Week 12 NFL picks: What to do after Saints were both thrilling and disappointing

I’d picked three straight Locks of the Week. I finally hit on a method that worked. I identified a good team and picked it to cover against a bad or average one. And then came New Orleans. Last week I picked the New Orleans Saints (minus-7 1/2) to cover. They failed. So:

Last Week: 10-4

Season: 98-62

Lock: Lost.

Season: 5-6.

I’ve yet to lose picking the Cleveland Browns to lose. I picked against them every week. But picking the Browns to lose requires no more insight than tying the laces on your shoes. Also, I want them to win. So I withdraw from the Cleveland sweepstakes.

This week’s picks, with the home team in CAPS:

Minnesota 6 over DETROIT

DALLAS 2 over Los Angeles Chargers

WASHINGTON 7 over New York Giants

KANSAS CITY 8 over Buffalo

Carolina 5 over NEW YORK JETS

CINCINNATI 9 over Cleveland

NEW ENGLAND 16 over Miami

Tennessee 2 over INDIANAPOLIS

OAKLAND 9 over Denver

Jacksonville 3 over ARIZONA

LOS ANGELES RAMS 1 over New Orleans

PITTSBURGH 11 over Green Bay

ATLANTA 8 over Tampa Bay

Seattle 6 over SAN FRANCISCO

BALTIMORE 4 over Houston

Lock of the Week: PHILADELPHIA (minus-13½) over Chicago

More from this issue of the Tom Talks newsletter:

This story was originally published November 23, 2017 at 9:14 AM.