NFL Week 12 Picks: Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants
Sunday, 11/25/12, 8:20 PM EST, TV: NBC
Opening Point Spread: New York -2.5
Current Betting Line: New York -3
Opening Total: 49
Current Total: 50.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

New York Giants QB Eli Manning has thrived after the bye week

Green Bay enters Sunday’s game on a five-game win streak, which is currently tied with the Denver Broncos for the longest such streak in the National Football League. The Packers will be seeking revenge from a 37-20 loss to the Giants in last year’s NFC playoffs. “They were the better team and they won,” stated Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have won 13 of their last 16 games away from Lambeau Field, while they also possess the league’s best record with a 24-4 mark over their last 28 regular-season games. Green Bay is 6-1 ATS as an underdog since 2010, something to consider when making your NFL picks against the spread in Week 12.

The Packers rank second in the league in both sacks and sack yardage, but will be playing this game without star linebacker Clay Matthews. It will be a challenge to get to Eli Manning, considering New York has allowed just 12 sacks, but six of those have come in the last two games. Green Bay has compiled a solid 7-3 record when being featured on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, while going 10-4 in prime-time games overall since 2009.

New York will aim to win its fifth straight post-bye contest, as the week of rest couldn’t have come at a better time, considering the defending Super Bowl champions scored just 33 combined points in back-to-back losses to the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Giants are expecting a huge performance out of signal-caller Eli Manning, who has thrown for 1,290 yards and 10 touchdowns with a single interception in his last four games after the bye week. New York is 2-3 ATS as a home favorite of three points or less over the last two-plus campaigns.

The Giants figure to have an edge in this game due to the previous champion winning nine of the last 11 games that featured the last two Super Bowl winners against each other. New York owns a 6-4 record and holds a 1.5-game lead in the NFC East division. Manning will be facing an improved defensive unit this time around, as Green Bay ranked last in total defense a year ago, as it enters 12th in the NFL this week.