NFL picks: A football feast on Thanksgiving Day

In a week that I expected to be difficult, it proved to be just that for me in Week 12. I finished with a 9-5 record, the mark I predicted myself, Audie Dennis and Charlie Schmidt would finish with.

But Audie and Charlie proved to be a step ahead. Two steps ahead, in Audie’s case. Audie earned an 11-3 record, while Charlie finished 10-4.

The biggest game that went in their favor was the Kansas City Chiefs pulling off an impressive comeback against the Indianapolis Colts. I picked the Colts to win. And then Audie separated himself from Charlie by picking the Atlanta Falcons to beat the New Orleans Saints. Charlie and I both picked the Saints.

Week 13 brings the Thanksgiving Day games, and I believe this trio of games is quite the football feast.

The day will begin with an NFC North battle between the Detroit Lions (7-4) and Green Bay Packers (7-3-1). The Lions and Packers meet at Ford Field in Detroit for a noon kickoff on FOX.

The afternoon game is the one everyone in the Joplin area will care most about as the Chiefs (6-5) and another popular team in this area, the Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1), square off. These teams are meeting in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at 3:30 p.m. on CBS and Paramount+.

The nightcap is probably the least intriguing for most NFL fans, but I promise you’ll get a fun one. Joe Burrow should be back on the field as the Cincinnati Bengals (3-8) play the Baltimore Ravens (6-5). The AFC North rivals are going to go to battle inside M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.

What a fun day full of competitive football. I cannot wait. And no need to wait any longer to see who we picked this week:

THURSDAY

Packers at Lions: Lions, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and Bears. Oh, my. That’s the next four games for the Packers. That’s a tough stretch with three of those games being on the road. I think the Packers start strong with a road win here. PACKERS 24-20. Charlie and Audie: Lions.

Chiefs at Cowboys: The Chiefs got a huge win last week to get back up after two straight losses. Don’t overlook this one. Playing in Dallas against a team that is feeling good after consecutive wins and a win over its divisional rival in the Philadelphia Eagles last week won’t be easy. COWBOYS 27-23. Charlie and Audie: Chiefs.

Bengals at Ravens: I can tell you I think this is a fun game, but I can’t tell you I believe the Bengals are in a position to turn the tide on their season right now. The Ravens will be tested, and Lamar Jackson has to do more on offense still. Now’s the time to shine, Jackson. RAVENS 34-27. Charlie and Audie: Ravens.

FRIDAY

Bears (8-3) at Eagles (8-3): The Bears have proven me wrong this season. But I still have them outside the top 10 of my NFL power rankings, so I guess I need them to prove it to me one more time. EAGLES 30-17. Charlie and Audie: Eagles.

SUNDAY

San Francisco 49ers (8-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-8): Sheduer Sanders gets a start and is 1-0 in his NFL career. I don’t see 2-0 happening, though. 49ERS 27-13. Charlie and Audie: 49ers.

Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4) at Tennessee Titans (1-10): The Titans have a couple chances still this season to get another win, but I don’t think this is one of them. JAGS 30-20. Charlie and Audie: Jags.

Houston Texans (6-5) at Colts (8-3): I had trouble with this one. This is quite the battle inside the AFC South as three teams — including the Jaguars — are still vying for the title. I think the Daniel Jones-led offense is better. COLTS 23-22. Charlie and Audie: Colts.

Saints (2-9) at Miami Dolphins (4-7): I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but there may only be one game left on the Dolphins’ schedule that does not seem winnable at the moment. This team could finish 9-8 and be in the running for a wild-card spot in the AFC. DOLPHINS 31-17. Charlie and Audie: Dolphins.

Falcons (4-7) at New York Jets (2-9): I still just have no hope in this Atlanta bunch. I’ll take New York to get a third win. JETS 22-21. Charlie and Audie: Falcons.

Los Angeles Rams (9-2) at Carolina Panthers (6-6): The Rams are on fire right now. Not many teams would make me think twice about picking them to win at this time. RAMS 31-13. Charlie and Audie: Rams.

Arizona Cardinals (3-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5): It’s uncertain if Baker Mayfield can play Sunday following his AC joint sprain in his left shoulder. Either way, I like the Bucs. BUCS 24-20. Charlie and Audie: Bucs.

Minnesota Vikings (4-7) at Seattle Seahawks (8-3): Seattle will continue to beat mediocre teams. SEAHAWKS 28-20. Charlie and Audie: Seahawks.

Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) at Los Angeles Chargers (7-4): The Chargers got much-needed time off last week after the spanking they took two weeks ago. They rebound nicely here. CHARGERS 35-10. Charlie and Audie: Chargers.

Buffalo Bills (7-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5): Neither of these teams are playing great football in November. Both are 2-2 so far. A win here is huge for either one. I trust Josh Allen more. BILLS 33-24. Charlie and Audie: Bills.

Broncos (9-2) at Washington Commanders (3-8): Maybe the Broncos finally open things up on offense after the bye week. BRONCOS 34-17. Charlie and Audie: Broncos.

MONDAY

New York Giants (2-10) at New England Patriots (10-2): The Giants compete. The Patriots might be in for another dogfight. But I don’t have the guts to pick the Giants. PATS 27-24. Charlie: Pats 24-21. Audie: Pats 31-20.

RECORDS

Audie: 127-50-1; me: 119-58-1; Charlie: 110-67-1.