NFL Week 10 Picks
NFL Week 10 Picks
by Joe Brackets featured blogger for AskHoffa!!
As for the Colts, they shined in their only primetime game of the year on Thursday night. But they were playing the Jaguars, so I’m not sure how much we can actually take away from that. And thank you NFL Network for that amazing stat about Andrew Luck. Not only has a rookie quarterback never made the playoffs, there’s never been one to even go .500. It looks like at least that part is going to change. Like everyone else, I’m obviously 1-0 on the week. Here we go with the rest of them:
Giants (6-3) at Bengals (3-5): Giants-I can’t believe I’m actually going to see back-to-back Cincinnati Bengals home games. Never thought I’d say that. They held their own against Peyton and Co., but still lost, and now sit 3-5 on the year. The Giants? What happened last week? Sure, they were playing a good Steelers team, and I know they can’t go undefeated, but it was sure weird to see them collapse in the fourth quarter when Eli’s thing is leading the fourth-quarter comeback. I think they rebound this week and go into their bye on a high note, while the Bengals are happy they won’t be playing any more Mannings this season after this week. (Unless the Chiefs sign Cooper, who can’t really be any worse than Matt Cassel.)
Titans (3-6) at Dolphins (4-4): Miami-Miami was sitting on a wild card berth heading into last week before losing that surprising playoff contender vs. surprising playoff contender matchup in Indianapolis. The Titans lost last week, too, getting thumped in Chicago. But that really says more about the Bears than the Titans. As for this week’s game, I like the Dolphins in Miami.
Lions (4-4) at Vikings (5-4): Minnesota-The Vikings dropped out of a playoff position last week in Seattle, and Minnesota is really slumping, having lost three out of four. The Lions breathed life back into their playoff chances with a victory in Jacksonville last week, and a win over the Vikings would really go a long way for Detroit. Side note about the Lions: Ndamukong Suh was voted the Dirtiest Player in the NFL for the second straight year the ohter day. The Lions are favored, but I don’t know why. It’s a toss-up at best, and I’m taking the home team.
Bills (3-5) at Patriots (5-3): New England-Um, yeah, New England clobbered St. Louis in London, then had a bye week to prepare for the Bills, who they handle with regularity. We all remember when these teams played in Buffalo in Week 4. The Bills actually had the lead before the Patriots scored like 28 points in the fourth quarter or something like that to win by a ridiculous 52-28 margin. I think this one will be equally not close.
Falcons (8-0) at Saints (3-5): New Orleans-Yes, you read that correctly. I think this is the week the ’72 Dolphins pop the champagne. The Falcons are clearly the best team in football, but I don’t see them running the table. I had one of the Saints games tabbed as the one they finally lose, and this week’s game is in the Superdome, which is obviously advantage New Orleans. If the Saints don’t beat the Falcons this week they: (a) can officially kiss their playoff chances goodbye, and, (b) definitely aren’t going to beat them in Atlanta.
Chargers (4-4) at Buccaneers (4-4): Tampa Bay-This is definitely an interesting matchup. The Bucs went cross-country last week and beat the Raiders, while the Chargers got a much-needed win over Kansas City to stay one game behind the Broncos in the AFC West. I think the Chargers are the better team, but they don’t play well when traveling across the country. Especially for a 1:00 game. That’s why I’m going with the Bucs.
Broncos (5-3) at Panthers (2-6): Denver-After that brutal early schedule, it’s smooth sailing for the Broncos from here. Their second-half schedule is so easy that the Peyton Manning-trademarked 12-4 seems likely. I have to give the Panthers their due credit, though. They did get a win last week. It was against Washington, but still. And make no mistake, they aren’t going to beat Denver.
Raiders (3-5) at Ravens (6-2): Baltimore-I’m still not sure about this no-Ray Lewis incarnation of the Ravens’ defense. They’ve still got a lot to prove if they’re going to be considered a Super Bowl contender right now. They got slaughtered in Baltimore, and got away with one in Cleveland last week. Fortunately, the Browns aren’t very good. Neither are the Raiders. And this is the Ravens’ first home game with their no-look defense, which I think will provide them with a needed jolt.
Jets (3-5) at Seahawks (“5-4”): Seattle-Surprise, surprise. Rex Ryan ran his mouth. So did Antonio Cromartie. They both said the Jets are going to make the playoffs. They either have a lot of faith or they’re delusional (probably a little bit of both), ’cause that ain’t gonna happen. The Seahawks making the playoffs, on the other hand, that’s not a stretch at all. In fact, they’re sitting in a wild card spot right now. Seattle’s still “undefeated” at home, too, which gives me even less incentive to go with the Jets this week.
Cowboys (3-5) at Eagles (3-5): Philadelphia-Everybody in the NFC East lost last week, so nothing really changed. The Giants are still running away with the division and these two are still looking at their dwindling playoff hopes disappearing altogether. The loser here will be done. Both teams are such dysfunctional messes that I really can’t see either winning. But somebody has to, so let’s go with the homestanding Eagles and let Andy Reid keep his job for another week.
Rams (3-5) at 49ers (6-2): San Francisco-St. Louis is definitely a lot better. I can say that with certainty. But they’re still a last-place team in a division that suddenly has three very good teams. The best of those is the 49ers, who were last in action in a Monday night game that I was one of the few people I know was actually able to watch during the hurricane two weeks ago. They were very impressive against a Cardinals team that actually would’ve tied them for the division lead had they won. Anyway, the 49ers are coming off a bye week and playing a home game against a team they should easily beat. They will.
Texans (7-1) at Bears (7-1): Chicago-When NBC made this game a Sunday nighter, I bet even they didn’t think it would be the game of the season. But here we go with what could very well be a Super Bowl preview between two of the three best teams in the NFL (they’re playing for the 2-spot behind the Falcons in the power rankings; I’ve currently got them at 2 and 2A). It’s the Bears defense against the Texans offense, which is a push, and the surprisingly good Houston defense against Jay Cutler and Co., which is advantage Texans. But seeing as Chicago’s defense scores as many points as most offenses, that part of the matchup is technically a wash. I think the Bears offense is good enough, and who knows how cold a night game in Chicago is going to be? The Bears are used to that. The Texans aren’t. And you know they’re going to get pumped up hosting the Game of the Year on Sunday night. This is going to be a good one that the Bears pull out in the end.
Chiefs (1-7) at Steelers (5-3): Pittsburgh-Dear NFL, why do you think people want to watch the Kansas City Chiefs lose on national TV two weeks in a row? Not much I can say here. The Chiefs still haven’t led all season and are by far the worst team in the league. The Steelers are finally getting their act together, and last week’s win over the Giants with all that day-of travel and everything else was certainly impressive. They’re in playoff position for the first time this season and only a game behind the Ravens in the AFC North. Fortunately, after this week, the only people subjected to watching the Chiefs will be people in Kansas City and fans of whoever they’re playing that week.
Last Week: 9-5
This Week: 1-0
Season: 91-42
Bonus Picks: CFL Playoffs
Edmonton Eskimos at Toronto Argonauts: Toronto-The road to the 100th Grey Cup begins where it will end. At SkyDome. The Eskimos are in the Western Conference, but playing in the Eastern Conference semifinal because Canadians are weird and let teams switch conferences in the playoffs if they’re better than the teams in the other conference. For the sake of not confusing us Americans any further, I hope Toronto wins.
Saskatchewan Roughriders at Calgary Stampeders: Calgary-Calgary was the third-best team in the CFL this season. Saskatchewan wasn’t. They only avoided the trip to Toronto by winning last week, but it’s not like going to Calgary is much different. They were going to lose either way.
