Week 11 was a tough week on many fronts. With small spreads and several teams on bye, the week was a true test of any Survivor Pool.
Thankfully, for the 10th time in 11 weeks, the team I chose as a survivor won, sending those who picked the Bears, on to week 12.
And this week is not much different in the difficulty it presents. Here’s my week 12 NFL Survivor Pool picks.
Teams Used: Green Bay, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota (loss), Jacksonville, Carolina, Houston, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago
Best Bet
New England Patriots
I know a lot of you will likely side with New Orleans. And that’s fine, because the Saints will likely win.
However, I’m a little concerned with how many big, primetime games the Saints have endured in recent weeks. That adrenaline takes its toll on players, so with another nationally televised game on tap for this week, I’m skipping the Saints for better odds in the future.
Instead, I’ll take a tried and true favorite — the New England Patriots.
Even if Sam Darnold returns for the Jets, I’d still favor the Patriots. And there’s no indication that Darnold will return to action this week, especially with the Jets likely to proceed with caution with the rookie quarterback.
The Jets are mired in an identity crisis, with its defense not able to pick up the slack for a failing offense. Meanwhile, the Patriots are coming off a bye, where Bill Belichick is fairly dominant, going 13-5 after a bye week while coaching the Patriots.
New England holds an advantage in every category against the Jets, especially in offensive ability. Ignore what happened in Tennessee and believe in the Patriots to move on to week 13 with a win under their belt.
Sleeper Pick
Indianapolis Colts
I’ve already used the Colts, but just in case you haven’t jumped on the Colts bandwagon yet, now may be the right time.
The Dolphins are bad in the secondary, while the Colts own one of the better passing attacks in the NFL. Indianapolis is averaging 8.9 yards per pass attempt in the last three weeks, up from its season average of 6.7.
The Dolphins have seen that number go from 6.7 to 5.3 in the last three weeks.
The Colts are just a better football team than Miami and they’ll get the Dolphins traveling to Indianapolis. It seems like the Colts only play home games, so you can go ahead and trust Indianapolis once again in week 12.
Be Careful
Jacksonville Jaguars
In case you’ve missed Jacksonville’s performances from recent weeks and believe last year’s team is going to show up, you should probably take a deep breath and hesitate on that pick.
Jacksonville doesn’t have the same urgency as it did last year. And without a competent offense, the defense cannot continue to carry the Jaguars to victory.
And in reality, the Bills have been the more impressive team on the defensive side of the ball in recent weeks. The Jaguars are leaky against the pass and allow big plays from the running game. The Bills are bad, but with the way the Jaguars lost last week, and now the Florida team must travel north to colder climates, this could turn out bad for anyone still trusting in the Jaguars.
