NFL Survivor Week 12 Rankings

Thanksgiving marks the unofficial start of the NFL’s home stretch. In the land of Survivor, this is the appropriate time to take inventory and be thankful (hopefully) that your bid for greatness is still intact.

The last few weeks have certainly provided a handful of upsets and near upsets. And by the looks of it, it won’t get any easier this week.

The good news? There is meaningful football spread across the week. It’s on us to find the right Survivor sports.

Here’s a breakdown of NFL Week 12. As always, survive and advance.

Survivor Week 12 Best Picks

Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Commanders

The Cowboys look like a Super Bowl contender. (Stop us if you’ve heard that before)!

This one feels legitimate, though. With the bad taste of that ugly 49ers’ loss deep in the rearview, Dallas has won four of the last five games. The lone loss came against the Eagles and could have been a win.

The Commanders are up next, coming off one of the larger disappointments all season. Washington lost by double digits to the Giants, allowing third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito to throw for three touchdowns.

Woof.

While we yearn for competitive Thanksgiving games, this simply doesn’t feel like one of them. The Cowboys have handled inferior opponents much of the year, and that notion applies this week.

Cowboys by plenty.

Use our NFL Eliminator tips to place bets with the top NFL odds:

Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders

In a steady rain, drops and miscues plagued the Chiefs in a home loss against the Eagles. While that result might have some wary of a road trip this week, Kansas City should be just fine.

Losing to the Eagles in an odd, off-weather game isn’t a bad loss. The fact that the team failed to handle so many Patrick Mahomes’ throws is something that will be remedied this week.

The Raiders hot streak cooled slightly in a loss to the Dolphins this week. Granted, the defense played well, allowing a potent offense to score only 20 points. The bigger concern came on the other side of the ball, where rookie QB Aidan O’Connell threw three interceptions.

This KC pass rush will likely be a handful, and the Raiders simply don’t have enough to counter. While interim coach Antonio Pierce deserves the utmost credit for his impact on this group, this is a different level of assignment.

Survivor Week 12 Rankings Grid

Survivor Week 12 Sleeper

Tennessee Titans vs Carolina Panthers

It might be the worst football game of the weekend, although don’t let that reality cloud the vision for a potential Survivor spot.

The Titans have lost five of the past six games; the Panthers have only one win the entire year. To state the obvious, both of these teams seem destined for little in 2023, although the game still has intrigue.

Rookie QBs Will Levis and Bryce Young will duke it out. While Levis hasn’t been perfect since taking over, there have been glimpses of greatness. And expect to see a much cleaner performance with a better-supporting cast playing at home for the first time in a month.

In time, when the pieces around him are better, Young will be a player. But at the moment, the Panthers are a mess.

There won’t be many opportunities to take a team like the Titans this year. This is worth taking advantage of.

Survivor Week 12 Team to Save for the Future

Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have gotten comfortable playing in weird football games. This is largely not a compliment, for that’s worth, but it does make them a tougher team to evaluate.

Brandon Staley needs wins to save his job, and this one could go a long way. The head coach of Los Angeles has a knack for making games close, which has mostly worked against his team. However, it wouldn’t shock to see this one stay close at home.

Baltimore is better. Let’s not position this game as something it is not. But with tight end Mark Andrews shelved for the year, it wouldn’t be a shock to see an acclimation period take shape.

In the end, Lamar Jackson is likely to take over. Even on a long road trip, the Ravens will likely be too talented for an upset. But the Chargers’ potential is still real, and seeing what Baltimore’s offense looks like without one of its best pieces feels wise.

We’re hitting pause on this one. Let’s regroup in one week.

Survivor Week 12 Chalk Team That Could Lose

New England Patriots @ New York Giants

The Patriots could look like a viable option for needy Survivor owners this week. The Giants, coming off a win, still have issues up and down the roster.

As mentioned above, the third-string QB played a heck of a game on Sunday. Head coach Brian Daboll deserves the utmost credit for that effort. We’ve been overly critical of Daboll’s work this year; credit should be passed along when it’s due.

In terms of health and talent, the Patriots should have an advantage. They are favorites on the road, and some might latch onto them as a result.

With questions at quarterback and the future of Bill Belichick suddenly a weekly topic of conversation, the Patriots are very much in a position to lose every single football game from this point forward.

Too many variables are in play for New England not to consider a loss. Plus, the Giants are coming off one of their best showings of the year.

Stay away from this one. The home underdog is (obviously) live.