The playoff stakes are heating up every single week in the NFL these days, and entering Week 12, there is a lot on the line for the future of a lot of different teams when it comes to both the playoffs and the 2025 NFL Draft...
Believe it or not, this is probably the one week this entire season (so far) in which I have seen Vegas oddsmakers projecting so many big wins for teams. There are a whopping eight games on the schedule with a spread of 5.5 points or larger, meaning Vegas is expecting a lot of teams to probably get smacked this week.
So, at the risk (as always) of ending up on Old Takes Exposed, which teams are guaranteed to lose in Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season?
Read More: 5 NFL teams guaranteed to WIN in Week 12
Cowboys among teams guaranteed to lose in Week 12 of 2024 NFL season
1. Dallas Cowboys (road game vs. Commanders)
I hate to just start with the low-hanging fruit here, Cowboys fans, but your team is almost assured a loss here in Week 12 against the Commanders. The Commanders are due after hitting a bit of a skid the last handful of weeks. The Cowboys are beaten, battered, and broken.
What's worse? The Commanders have a commander in chief (head coach Dan Quinn) who knows this Cowboys team like the back of his hand. Dan Quinn's familiarity with the Cowboys along with the current talent discrepancy in favor of Washington (wild to say) gives them a huge edge this week, on top of the fact that they're playing at home.
And Dallas has a short week looming. The Commanders are whopping 10.5-point home favorites and I think Dallas is guaranteed to help them cover.
2. New England Patriots (road game vs. Dolphins)
The New England Patriots are on the right trajectory right now. They are competing for the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which would allow them to select Colorado superstar Travis Hunter. Even if that doesn't happen, the Pats are in a great position to be able to take a top-tier non-QB on their draft board or trade their pick to a team desperate for a quarterback.
Drake Maye continues to show signs of improvement each week. The Patriots clearly need to add pieces around Maye and they don't currently have the talent to keep up with a team like Miami. All of that to say, the Patriots are paid to play as well, and anything can happen in the NFL in a given week. But I don't see New England keeping up with the Dolphins, who are looking to make a late push this season for the playoffs.
3. San Francisco 49ers (road game vs. Packers)
Alright, I'm sorry to have to do this 49ers fans, but here it comes...
The 49ers are losing this week, I'm afraid.
Again, anything can happen in the NFL on a given week. There is always that caveat. But the 49ers declared both starting QB Brock Purdy and star pass rusher Nick Bosa out for this game against the Green Bay Packers, and the Packers are going to be out for blood with the way their playoff run ended against the Niners last season.
Green Bay's defense has been outstanding forcing turnovers this season and even though we know Kyle Shanahan is going to have Brandon Allen ready to play, this could be a long afternoon for San Francisco.