NFL Picks Week 12 – Del’s Selections

Del set off to enjoy the Patriots-Colts game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, only to return and discover that he was absolutely dominating with his Week 11 picks.  What do I mean by dominating?  How’s a 13-3 week against the spread sound?  Needless to say, Del has shot back above .500 on the season in the ATS category.  As for the Top 3, Del is only 6-0 the past two weeks with those.  We may not be able to put together many more 13-3 weeks this late in the season, but the goal is for the accuracy to continue.  On to this week’s Top 3.

I like the first game of the week as one of my three best bets this week. There will be a lot of people who believe the Patriots are due for a letdown and are stepping into a trap on Thanksgiving Day, but I think the beating they took in Cleveland will prevent that from happening.  I can’t see Bill Belichick letting his team overlook another lesser opponent the way they did against the Browns.  I feel very comfortable taking the Pats this week only needing a touchdown to cover.

While I admire the Bills for the way they came back against the Bengals to win their second straight game after an 0-8 start, their recent success has made for a friendly spread against the Steelers.  If Cincinnati had hung on to beat Buffalo, the spread for this game would probably be at least 10 points.  Instead, the Bills were able to grind out a win and may be getting too much credit this week.  The Steelers should remind everyone that while Buffalo is a tough team, they’re still not very good.

As for the third pick in the Top 3, I really like Houston -6.5 at home against the Titans.  Jeff Fisher has grown tired of Vince Young, so he’s giving the start to rookie quarterback Rusty Smith.  The Texans are in desperate need of a win and we all know how first-timers usually fare when they’re thrown into the mix mid-season.  Houston’s pass defense is horrible, but the Titans are a distracted team with a rookie quarterback making his first career start.  The Texans should beat them easily.  Good luck to all, have a great Thanksgiving, and — if the spirit moves you — win some money.