NFL Week 12: Trap Me

A few quick thoughts on Week 12:

• The Packers are walking into a trap. They appeared to right the ship a bit with two straight home wins, but they have now lost two defensive stalwarts for the season. Oh, and they're on the road with a short week to prepare against a team that just won a crazy game and has nothing to lose. These are typically very tough games to play, and the Packers will be in desperate need of a fast start Thursday.
• Speaking of traps: Don't sleep on Oakland. The Raiders have a competent quarterback who won't kill his team, and they have some confidence after a nice home win over Cincinnati. The Cowboys have scored precisely zero points in the first three quarters over the last two weeks. They have a total of 14 in that span.
• I can't get a read on the Saints-Patriots doozy scheduled for Monday night. Nothing really at all. Every time I think Belichick will figure out a way to win this game, I think about the way they blew the Colts game, and the fact that their defense is a shell of its championship self. Then again, the Patriots have typically risen to the occasion for big games, and if they want to have a good chance of a first-round bye, they'll probably need this one.
• The Vikings are good. Jay Cutler is not. Unless one of those immutable laws changes in time for Sunday, the Bears don't have a chance.
• Huge game for Jacksonville on Sunday. They go cross-country to play San Francisco, who is oh-so-close to being a playoff contender. A win solidifies Jacksonville as a team to contend with in the AFC, as they'd move to 7-4. It also keeps them well ahead of surging Tennessee and upstart Houston.

Here are this week's picks. Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Green Bay over DETROIT
DALLAS over Oakland
DENVER over N.Y. Giants
ATLANTA over Tampa Bay
Miami over BUFFALO
CINCINNATI over Cleveland
Seattle over ST. LOUIS
N.Y. JETS over Carolina
PHILADELPHIA over Washington
Indianapolis over HOUSTON
SAN DIEGO over Kansas City
Jacksonville over SAN FRANCISCO
TENNESSEE over Arizona
MINNESOTA over Chicago
Pittsburgh over BALTIMORE
NEW ORLEANS over New England

Last week: 11-5
Season: 88-45