Expert Picks and Week 12 NFL Odds Preview

Did you know there are only about 100 days until the 2016 NFL regular season gets underway? Sportsbooks already have NFL betting odds out on every game of the season other than Week 17. So here are three early picks for Week 12. That is Thanksgiving weekend, meaning there are three games on Turkey Day.

A Look at the Expert Picks and Week 12 NFL Odds Preview

Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions (+3.5)

This is the first Thanksgiving Day game, which has long been a staple in Detroit. This line surprises me somewhat even though the Vikings are defending NFC North champions and the Lions had a losing record in 2016. Detroit was swept by the Vikings last year. The game in Detroit was Week 7 and the Vikings won 28-19. Stefon Diggs leaped from just inside the 5 and landed in the end zone with a 36-yard, go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. The rookie had six receptions for 108 yards overall. It was Minnesota’s first NFC North road win in three years. Detroit had an 11-point lead after Matthew Stafford threw for TDs on its first two drives, but blew it in large part because the offensive line couldn’t protect the quarterback. Minnesota had a season-high seven sacks, which also was a season worst for Detroit. The Lions led 17-6 on Matt Prater’s 52-yard field goal late in the first half.

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (-1.5)

Mark Sanchez is doing all the right things to be Denver’s starting QB: https://t.co/mfCvL2dRpX (via @jeffrichadiha) pic.twitter.com/D5bxTWbZw8

— NFL (@NFL) May 29, 2016

Needless to say, this pick depends on who Denver’s starting quarterback is. Four months ago, the Super Bowl champion Broncos had Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler. Now after Manning retired and Osweiler left as a free agent for Houston, the defending champs head into the offseason with Mark Sanchez, Trevor Siemian and rookie Paxton Lynch. Coach Gary Kubiak says the competition will be wide open, but most expect Sanchez to win the job. He would act as a bridge QB to Lynch. Regardless, Denver will still have one of the NFL’s top defenses. It won in Kansas City last year but lost 29-13 at home. Manning became the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yardage in the game, eclipsing Brett Favre’s mark of 71,838 with a 4-yard pass to Ronnie Hillman. Manning finished the day with just 35 yards on 5-of-20 passing, zero touchdowns, four interceptions, two sacks and a zero passer rating before being benched late in the third quarter in favor of Osweiler. The Broncos were missing defensive stars DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib that day. I like Denver here.

New England Patriots at New York Jets (+3)

Go Pats on betting lines here even though they lost 26-20 in overtime at the Jets in Week 16 last year. Eric Decker’s 6-yard touchdown catch on the first drive of overtime — after New England shockingly chose to kick off — was the winner. New England won the overtime coin toss and elected to kick to the Jets. Patriots coach Bill Belichick said there was “no confusion” on the call; he’d done it once before in 2013, but a hefty wind was involved against Denver. Tom Brady hit James White for a 9-yard score with 1:55 to go, forcing OT. The Patriots were without top receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola due to injury.