NFL Week 10 Picks

I finally had my first good week in Pick Em last week going 10-3, with the only picks I missed being the Bucs (0 previous wins), Titans (1 previous win), and the Chargers (Giants bias). I'm feeling pretty good about myself, and it continued with me picking the 49ers on Thursday night. Let's see if I can keep the momentum going.

Chicago Bears (4-4) vs. San Francisco 49ers (3-5)
I correctly predicted this game prior to the Thursday night kickoff, and it was not an easy decision to make. I have absolutely no faith in Alex Smith, and while Jay Cutler has a history of being much better, there's not much reason to have faith in him or that Bears team right now either. The 49ers had lost four in a row, including to the Titans last week, but the Bears were 1-3 in the past four with just a win against the Browns. In the end I had more faith in Frank Gore than Matt Forte against a slightly tougher 49ers defense, plus home field advantage, so I reluctantly went with San Francisco. Thank you, Jay Cutler.

Detroit Lions (1-7) vs. Minnesota Vikings (7-1)
I don't think I need to say much else about this one.

Denver Broncos (6-2) vs. Washington Redskins (2-6)
The Broncos will look to rebound against a Redskins team that is just looking to do something this year. The Redskins didn't look any better last week coming out of the bye, and now they are without Clinton Portis. The Broncos will take it to them.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7) vs. Miami Dolphins (3-5)
The Buccaneers were able to pull off a surprise win at home against the Packers, but the Dolphins running game will be too much for them to handle in Miami this week.

Buffalo Bills (3-5) vs. Tennessee Titans (2-6)
The Titans' two game winning streak has not made me a believer out of them yet, but they can certainly get it done against the Bills. As long as Chris Johnson goes crazy on that horrible Bills run defense like he should, and Vince Young keeps doing what he's been doing, the Titans should have this one.

New Orleans Saints (8-0) vs. St. Louis Rams (1-7)
I don't think I need to say anything about this one either.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4) vs. New York Jets (4-4)
I am certainly worried about Maurice Jones-Drew against a Kris Jenkins-less Jets defense, but the Jets have a much better overall team (although that's not saying much). The weather will not be too bad for a New Jersey November, but it should still be a big home field advantage for the Jets.

Atlanta Falcons (5-3) vs. Carolina Panthers (3-5)
I thought for a split second about taking the Panthers in the upset here. These NFC South games are always played very tough, and it's usually smart to just side with the home team. But I remembered how much better of a team the Falcons are.

Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Once again, I'm just going to keep sticking with the Steelers, especially at home. They can beat anyone right now. The Bengals are a very good team, and may probably be even more fired up for the game than the Steelers, but in the end, the black and gold will hold strong in this battle for the AFC North.

Kansas City Chiefs (1-7) vs. Oakland Raiders (2-6)
The Chiefs couldn't even manage to beat the Raiders in Kansas City earlier this season. The Raiders expect to get Darren McFadden back this week as well, so we can see a bit of a better Raiders team than recent weeks.

Dallas Cowboys (6-2) vs. Green Bay Packers (4-4)
The Cowboys are as hot as anyone right now, beating the Eagles last week in Philadelphia to take the NFC East. Meanwhile, the Packers must be losing confidence as they have been underperforming this season, complete with a loss to the winless Bucs last week. The only reason to pick the Packers here would be home field advantage, but I trusted Dallas on the road last week, and I'll trust them again this week.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) vs. San Diego Chargers (5-3)
The Eagles must put out a better effort than their last trip to the West Coast, but they are facing the Chargers who are a much better team than the Raiders (again, not saying much). The Chargers have gone on a three game winning streak since losing at home to the Broncos in what I figured would kill their chances at the division, but two straight losses by the Broncos have put the Chargers just one game behind in the race. Both teams are fighting hard for their respective divisions right now, but I cannot trust the Eagles out west.

Seattle Seahawks (3-5) vs. Arizona Cardinals (5-3)
Kurt Warner doesn't have to be as good as he was last week, just at least somewhere in the middle of his last two performances. This Seahawks team will go nowhere in Arizona; the Cardinals crushed them in Seattle earlier.

New England Patriots (6-2) vs. Indianapolis Colts (8-0)
This is the big pick of the week. Admittedly, I have much bias influencing this pick. However, the Colts have looked very troubling of late, and the Patriots offense can pick apart the Colts defense. Tom Brady still needs to pick up his game, but I will keep the faith in the Patriots.

Baltimore Ravens (4-4) vs. Cleveland Browns (1-7)
I can make my own jokes about how this is possibly a "marquee" Monday Night Football primetime game, but by the time this game is over, I'm sure you will have heard enough.

Last Week: 10-3
Season: 84-45