NFL Week 12 Staff Picks: A changing of the guard in Cowboys-Giants rivalry

Each week during the NFL season, the staff at theScore will put on their prognosticator hats and offer up selections against the spread for each of the week’s games, highlighting several marquee matchups.

Unanimous selections: Patriots -6.5, Packers -9, Cowboys -3

Unanimous selections are 19-16 ATS for the season. Last week: 2-1 ATS.

Marquee Matchups

Detroit Lions at New England Patriots (-6.5)

Gino Bottero: New England has won six in a row since an embarrassing Monday night loss in Kansas City, with an average margin of victory of 19.2 points. While the game plan involved heavy doses of Jonas Gray in Indianapolis, expect to see more of Tom Brady in this one. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick loves to take away an opposing offense's top option, and the Lions have been a different team without Calvin Johnson. Patriots -6.5

Caitlyn Holroyd: The Patriots are one of two teams that have yet to lose at home this season. That's bad news for Matthew Stafford, who is 0-15 on the road against teams with a winning record and is coming off his lowest offensive output of the season. The Lions' defense should be able to keep them in the game, but that alone won't be enough to get them in the win column. Patriots -6.5

Dan Wilkins: The Patriots' new-look defensive backfield has made a habit out of limiting some high-powered offenses to this point in the season, and they should continue to do so at home against the Lions this week. While the Lions' interior pressure should go a long way toward disrupting a Patriots passing game that has been among the league's best of late, look for the Brady-Gronkowski connection to once again dominate over the middle of the field, carrying New England to a convincing victory. Patriots -6.5

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks (-6.5)

Bottero: Reports of the Seahawks' demise have been greatly exaggerated. Seattle had won three in a row before an understandable loss in Kansas City. They were even able to churn out 204 yards on the ground in that one. As for the Cardinals, they were able to jump out to an early lead against the Lions last weekend. It will be interesting to see how Drew Stanton fares playing from behind. Seahawks -6.5

Holroyd: The Cardinals didn't lose a step with Drew Stanton under center against the Lions, and now hold a three-game lead over the Seahawks in the NFC West. Unlike Detroit, Seattle's offense is fueled by their ground game, which is averaging a league-best 174.2 rushing yards per game. However, they'll have to contend with the Cardinals' third-ranked run defense. The Seahawks have the home-field edge, but the Cardinals will keep things close. Cardinals +6.5

Wilkins: The Cardinals' season appeared to be headed in the wrong direction when Carson Palmer went down with a torn ACL, but last week's win over the Lions suggested quite the opposite. Although they face a tough matchup going into Seattle, expect the defense to continue its high level of play, slowing down the Seahawks' running game and forcing the ball into the hands of Russell Wilson and a struggling passing attack. The final should be much closer than the current 6.5-point spread, and if the Cardinals can establish some sort of running game, they could also come away with the win. Cardinals +6.5

Dallas Cowboys (-3) at New York Giants

Bottero: The Giants were a thorn in the Cowboys' side for the longest time, but Dallas has now won three in a row in this series, including a 10-point victory earlier this season. With a week off to soothe Tony Romo's ailing back and recharge DeMarco Murray's battery, the Cowboys figure to be ready to hit the ground running against a Giants team that has looked lost this year. Cowboys -3

Holroyd: Eli Manning had his worst game of the season against the 49ers, throwing five interceptions for a passer rating of 36.6. Another concern for the Giants is the amount of points they're giving up to opposing teams, as they've been outscored 152-72 over their past five games. The Cowboys exploded for 435 yards of offense the last time these two teams squared off, and figure to be even more of a threat after a week's rest. Cowboys -3

Wilkins: Coming off a much-needed bye week, the Cowboys should be fresh and ready to go against the New York Giants. Anything can happen in this kind of prime-time division game, but the Cowboys' dominant rushing attack faces far too favorable a matchup to bet against them this week. If the Cowboys can continue their opportunistic play on the defensive side of the ball, forcing Eli Manning into the kind of mistakes he made last week, this one could get out of hand in a hurry. Cowboys -3

Wild-Card Selections

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans (-1)

Bottero: The Bengals have been a bit of a two-face of late, but aside from their awful loss to the Browns, they've been on the right side of the ledger more often than not, winning three of their last four. The Texans earned some respect from the books with wins in three of their first four games, but have since lost four of six. The wrong side is favored here. Bengals +1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears (-5.5)

Holroyd: The Bucs averaged just 2.3 rushing yards per carry against the Redskins in Week 11, but the play of rookie wide receiver Mike Evans more than made up for their running game issues. Evans has a franchise-record 458 receiving yards over the past three games, which could pose a problem for a Bears defense that allows an average of 269.5 receiving yards per game. If the Bucs can put pressure on the quarterback and force turnovers, which they did well against Washington, they should be able to win this one by a sizable margin. Buccaneers +5.5

Miami Dolphins at Denver Broncos (-7)

Wilkins: The Broncos are an obvious candidate to bounce back after last week's shocking loss to the St. Louis Rams, but don't count the Dolphins out just yet. The Rams found success in forcing Peyton Manning off his spot in the pocket, and with an equally strong pass rush, the Dolphins have the ability to do the same. The Miami running game will be in tough against the Broncos' 2nd-ranked rush defense, but if Ryan Tannehill and the offense can take care of the ball, the Dolphins' defense will keep them right in this game and could carry them to the upset win. Dolphins +7

More NFL Betting Resources

TNF Betting Preview (Thursday)
Week 12 Betting Preview (Friday)
Game Day Betting Update (Sunday)
MNF Betting Preview (Monday)

Lines courtesy Scoresandodds.com.