Week 12 NFL Game Previews: Brady-Manning...Wait Never Mind.

Game of the Week: New England at Denver, 7:30 ET, NBC

Brady-Manning XVI is sure to be an outstanding game. Brady was done after the AFC Championship game in 2014, Manning is a choker, and … oh, sorry, I pre-write these sometimes. Makes it easier on the schedule, you know?

What has instead developed here is a fascinating matchup between one of the best pass offenses and the best pass defense. Denver has been banged up the last few weeks, and they've missed not having defensive end DeMarcus Ware, who has been dealing with a "structural" back injury.

Meanwhile, the Pats actually need their pass offense to step up. With both left tackle Nate Solder and running back Dion Lewis on injured reserve, the run game has fallen off significantly. If they roll out and play like they did against the Giants, we could see an actual game here instead of the normal 10-point comfortable win.

But it all depends on new Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler. His debut was nice, but it also came against the undermanned Bears defense. Osweiler definitely introduces some unpredictability to the outcome here, especially if he shows up being the Jake Plummer clone that Gary Kubiak wants him to be.

Pick: New England 27, Denver 20

Football Nerd Game of the Week: Pittsburgh at Seattle, 4 ET, CBS

Zombie Ben Roethlisberger is still out here. His leg is shot, he's got a knife stuck in his arm, and the running game around him has lost its best players. He doesn't care. He just keeps tossing the ball around. Seattle's pass rush can try in vain to generate quarterback hits, but they're all merely flesh wounds.

So Roethlisberger is not that much different than the Seahawks themselves. The defense never seems to get fully fixed. Jimmy Graham is never fully integrated into the offense. Russell Wilson isn't allowed to throw post routes because he's not a big boy. The offensive line is abysmal. And yet, the Seahawks find themselves at 5-5 and still in the playoff race.

Two zombies enter, one zombie will win. I'm giving Pittsburgh the nod because I don't think Seattle's defense is fixed, and because Seattle isn't bad enough to be a trap game.

Pick: Pittsburgh 30, Seattle 21

Playoff Positioning Game of the Week: Minnesota at Atlanta, 1 ET FOX

Every NFL season has a rich tradition of frauds and impostors, teams with great records that are just begging to fall apart. Atlanta's 5-0 start was the first, and Minnesota's 7-2 start is as close to a statistical second as exists.

Despite being 7-2, the Vikings rank just 16th in Football Outsiders' DVOA rankings. They aren't above-average on either side of the ball. Their potential star quarterback hasn't played well. Their star running back is a fumble machine. Their rush defense is an abysmal 28th in DVOA. In theory, the Vikings were supposed to be a sleeper. But they just might wake up soon.

The Falcons have lost four of five games, with the only win being against Tennessee and Zach Mettenberger. As of this writing, it looks likely that a concussion will keep star back Devonta Freeman sidelined. So, those are all bad things.

And that may be enough to keep Minnesota climbing up the ladder for another week before they're found out.

Pick: Minnesota 23, Atlanta 16

Denting Playoff Hopes Game of the Week: Miami at New York Jets, 1 ET, CBS

The Dolphins are 4-6, the Jets 5-5. It's not a stretch to say that the loser might need to win out to make the playoffs—especially given how quickly Kansas City and the AFC South squads have closed the gap in the race.

Darrelle Revis was concussed, and before that, torched by DeAndre Hopkins multiple times in the loss against Houston. The Jets waived former first-round pick Quinton Coples this week, which shows the sad state of their edge rusher problem. Ryan Fitzpatrick even got rid of the beard. We repeat, the Jets are beardless.

Ryan Fitzpatrick says he trimmed his bushy beard to change up the mojo a little bit. — Dennis Waszak Jr. (@DWAZ73)November 25, 2015

Luckily for them, Miami has played two good games this season and they've both been against bigger tire fires than New York. This will probably be a close game though, because neither of these teams have distinguished themselves the past few weeks.

Pick: Miami 20, Jets 16

Primetime Game That Shouldn't Be: Baltimore at Cleveland, 8:30 ET, Monday, ESPN

As Mike Tirico joked during last Monday night's broadcast: "How much do you love football? We'll test that…" And that was before Johnny Manziel's benching as a result of his partying. Now we've got Josh McCown and Matt Schaub squaring off to see who can champion their team to a higher draft pick.

No, I don't even feel obligated to spend another paragraph on this game. Don't watch it unless you are entertained by awful football. I will watch it because I am the target demographic: Matt Schaub Failure Porn enthusiast.

Pick: Browns 20, Ravens 12

Only Available on Local Broadcasts Game of the Week: San Diego at Jacksonville, 1 ET, CBS

There are stages of growth for a young franchise with a long-term plan. The Jaguars are not great. But they have something to play for.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually think San Diego can keep this close. Jacksonville's pass offense tends to forget it exists any time they play a close game—Gus Bradley tries to figure out how many carries he can give to Toby Gerhart before anyone accuses the Jaguars of tanking. San Diego does the exact same thing, except Jacksonville's run defense this year is top-notch.

Philip Rivers is having a bad year. Is he having a bad enough year to lose to Jacksonville? We're about to find out.

Pick: Jacksonville 22, San Diego 17