Welcome to Hagan’s Haus, where football is the only thing that matters. You won’t find me in a church on Sunday because football is my religion and the No. 1 priority in my life. I am so excited that the NFL season is finally back in action! I pride myself on studying the game of football. We can’t get all our picks or predictions right, but I am going to leave it here in the open every week for everyone to see. In Hagan’s Haus, it’s all about bragging rights.
Who is the best? Because winning is the only thing that matters. We don’t get points for second place. I challenge you to post comments on your weekly picks and compare them to mine. This isn’t about point spreads. I will give a score prediction, but winning is winning. Doesn’t matter if it is by an inch or a mile. So try and beat me in picking NFL games. I promise you it won’t be easy, but it will be fun. Here are Hagan’s Haus 2017 Week 12 NFL picks.
Last week: 9-5
Overall: 95-64
Thanksgiving games
Alright I’m gonna make my Thanksgiving Day picks today for my Hagan’s Haus NFL picks. @TGHSports @Vikings 24 @Lions 17@Chargers 23 @dallascowboys 24@Giants 20 @Redskins 34#FOHTY #Turkey #NFL #TGH #Thanksgiving #Turkeyday
— Matthew Hagan (@VegRock91) November 22, 2017
Sunday Morning
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) 20 @ Atlanta Falcons (6-4) 24: This is a big game for both teams. A win by the Buccaneers can put them back in the Wild Card race while a win for the Falcons could give them more control of the Wild Card spot they currently hold.
Tampa Bay is 2-0 since Ryan Fitzpatrick stepped in for Jameis Winston, but those wins came against the Jets and Dolphins. The Falcons present a much more difficult task. At this point, the Falcons are the better team and should win this game at home.
Cleveland Browns (0-10) 13 @ Cincinnati Bengals (4-6) 26: Cincinnati gets to play the Browns at an opportunistic time. The Bengals are just one game back of the Ravens, who are 5-5 and the sixth seed in the AFC.
Cincinnati needs to go on a pretty epic run to make the playoffs, but it is possible. They should have no trouble shutting down the Browns offense. Keep your heads up Bengal fans, the season is not lost yet.
Tennessee Titans (6-4) 37 @ Indianapolis Colts (3-7) 24: Tennessee needs to bounce back after getting embarrassed on Thursday Night Football last week. The Titans are going to run the ball early and often down the throats of the Colts. Indy will have trouble trying to stop DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. If they find a way to stop them, then Marcus Mariota will get loose. The Colts have a shot to win because it is a divisional game, but the Titans are the better team.
Buffalo Bills (5-5) 23 @ Kansas City Chiefs (6-4) 34: Both Buffalo and Kansas City are in a downward spiral. The Bills have lost three straight games, and the Chiefs have lost four of their last five.
Both teams still can make the playoffs, but the Chiefs’ chances are better than the Bills’. This game has the feeling of a must-win for Buffalo, but their quarterback situation has become a mess. The Chiefs will finally get their offense clicking again to get back to their winning ways.
Miami Dolphins (4-6) 3 @ New England Patriots (8-2) 31: This game is a complete mismatch. Miami has little to no chance of beating the Patriots in New England. The Dolphins have been shut out already this season, and it could happen again this week. New England has only given up 12.5 points per game during their six-game win streak. Oh, and the great Tom Brady has thrown for 3,147 yards, 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions. The G.O.A.T is going to pick apart the Dolphins, and it could get ugly.
Carolina Panthers (7-3) 22 @ New York Jets (4-6) 10: Carolina has had two weeks to prepare for the Jets thanks to their bye last week. The Panthers defense is the best defense that nobody seems to be talking about. Carolina ranks fifth in scoring defense (18 points per game), third in rushing defense (80.6 rush yards per game), fourth in passing defense (197.4 pass yards per game) and second in total defense (278 yards per game). They will cause major problems for the Jets offense.
Chicago Bears (3-7) 17 @ Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) 31: Eight of the Eagles’ nine wins have come against teams with a .500 win percentage or lower. Philly feasts on the bottom feeders of the NFL, and they will do so again this week with the Bears coming into town. The Eagles offense will fly high, and the defense will cause a ton of problems for rookie Mitch Trubisky.
Sunday Afternoon
Seattle Seahawks (6-4) 20 @ San Francisco 49ers (1-9) 17: Seattle almost pulled off a win against the Falcons despite there numerous injuries. Russell Wilson worked magic to keep them in that game, and he will be too much for the 49ers defense. San Francisco will lose no matter who they start at quarterback, but Jimmy Garoppolo gives them the best shot at pulling off the upset.
Denver Broncos (3-7) 17 @ Oakland Raiders (4-6) 27: Oakland is struggling this season, but they just fired their defensive coordinator. The Raiders have yet to force an interception this year. Oakland’s defense has let them down, and the offense isn’t picking up the slack.
Denver has completely fallen off, losing six straight games, and have named Paxton Lynch the starting quarterback. They will be looking to see what he has to see if he can be the next franchise quarterback. He won’t win this game, but he will play better than Trevor Siemian.
New Orleans Saints (8-2) 30 @ Los Angeles Rams (7-3) 31: This is the best matchup of the week. New Orleans is coming off a 15-point fourth-quarter comeback while the Rams are coming off a loss to Minnesota in which they didn’t score over the final 55 minutes of the game. These are two high-powered offenses with very talented defenses. The Rams need to bounce back, and since they are at home, they will find a way to edge out a win.
Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3) 28 @ Arizona Cardinals (4-6) 14: Jacksonville is in control of the AFC South. They control their own destiny. The Jaguars have made excellent strides this season thanks to their spectacular defense. If they want to become serious contenders, they can’t lose games to inferior teams like the Cardinals.
The other big storyline in this one is that Blaine Gabbert has a chance to beat the team that drafted him. Jacksonville will force Gabbert to turn the ball over three times to get another win.
Sunday Night
Green Bay Packers (5-5) 23 @ Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2) 33: The Packers are a mess without Aaron Rodgers and will not be able to win this game if the Steelers take them seriously. Pittsburgh has a tendency to play down to the level of their competition. Just take a look at their game two weeks ago against the Colts. They may keep it close for a while, but the Steelers will pull away in the end.
Monday Night
Houston Texans (4-6) 19 @ Baltimore Ravens (5-5) 21: This is a tough game to pick. The Ravens aren’t a great team, but the Texans have lost a ton of their star players to injury. Last week they pulled off an unexpected win against the Cardinals because they put up a ton of points. They won’t have an easy time scoring against the Ravens. Baltimore will win because of their defense.
Featured image by AP Photo/G. Newman Lowrance
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