Greg Cote's Week 12 NFL picks

Like medicine to the ill or a drink to a drunk came last week for us. We needed it. We burst from a few weeks' lull to go a knife-sharp 12-2 overall and a nifty 9-4-1 against the spread, with the Patriots win the tie, pushing at 13 points. We bull's-eyed our Upset of the Week ("Aawwk!") on Bills winning at Bengals, also had 'dog Saints-with-points, and nailed a rare exact score with Cowboys' 27-17 win right on the nose. Nothing to do now but keep honkin' like a big rig! (Note: Thanksgiving Day picks, not included below, were: Vikings (+ 2 {) over Lions, 23-20; Cowboys (-7) over Redskins, 30-24; and Steelers (-8) over Colts, 28-16).