NFL Picks Week 12: Opening Lines - Broncos Favored in Foxborough

NFL Picks Week 12: Opening Lines - Broncos Favored in Foxborough

As usual, the following article is borrowed from our friends at linemakers.sportingnews.com. Enjoy

Heading into Week 12 of the NFL season, there aren’t many teams whose postseason hopes have been dashed. In the AFC, the Dolphins and Jets, both 5-5, are tied for the sixth and final playoff seed, and a gaggle of six teams sits a game behind. In the NFC, meanwhile, two divisions – the East and North – remain wide open, with three teams having realistic chances to claim either title.

Here’s a look at the opening point spreads for next week’s slate. Lines are from the LVH SuperBook, with numbers from the Wynn and William Hill noted when notable.

Saints (-7) at Falcons

Atlanta’s miserable season continued with an uncompetitive showing in Tampa, as the Bucs earned just their second win of the season. New Orleans survived at home against San Francisco, but, for our purposes, the game pushed. William Hill hung the Saints -7 (-120) for the Thursday nighter.

Bucs at Lions (-9)

The Wynn and William Hill both came a tick higher here, hanging Detroit -9.5. The win over Atlanta marked Tampa’s second a row, but things get tougher next week with a trip to Detroit. The Lions battled in Pittsburgh, but ultimately succumbed, 37-27.

Jaguars at Texans (-11)

The Wynn and William Hill both came a tick lower here, hanging Houston -10.5. One win separates these AFC South also-rans, and both were dealt home defeats on Sunday.

Vikings at Packers (no line)

The Scott Tolzien-led Packers went down to the Giants, while Minnesota became the latest in a long list of teams to lose in Seattle. This will be the second meeting of the season between these division rivals, Green Bay winning the first, 44-31, as 7.5-point road favorites.

Chargers at Chiefs (-4.5)

San Diego, 20-16 losers in Miami, is the meat in Kansas City’s Broncos sandwich. The Chiefs were in Denver Sunday night and host Peyton Manning & Co. in Week 13.

Panthers (-4) at Dolphins

Miami got its second home win in three weeks, while Carolina looks for its sixth win in a row at home Monday against the Patriots. William Hill opened the Panthers -3.5 for next week's trip south.

Steelers at Browns (-2)

Pitt has started to put some wins together, outlasting Detroit for their the fourth in six tries. But that's not enough for bookmakers to have made them favorites against the Browns, who – if this line doesn’t flip – will lay points against Pitt for the first time since 2003. Cleveland opened an even bigger favorite at the Wynn, which hung 2.5 as its opening number.

Bears at Rams (-1)

Chicago pushed in its 23-20, weather-delayed, overtime win at home game against the Ravens, while St. Louis had the week off. The Wynn opened this game a pick ‘em.

Jets at Ravens (-3/-120)

The Jets’ win-one/lose-one pattern continued with a flat performance in Buffalo, while Baltimore came up just short in Chicago. The LVH, shortly after opening lines were posted, moved off the key number to Baltimore -3.5. That’s where the Wynn opened the game, and William Hill hung -4.

Titans (-1) at Oakland

This game bounced between its opening price of Tennessee -1, to a pick ‘em, back to Tennessee -1. William Hill opened Oakland the 1-point favorite. The Raiders won in Houston and got the cash for the third time in four weeks. The Titans are 4-0 ATS on the road this season.

Colts at Cardinals (-2)

Arizona ran its record to 6-4 and has evidently gained some respect in the betting marketplace. The Cards opened -2.5 at the Wynn. Indy is 7-3, gets a few days extra rest this week and is a stout 4-1 SU and ATS on the road.

Cowboys at Giants (-2.5)

There was a good amount of early movement at the LVH for this big game in the scrum that is the NFC East. New York, winners of four straight, opened -2.5, dipped as low as -1.5 about 20 minutes later, and were bet back up to the original price. The Wynn opened 1.5 and was also pushed to 2.5.

Broncos (-2.5) at Patriots

Denver makes its second straight Sunday night appearance next week and is the early road favorite against Peyton Manning’s longtime nemeses. In last season’s meeting, New England beat the Broncos, 31-21, as 5.5-point favorites in Foxborough. The Pats will be dogs for the second week in a row – that's a rare occurrence – as they’re +2.5 at the Panthers Monday night.

49ers (-5) and Redskins

San Francisco’s struggles against playoff-caliber opponents continued with a near-miss in New Orleans. The Niners step down in class next Monday night, though. Washington’s comeback attempt in Philly fell short, and the Skins sit at 3-7 on the year. The LVH opened San Fran -5 and moved to -4.5 about a half-hour later, while the Wynn opened -5.5 and moved to -5.