How quickly the NFL season flies by, year after year. It doesn't matter how much you try to savor it, it's here and gone in a flash. We're right in the heart of it now, but it feels like the first 11 weeks have been going at warp speed.
Week 12 of the 2025 NFL season is already upon us, and there's plenty of drama on tap with this week's schedule. We've got a couple of fascinating divisional matchups, teams jockeying for first place in their respective divisions, and the Kansas City Chiefs potentially on the brink of a sub-.500 record entering the end of November.
Wild times we're living in, no doubt. We're making our weekly NFL picks and score predictions for every single game, with analysis of where each team is at right now as well as what could be some intriguing factors in each matchup. As always, the beauty of the NFL is unpredictable, but we're going to try and call our shot anyway.
2025 NFL picks and score predictions for every Week 12 game
Teams on a bye: Broncos, Commanders, Dolphins, Chargers
Buffalo Bills (7-3) @ Houston Texans (5-5)
Thursday, November 20, 8:15 PM ET
The Buffalo Bills got back on track this past weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Josh Allen was in his MVP form. Allen racked up a total of six touchdowns – 3 passing, 3 rushing – and is back to putting the team on his back.
While the Buffalo Bills’ defense remains a concern, you can’t help but feel solid about them beating a team like Houston on a short week. The Texans may or may not be getting CJ Stroud back for this game after he missed the last couple of weeks with a concussion, but the Bills are a 3.5-point favorite here and I’m not sure how much Stroud changes that.
The Texans find themselves right back in the mix at 5-5 after winning three of their last four games, but they’re going to have to buckle down in the red zone. The Texans have the #1 overall defense in the league, but they’re 28th in red zone percentage on that side of the ball.
With the way we just saw Josh Allen and the Bills finishing drives against the Bucs, that could be a bad omen for the Texans in Week 12. This is a game Houston can’t afford to lose, but they might not have it in them to handle Josh Allen, especially if Stroud doesn’t play.
And maybe not even if he does…But that defense will likely keep it close enough.
Prediction: Bills win 24-20
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) @ Chicago Bears (7-3)
Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET
Although he left the game with an injury this past weekend against the Bengals, it sounds like the Pittsburgh Steelers will have Aaron Rodgers available against the Chicago Bears this coming weekend.
Even if Rodgers isn’t able to play, what we saw from Mason Rudolph on Sunday should give some hope to Steelers fans that things will be alright one way or another, but this is one of the biggest matchups of the week for both teams.
The Steelers have the Baltimore Ravens creeping up right behind them right now in the AFC North at 5-5 heading into the weekend of action. They obviously don’t have much margin for error, and they’re going up against a Chicago Bears team that has been equal parts opportunistic and impressive in the turnover department defensively.
The Bears pick off a lot of passes, and they have the weapons offensively to take advantage of those mistakes. Ben Johnson has done a really great job getting this overall operation on track, and playing at home this weekend, you know that place is going to be absolutely rocking.
Especially with Aaron Rodgers coming to town. The Bears hate Aaron Rodgers, who has dubbed himself an owner of the team. During Rodgers’s time with the Green Bay Packers, he did own the Bears, and that history could come into play on Sunday.
The Bears are early three-point favorites, so there’s some healthy skepticism out there about the Steelers. And I would say that’s rather justified. The fun thing about this game here is that it could be an ugly defensive battle or a shootout. With both of these teams, you just don’t know what you’re going to get on a week-to-week basis. I’ll take the Bears for a little revenge on Rodgers.
Prediction: Bears win 23-19
New England Patriots (9-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-7)
Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET
Before their matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, it was reported that the Cincinnati Bengals could soon be getting some serious reinforcements on both sides of the ball with Joe Burrow’s return to the practice field, as well as Trey Hendrickson coming back from injury. Of course, those guys didn’t help against the Steelers, and the Bengals stumbled badly to their 7th loss of the season.
There’s still a lot of football left to be played, but it’s hard to see the Bengals realistically making any noise the rest of the way this season. Wouldn’t it just be the weirdest twist if they were able to get a win this weekend against the Patriots?
The difficult part about making a pick or prediction for this game is that we really don’t know how serious the Bengals are about putting Joe Burrow back out there this season. If they feel like Burrow can come out there and help them run the table, or get to 9-8, maybe we do see him on Sunday.
If that’s the case, you would have to think the line would shift from the Patriots being seven-point road favorites to the Bengals maybe even being favored. Maybe that’s a little bit extreme.
The Patriots have been exceptional this season, especially on the road. In fact, they’re the only NFL team that is still undefeated in road games (5-0). If Burrow plays, I would honestly take the Bengals in this game. Even if not, it’ll be interesting to see this Patriots team in a potential shootout.
Prediction: Patriots win 31-26
New York Giants (2-9) @ Detroit Lions (6-4)
Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET
All of a sudden, the Detroit Lions find themselves on the outside looking in at the playoff picture in mid-November. Based on how good this team has looked at times this season, nothing would be more of a shocker than them missing the postseason entirely, but that’s just how good the NFC is overall right now.
And with their backs against the wall, you almost feel bad for the Giants with how focused the Lions are likely to be this coming weekend. Not that the Lions were lacking focus against the Eagles, but they’re still getting used to Dan Campbell calling plays, and the Giants simply don’t have the same level of talent (or margin for error) as the Eagles.
The Lions are early 11.5-point favorites at home in this game, and that doesn’t even feel generous enough. This is a team that has no choice but to win this week, with the Packers and Bears both notching wins in Week 11, and the playoffs are seriously in jeopardy if they have many more slip-ups.
The one thing the Lions will have to guard against is this game against the Giants being a true trap game. The Giants are obviously not a great opponent, and with Thanksgiving looming next Thursday, it’s going to be critical for Dan Campbell to have his guys properly prepared.
The Giants will be interesting to watch with the status of Jaxson Dart. If he plays in this game, he can give that offense a spark. He obviously has to clear concussion protocol, and there’s no guarantee of that happening. If it does happen, the Lions will get all they can handle because Dart is a very capable dual threat who doesn’t fear anyone.
Prediction: Lions win 34-24
Minnesota Vikings (4-6) @ Green Bay Packers (6-3-1)
Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET
The Minnesota Vikings came all the way back from down 16-3 in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears, but they couldn’t make a tackle on kickoff coverage and let their defense seal the deal. Instead, they pulled defeat from the jaws of victory, taking a game from the Chicago Bears and then giving it right back.
With six losses, there’s truly no more room for error for the Vikings this season, and they’re going on the road to face off against the Packers at a pretty brutal time.
The Vikings have been one of the most turnover-prone offenses in the NFL this season, with 18 total giveaways. As much as you want to believe that defense can hold up against a Packers offense that has struggled some in the last month, it just feels like the Vikings are hanging on by a thread.
The Packers struggled to a win against the New York Giants, but the offense made some huge plays and the defense came through with a clutch turnover. That defense has been susceptible at times this season in the secondary, but the pass rush with Micah Parsons is going to give JJ McCarthy fits.
The Packers are 6.5-point favorites at home against the Vikings, and even as much as the Vikings have struggled to take care of the ball, they’ve found ways to keep games tight since McCarthy’s return to the lineup. How much juice do they have left in them right now?
Prediction: Packers win 27-20
Seattle Seahawks (7-3) @ Tennessee Titans (1-9)
Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET
Listen, I don’t care if you’re the best team (or one of the top 5) in the NFL facing off against the team that’s poised to earn the #1 overall pick in next year’s draft or not. Teams from the West Coast going to the East Coast and playing in the early time slot is always a recipe for some shenanigans.
With that said, let’s not play around very much here. The Seattle Seahawks are going to find a way to win this game, right? And it shouldn’t be difficult, I’m just saying that it might be. The Seahawks are coming off of an emotional, tough loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Sam Darnold threw four interceptions. One of two things will happen this coming week as a result.
Either the Seahawks will bounce back in a big way and look like the elite team we had seen all throughout the last 6-8 weeks before the Rams game, or they’re going to let the Titans keep it close and eke out a win on the road.
In the NFL, it doesn’t matter how you get them, it just matters that you get them. And the Seahawks are just too good of a team for the Titans to hang with. Even with Darnold throwing four interceptions against the Rams, we saw the Seahawks almost find a way to win. This team has too much margin for error to get upset by the Titans, and that’s why they’re one of the biggest favorites of the week at 13 points.
The Titans obviously have their eyes on the prize right now, which is the top pick in next year’s draft. Even without a need for a new quarterback, the Titans should be able to mortgage that pick off for multiple building block pieces.
Prediction: Seahawks win 37-16
Indianapolis Colts (8-2) @ Kansas City Chiefs (5-5)
Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET
Nothing in the NFL is ever a foregone conclusion; remember that. The Kansas City Chiefs were supposed to be 6-4 for this homecoming game after facing the Denver Broncos. There was “no way” they were going to get to 5-5 and struggle against a Broncos team that had been bad offensively for two games in a row.
Well, the “unthinkable” happened, and Andy Reid’s team dropped a game out of the bye week. And they were sloppy. Reid was previously 22-4 coming out of the bye week as a head coach, and the Chiefs were pretty much fully accounted for in the health department, except for Isiah Pacheco. The fact that they lost to the Broncos this past weekend needs to be a wake-up call for the reigning AFC Champions.
They don’t have it any easier, even playing at home, because the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts are coming to town, and the Colts are also coming off of their bye week. Shane Steichen is one of the best offensive schemers in the league today, so it’s going to be interesting to see how the Chiefs respond to this new adversity. These are uncharted waters for this team.
Kansas City is still a 3.5-point home favorite early in the week, so it’s clear that the oddsmakers are not buying this team’s demise just yet. Especially with Daniel Jones turning the ball over at a ridiculous rate the previous couple of games heading into the bye, you can see the Chiefs finding a way to get back on track here.
With Kansas City playing at home, I’m taking the Chiefs.
Prediction: Chiefs win 28-24
New York Jets (2-8) @ Baltimore Ravens (5-5)
Sunday, November 23, 1:00 PM ET
This probably isn’t going to be the game that excites people the most this coming week, but we’re undoubtedly keeping close tabs on the Baltimore Ravens right now. It’s obviously been a weird year for the Ravens, certainly not the type of dominant play that we saw from them last year, but you have to consider them as dangerous as any team contending for the Wild Card at this stage.
Lamar Jackson is back, and the team has won three games quickly, putting some serious pressure on the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are now just one game up in the division.
Baltimore’s win against the Cleveland Browns this past weekend was not the most inspiring of the weekend, they’re still 14.5-point favorites over the Jets this week. And as wild as it is to say, the Jets are probably quite a bit worse overall than the Browns right now.
Baltimore is getting the road paved for them a little bit here. The Jets need everything to go right and nothing to go wrong on a given weekend to get a win, and I just don’t see that happening against the Ravens. It won’t be long, and the Ravens will be 6-5, and with the Steelers going on the road to Chicago this weekend, we could be looking at those two teams tied atop the division heading into Week 13.
Prediction: Ravens win 34-13
Cleveland Browns (2-8) @ Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)
Sunday, November 23, 4:05 PM ET
Get a load of this game.
The Cleveland Browns are going on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders, who are coming off of a bye week and look like one of the most disappointing teams in the league so far this season.
At least, if you ask Nick Wright.
The hiring of Pete Carroll has lost a little luster. The trade for Geno Smith looks like a massive whiff. The Brock Bowers injury earlier in the season was deflating. Ashton Jeanty is not taking over like he did at Boise State, go figure.
It’s not going to be an easy one coming out of the bye for the Raiders, facing off against a tough Cleveland Browns defense, which gave Lamar Jackson all he could handle in Week 11. As bad as the Browns have been at the quarterback position and just offensively in general, that defense has really not wavered all that much.
Cleveland’s defense could make life difficult for Geno Smith, who has been a turnover machine this weekend. Even coming out of a bye week, it’s hard to see the Raiders getting back on track against this defense. This could be one of the uglier games of the week, but with the added intrigue that Shedeur Sanders might get a start with Dillon Gabriel in concussion protocol.
Prediction: Raiders win 16-13
Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) @ Arizona Cardinals (3-7)
Sunday, November 23, 4:05 PM ET
What are we supposed to make of the Jacksonville Jaguars at this point? They got an impressive win against the Kansas City Chiefs a handful of weeks ago, followed by a disappointing stretch of play. Then they get a blowout win this past weekend at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
I don’t know how to get a proper read on this team, but when the Jaguars have been good, they’ve been quite good. This is a team that’s certainly capable of beating you in a variety of different ways. They’ve got playmakers on offense, they’ve got a defense that can create takeaways, and they might be dangerous with the Colts traveling to Kansas City this weekend.
The Jaguars are creeping up behind.
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t sneaking up on anybody at this point. In fact, the opposite. It feels like Jonathan Gannon could be one of the NFL coaches on the hot seat after benching Kyler Murray clearly didn’t work, and the Cardinals have given up over 80 points in their last two games after beating the Cowboys on Monday Night Football a couple of weeks ago.
That feels like a lifetime ago at this point.
Still, despite their struggles, the Cardinals are just 2.5-point underdogs against the Jaguars this week. Like we said earlier, it’s tough to get a read on the Jags, so the conservative spread is justified.
Prediction: Jaguars win 23-17
Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) @ Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, November 23, 4:25 PM ET
It’s going to be fascinating to see how the Eagles and Cowboys play each other at this point in the season after they looked pretty evenly-matched back in the season opener. The two teams have gone in different directions since that point, but this is a pivotal game for the Cowboys at home, especially with the moves they’ve made to upgrade the defensive side of the ball.
Getting Quinnen Williams in a trade with the Jets was huge, but the Cowboys have also gotten a ton of other guys back from injury recently. With the way we’ve seen Dak Prescott and the offense playing at home this season, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Dallas found a way to put a little run together here in the month of November.
But as ugly as the Eagles have been offensively at times this season, it’s not going to come easy. We saw the Eagles’ defense put on a show against the Detroit Lions, only allowing nine points and getting huge contributions already from newcomer Jaelan Phillips, a player the Cowboys probably should have tried to go after at the deadline as well.
The Eagles have been struggling this year offensively, but this team seems to be able to do just enough, no matter what the situation calls for. I don’t hate the Cowboys in a little upset with Philly a 4.5-point road favorite.
Prediction: Cowboys win 24-22
Atlanta Falcons (3-7) @ New Orleans Saints (2-8)
Sunday, November 23, 4:25 PM ET
Somebody had to compete with the Browns and Raiders to be playing the worst game of the week, and here is your top contender. The New Orleans Saints will be coming off of a bye week to face off against the Atlanta Falcons, whose starting quarterback will be Kirk Cousins for the remainder of the season.
Starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is dealing with another major knee injury that just ended his season, a huge concern for the long-term outlook of the Falcons because Penix came into the NFL with major concerns about his knees. The Falcons determined he was still worth the 1st-round investment, and now they’re looking at a long road to recovery for Penix with no first-round pick to work with in 2026.
And it doesn’t seem Kirk Cousins is going to come in and right the ship, but with a full week of preparation to get ready for the Saints (and a ton of weapons at his disposal), you never know. The advantage of having a bye week isn’t exactly “lost” on the Saints, but it seems to play better for teams with veteran coaches and quarterbacks.
It’ll be interesting to see how the second half of the season goes for Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, and whether or not he can keep building on the solid performance he had just before the bye week.
Prediction: Falcons win 27-20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4) @ Los Angeles Rams (8-2)
Sunday, November 23, 8:20 PM ET
How weird is it to say that this game is between Baker Mayfield and his old team? It’s easy to forget, because of how well Mayfield has played for the Bucs, that he spent a bit of time with both the Panthers and Rams. Wild times, right?
There is no ill will between Mayfield and the Rams, however. Quite the opposite, in fact. This will simply be an opportunity for Mayfield to go on the road and get his team back on track against one of the best teams (if not the best team) in the NFL right now. The Buccaneers have had a lot of injuries on the offensive side of the ball this season, but the offense didn’t seem to be the problem against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
That Bucs defense allowed Allen to account for a whopping six touchdowns, and the Rams have to be licking their chops to take advantage of the Bucs’ defensive struggles as well as their injuries on offense.
This is a Rams team that has absolutely feasted on the mistakes of their opponents this season, getting after the quarterback, forcing turnovers, and looking like a true Super Bowl contender. They just picked off Sam Darnold four times in a win, and the pass rush led by Jared Verse will be getting after Mayfield in this one.
Considering how solid the Bucs have been this year, it speaks volumes to what Vegas thinks of the Rams that they are 6.5-point favorites at home, and I think they can cover that.
Prediction: Rams win 33-24
Carolina Panthers (6-5) @ San Francisco 49ers (7-4)
Monday, November 24, 8:20 PM ET
I absolutely love this matchup for primetime. The San Francisco 49ers just got quarterback Brock Purdy back, and immediately put up 40-plus points. Not that Mac Jones wasn’t playing well, because he was, but there’s an extra jolt you could feel from this team with their quarterback under center again.
These are two teams we haven’t gotten to see play a ton this year in terms of the national audience. The Panthers have scratched and clawed their way into the mix for the NFC South division lead, and if the Bucs lose on Sunday night, Carolina might be playing for a first-place tie.
The 49ers, on the other hand, are going to be doing their best to keep pace in the NFC West, which has been ridiculously competitive, and hoping the Bucs can go on the road and upset the Rams.
Despite the quality of the NFC West this year, the 49ers have a chance to win that division, even with a list of injuries that would sink most ships around the NFL. The job that’s been done by Kyle Shanahan this year cannot be overstated.
While the Panthers have been a great story and an interesting team at times this year, I just can’t see them going into San Francisco and finding a way to pull out a win. Bryce Young played maybe the best game we’ve ever seen from him this past weekend, but Robert Saleh defenses are a different beast.
The 49ers are seven-point home favorites here, and I could see them running away with this game. That’s a team that, when it catches momentum, it’s tough to slow down. Christian McCaffrey can let his old team know what they’re missing.
Prediction: 49ers win 38-21