun at the Steelers a couple of weeks ago when they were all alone in last place, but Pittsburgh has gone 4-2 in their last six games, while the Browns have gone 2-4 during that same stretch. Ben Roethlisberger still has a terrifying 15-1 record against Cleveland; can the Browns take him down for win No. 2? My full game preview and prediction for this game will go live on Saturday.