Broncos-Chiefs Preview and Week 12 Picks!

The Broncos return from their bye week at 7-3 and host the 7-3 Kansas City Chiefs in a huge AFC West showdown on Sunday Night Football on NBC. Every week from here on out will be very important, but this one will be extremely vital for the Broncos if they are going to make their playoff run down the stretch. This is the first of two games against the Chiefs, and the other one will come in Week 16 on Christmas night in Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos need to win this game and the next two at Jacksonville and at Tennessee to get to 10-3 because their final three games are very tough (NE at home, at KC, and Oak at home). The Broncos are getting some key players back from injury for the game against the Chiefs. Aqib Talib will be returning from a back injury and Derek Wolfe will be back from an elbow injury. If the Broncos are healthy on defense, then they will have a very good chance to beat the Chiefs. On the flip side, the Broncos offense will struggle to move the ball on the Chiefs defense. KC is getting Justin Houston back up to speed on the edge, and I think it will be a difficult matchup for Denver in that area. This game will be close, and don't be fooled by the Chiefs loss at home on Sunday to the Bucs. Both teams are evenly matched, and it will come down to which team makes the least amount of mistakes and which team can move the ball enough on offense to win the game. I am worried that the Chiefs will be able to do a little bit more than the Broncos and that could be enough for KC to win this game.

Kansas City (+3.5) over DENVER
Final Score: Chiefs-20 Broncos-14

Now, onto the rest of the picks for Week 12......

Last Week's Record: 10-4
Thanksgiving Record: 3-0

Overall Record: 88-65-9
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

HOUSTON (+2) over San Diego: The Texans suffered a tough loss in Mexico City to the Raiders on Monday night, and now they head back home to take on the 4-6 Chargers. A lot of people think that the Chargers could win this game, and they are actually favored, but I think the Texans will be too much for them. Expect a close game, but look for the Texans to come out on top.

Tennessee (-4) over CHICAGO: The Bears are a mess at 2-8, and the injuries have really started to pile up. Jay Cutler is out and Matt Barkley gets the start. The Titans are 5-6 and lost a tough one at Indy last week, but they are still in the race in the AFC South, and they will take of business and get the win over the Bears on the road.

BUFFALO (-7) over Jacksonville: The Jags are also 2-8, and they are playing for jobs and Head Coach Gus Bradley is likely coming to the end of his tenure in Jacksonville. The Bills are 5-5 and in the mix in the AFC Wild Card picture. They will be too much for the Jags in Buffalo on Sunday, and they will get to 6-5.

BALTIMORE (-4) over Cincy: The Bengals have fallen apart and now are 3-6-1. Their season is coming undone, and the Ravens at 5-5 are fighting for the AFC North crown. The Ravens won't screw this up and they will put the Bengals out of their misery.

Arizona (+4) over ATLANTA: The Falcons will win this game to get to 7-4, but this game seems like it will be closer than people expect. This could be the best game of the early ones on Sunday.

MIAMI (-7) over San Francisco: Give the Dolphins credit. They did nothing on offense in LA on Sunday and were down 10-0 in the 4th quarter. They scored two touchdowns late and won the game 14-10. It was a huge win and now they are 6-4 with a four-game winning streak. They get a break here with the 1-9 49ers coming into South Florida. The Dolphins have things rolling at this point and that will continue with a win this Sunday over lowly San Fran.

NEW ORLEANS (-7) over Los Angeles: The Jared Goff era had a rough start last week in the loss to the Dolphins. At 4-6, the Rams are still competing for a playoff spot, but we all know that they are going to make it in this year. The Saints are 4-6 and coming off that brutal loss to Denver at home two weeks ago. I know the Rams defense is good, but they won't be able to hold off the Saints. New Orleans gets to 5-6 and keeps their slim playoff hopes alive.

NY Giants (-7) over CLEVELAND: The Giants might be the most flawed 7-3 team in recent history, but they are winning and that is all that matters. They won't falter this week in Cleveland when they take on the 0-11 Browns. Could the G-Men blow this game? In the past, I could see it happening, but the Giants are winning close games and they are winning the games they need to win this year and this week will be no different.

TAMPA BAY (+6) over Seattle: This is a sneaky good game in the late window on Sunday. The Bucs are 5-5 after a big win in KC last week, and the Seahawks are rolling at 7-2-1 and have established themselves as the favorites in the NFC. Seattle will win the game, but I could see this game being close in the 4th quarter.

Carolina (+4) over OAKLAND: The Panthers are 4-6 and their playoff hopes are on life support. The Raiders won a huge game over the Texans on MNF, and at 8-2 they are having their best season since 2002. This could be a game that the Raiders could lose, and I think the fatigue will be a factor from playing in high altitude in Mexico City last week. The Panthers will be a tough out and the Raiders will win, but it could be a lot closer than expected.

New England (-8) over NY JETS: At 3-7, the Jets are having a disastrous season and instead of going with Bryce Petty at QB, they are going back to Ryan Fitzpatrick. That move has sent the Jets fan base into a frenzy. To make matters worse, the 8-2 Pats come into MetLife Stadium on Sunday. The Pats will love nothing more than to pound the Jets and put them away, and I think that is what will happen this week.

Green Bay (+4) over PHILLY: I know I have been waiting for the Packers to break out of their slump, and each week the Packers haven't been able to do it. At 4-6, they need a win or their season could be over with a loss on Monday Night Football at Philly. The Eagles come in at 5-5, but they still have a chance to get into the playoffs. I would think that the Eagles will win this game at home, but I have to think at some point the Packers will play better and win a game they shouldn't. Could the Packers really fall to 4-7? It very well could happen but I'll take them one more time to break out.