NFL Week 12 Free Picks New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions

NFL Week 12 Free Picks New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions: This one seems easy enough to me. Sure, the common thought in this game has to be the Patriots are going to win big, but the Lions have played a lot of tough football this season, they are relatively healthy, and Shaun Hill has played well as the back-up quarterback. Calvin Johnson is borderline unguardable, and while a short week has to favor the more experienced team, the Lions have a chance in this one, and that’s more than they could say about the last 5 Thanksgiving Day games.

The Patriots have been very inconsistent within games, but they always seem to find a way to win. It’s usually a strong first half and a “hang on” second half for the Pats. They’ve played plenty of games that came down to the wire, and let a lot of teams back in games that should have been put away much easier.

I like to bet against favorites when they should have lost last week but managed to win. The Patriots fit right in to that group. They were up big on Indianapolis, but they couldn’t put it away. Manning hammered out some quick drives, and I was honestly surprised that Peyton didn’t finish off the Pats with a score late. The way that game was going, I thought the Patriots were going to lose.

Covering a touchdown against Detroit might not seem like much, but they played better than the score in Dallas showed last week, and they play well at home (close losses to the Jets and Eagles – wins over Washington and St. Louis). I’m taking the home team here.

New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions (+7)