Thanksgiving marks the start of the home stretch of the NFL season, which means we’re only a week away from the start of the proverbial Witching Hour, as Scott Hansen would call it. And this slate starts strong, with a Buffalo Bills vs. Houston Texans matchup to kick things off. Ahead of that, here is the ClutchPoints 2025 NFL Week 12 picks, predictions, and odds column.
On paper, Week 12 could be a bit of a snoozefest. There are three games with double-digit spreads on the calendar and only two with lines that are less than a field goal. Plus, we’ll have quarterback luminaries like Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota, Davis Mills, Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, Shedeur Sanders, and likely Mason Rudolph starting.
Still, there are some solid division games (Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles), and intriguing conference matchups like the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Los Angeles Rams. Plus, at this point in the season, teams can still jump up and surprise us on a given Sunday.
This week, we welcome back the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, while we say “see you soon” to the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and Washington Commanders.
Here in Week 12, with the international games done for the season, we get a Thursday night game, seven 1:00 p.m. ET games, four late-window tilts, a Sunday night affair, and a Monday night showdown.
After a winning Week 10, we came back down to earth in Week 11. We were 7-8 straight up, which was our first straight-up losing week of the season. At 6-8-1 against the spread, we were a little better, but not by much. Overall, this brings us to 94-70 straight up and 76-86-2 ATS on the season.
Previous weeks: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11
So, let’s get right into the NFL Week 12 picks, predictions, and odds.
Courtesy of DraftKings, here are the NFL odds.
Buffalo Bills (-5.5) at Houston Texans
The Bills rebounded last week yet again and looked like a true contender after being embarrassed by the Dolphins the week before. So, in Week 11, when Buffalo faces a Houston squad led by Davis Mills, will they step up to the challenge (or lack thereof)?
Bills Mafia should beware of division games, matchups with balanced teams that run and take away the run, or teams that are incredibly well-coached. The Texans don’t check any of those boxes, so we’ll take the Bills all the way.
Pick: Bills 35-13
Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs (-3.5)
This is a must-win game for the Chiefs as they fight for their playoff lives, whereas the Colts are in much better shape coming off a bye. Between the home-field advantage and the desperation narrative, there likely will be a lot of bets on KC to cover.
However, the Chiefs still have a lot of problems on both sides of the ball, and if Jonathan Taylor can get going against this defense, it could cause a major problem. Because they are the Chiefs, and they aren’t going away until someone kills them, they will still get the win, but we’ll take points with the hook.
Pick: Chiefs 31-30
New England Patriots (-6.5) at Cincinnati Bengals
Will Joe Burrow be back this week? Reports continue to emerge that suggest the Pro-Bowl QB could return for Week 11, which would obviously change the dynamics of this game. Even if Burrow is back, though, Ja’Marr Chase is still suspended, and the Patriots are still one of the hottest teams in the league.
It’s too bad this game isn’t the full Bengals offense against the upstart Pats, because that could be a heck of a game. As it is, though, this will be the Patriots winning by at least a touchdown.
Pick: Patriots 28-20
Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears (-2.5)
The Bears are winning games, but boy, have they all been close. So, even a small 2.5-point spread doesn’t make you feel good if you like the Bears. No Aaron Rodgers means the Steelers will be worse off, though, and Ben Johnson should have enough scheme-age to get the job done by at least a field goal.
Pick: Bears 16-13
New York Jets at Baltimore Ravens (-13.5)
It’s tempting to take Tyrod Taylor to at least cover here, but even with Lamar Jackson struggling physically, these two teams are just in such different spots from their talent to their coaching to their want-to level.
There is a world where New York at least covers here, but in Baltimore, it seems more likely that the Ravens will roll.
Pick: Ravens 30-13
Seattle Seahawks (-13.5) at Tennessee Titans
We all saw the annual Sam Darnold meltdown when the Rams kicked the Seahawks' butt last week, which is what many expected. So, while the NFL Week 12 picks, predictions, and odds column had hope the QB could turn his long-term fate around, that no longer seems possible.
That said, Darnold will still beat up on the dregs of the league and look good doing it. This means that while we will fade Darnold in the future when the pressure ramps up, we will also go all in on him when the stakes are incredibly low, like they are against the Titans.
Pick: Seahawks 28-10
New York Giants at Detroit Lions (-10.5)
The Lions are another team that disappointed last week, while the Giants got a little new coach bump with Jameis Winston under center. That’s why we like fortunes to reverse this week with both teams falling back to their level this season.
Ultimately, Detroit is pretty darn good, although not as good as last year after losing Ben Johnson. New York is not good, and won’t be until they figure out their now decade-plus-long coaching drought. Doing the math here, that means the Lions will win by a lot.
Pick: Lions 31-12
Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-6.5)
The jury is still out on J.J. McCarthy, so it’s a tough proposition to bet on the Vikings right now. That said, the NFL Week 12 picks, predictions, and odds column is still convinced that the Packers are severely overrated, and this is a division game.
Green Bay will come away with the win here, keeping their fraudulent contender reputation in place, but this game will be closer than the near-touchdown spread seems to indicate.
Pick: Packers 24-20
Cleveland Browns at Las Vegas Raiders (-3.5)
Yes, this game will be on television, although no one should watch this. It is a terrible matchup between two terrible teams that should have been put in some European country so we could all sleep through it on a Sunday morning.
Since no outcome would be a true surprise, we’ll go against the public, which loves Shedeur Sanders and the Browns here. However, the sharps are going against that play, and we’ll stick with them.
Pick: Raiders 20-13
Jacksonville Jaguars (-3) at Arizona Cardinals
This is a scary one, because every time the Jaguars give fans and bettors a glimmer of hope, they usually rip it away with a horrific performance. Going on the road across the country seems like a perfect opportunity to do just that.
Despite this, the NFL Week 12 picks, predictions, and odds column will hold its nose and put down a few units on the Jags. They are the better team and should put the Cards away early with Jacoby Brissett under center. Still, this doesn’t feel great.
Pick: Jaguars 24-17
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-1.5)
The Saints are coming off a win over the Panthers, the last time they played, and their bye week. That time off will help get rookie Tyler Shough even more up to speed, which should help the Saints' offense. However, this NFL Week 12 picks, predictions, and odds column pick is much more against the Falcons than for the Saints.
Atlanta is in shambles after losing Michael Penix Jr. and generally underperforming for the vast majority of the season, and Kirk Cousins certainly won’t correct that. This team is a mess, and a loss to New Orleans will solidify that.
Pick: Saints 16-13
Philadelphia Eagles (-3) at Dallas Cowboys
We are at the annual part of the season where the Eagles all turn on each other and start sending veiled threats and recriminations through the media. Is this a good thing? Usually, no, but in Philly, this sometimes results in a Super Bowl, so who knows.
As for the Cowboys, their offense is clicking, and their defense is much better with Quinnen Williams. This seems like a good time for an upset that will cause the Eagles to hit rock bottom before rising like an angry phoenix from the ashes and going on a deep postseason run.
Pick: Cowboys 26-23
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5)
The Rams are starting to pull away as the best team in the NFC, or at least the best team that isn’t secretly talking smack about its quarterback to the media. They are on a five-game winning streak, and that looks set to continue against the Buccaneers, losers of two straight.
While the gut says take the Rams and give the points, this game might be part of what feels like a larger trend this season. That trend is, no team is quite as good or quite as bad as they seem. And right when you think you have some teams figured out, they surprise you one way or the other. That’s why we’ll take the Bucs to at least cover here.
Pick: Rams 28-27
Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (-7)
Did last week’s Panthers win over the Falcons—with Bryce Young putting up franchise-record numbers—say more about Carolina or Atlanta? The NFL Week 12 picks, predictions, and odds column believes it is the latter, so we’re not ready to jump on the “Panthers as spoilers” narrative yet.
The 49ers have Brock Purdy back, and whatever you think of the former last pick of the draft, he is better than Mac Jones. Also, while San Francisco isn’t a great team, they do beat up on the bottom feeders, as the margin of victory in their last three wins over the Falcons, Giants, and Cardinals has been by a total of 39 points. We’ll take the home team to cover on Monday night.
Pick: 49ers 24-14
