NFL Week 12 Betting Preview: Bucs-Rams Odds, Picks + Hot Take Of The Week

...By Tyler Everett

Sports Betting Editor

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Welcome to another massive weekend in the NFL.

The Week 12 party started last night with Houston's sixth win in its last eight games after an 0-3 start. Suddenly, Davis Mills and the Texans (6-5) are a team nobody wants to see.

Houston's win last night as 5.5-point dogs turned heads, but it went well for those who read and tailed my early Week 12 picks against the spread (link below) and/or my Bills vs. Texans player prop bets piece:

1️⃣ Woody Marks longest rush over 13.5 yards 💰

2️⃣ James Cook ATTD 💰

The Bills (7-4) will have little margin for error down the stretch, and they'll enter Week 13 three games behind the Patriots (10-2) in the AFC East if New England beats Cincinnati on Sunday.

Click here to read NFL Week 12 Early Picks Against The Spread

Buccaneers vs. Rams Betting Odds, Prediction

- TB NFC South winner odds: -800 (DK); odds to win NFC: +1200 (DK)

- LAR NFC West winner odds: -260 (DK); odds to win NFC: +250 (DK)

Now that we know that the Rams (8-2) can beat a tough team like the Seahawks on a bad day offensively, this might be the team to beat in the NFC.

At the moment, DraftKings agrees with that statement, listing the Rams at +250 to win the conference, just ahead of the Eagles at +280. FanDuel, on the other hand, gives the Eagles (+250) slightly shorter odds than the Rams (+270) right now.

As for Sunday night's game against the Bucs (6-4), it's telling that the Rams are a slightly heavier favorite over Tampa than Buffalo was last Sunday. 

The Bucs are a good team, but they can't seem to get healthy. That makes it hard for me to get behind them on the road in L.A. in primetime after a tough loss in Buffalo last Sunday.

While the Rams only list one starter as questionable right now, there are six Bucs starters who are questionable as of Friday morning -- and that does not include starting right guard Cody Mauch, who's on IR.

We were reminded last night how tough it is for heavy favorites to win -- much less cover -- against good teams. Still, I like the red-hot Rams to secure their sixth consecutive victory (and cover) against a Bucs team that has lost three of its last four games amid a relentless wave of injuries.

Best bet: Rams -6.5 (best odds: -115 at DraftKings)

🔥Take Of The Week: The Covering Cowboys?

I recently used this space to question the Broncos' offense and the Niners' defense. This week, I'm going glass-half-full on a team that is currently 10-to-1 to make the NFC playoffs.

You heard it here first (I think*): Watch out for the Cowboys (4-5-1).

Their upcoming schedule is brutal, but they're nevertheless going to be a tough out -- and a tempting underdog against the spread.

🤞that this ages better than my Week 7 take that the Bengals' win over the Steelers on TNF was going to "serve as a springboard for Joe Flacco and Co." Woof.

OK, so it's probably about time for me to get to the point here. No, I'm not calling the Cowboys a contender just because of their big win over the Raiders.

But with star DT Quinnen Williams and solid LB Logan Wilson in the fold -- plus several other now-healthy players who missed games while the Dallas defense struggled throughout the first half of the season -- the Cowboys might be balanced enough to make some noise (and frustrate bettors with money on Dallas's upcoming opponents).

The Eagles are 3.5-point road favorites over the 'Boys in Dallas on Sunday. Right now, the Chiefs are laying 4.5 points (also in Dallas) on the Week 13 look-ahead line. And it's safe to assume Dallas will also be catching points in Detroit in Week 14.

Starting this Sunday, I love the Cowboys' chances of covering in a couple -- if not all -- of those games. The case for the Dallas offense -- which is fifth in the NFL in yards per play (5.9) and second in scoring offense (29.6 ppg) -- is obvious.

This defense will have to show up against much better offensive teams than the Raiders to be taken seriously. Williams, Kenny Clark, Osa Odighizuwa and talented rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku form a suddenly imposing group up front, though. DeMarvion Overshown and Wilson are a solid duo at LB. Check that: "solid" is an understatement if Overshown can play at the level we saw him reach in 2024.

And as long as DaRon Bland, Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker can stay healthy on the back end, there's no reason this unit can't be serviceable going forward.

*Am I the only one who's bullish on a team that just added and/or welcomed back a handful of legitimate defensive difference-makers to an already-excellent offensive squad??

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