NFL Week 10 Picks

Bears: The Number One Threat to the Tennessee Titans (and America)

I'll have to keep this relatively brief this week, as I am buried in work.

Denver at Cleveland: BRONCOS. I predict Denver will come from behind in the fourth quarter to win this game 34-30. Jay Cutler will throw for more than 400 yards. I'm so sure of this, it's almost like it already happened. But seriously, I had no idea there was a game on Thursday night until I got back from class and saw the final score. It's depressing how busy I am. My NFL awareness hasn't been this low in many years.

New Orleans at Atlanta: FALCONS. Because the Falcons are surprisingly good, and the Saints can't play defense at all.

Tennessee at Chicago: BEARS. Rationally, I know this is probably a stupid pick. The Titans are the lone undefeated team in the league, and the Bears have the always erratic Rex Grossman at quarterback. But the Titans will stumble sooner or later, and why not now? A road game against a respectable opponent, and considering it's an interconference game, the intensity might not be there for the Titans. I just have a gut feeling they're due to get a blemish on their record.

Jacksonville at Detroit: JAGUARS. The Jags lost to the previously winless Bengals last week, and it would be fun to predict that they lose to another 0-fer team this week. I was even tempted to do so, considering Jacksonville is definitely not clicking right now and it's a road game. Also, just as the Titans are bound to lose at some point, the Lions are bound to win. Although I will admit it's more likely that the Lions go 0-16 than that the Titans go 16-0. Anyway, I think Detroit will get one in the win column eventually, but I wasn't ready to predict it this week.

Seattle at Miami: DOLPHINS. The Seahawks suck, this is an extremely long road trip, they're not good at traveling, and they have a ton of injuries. Really no valid reason to pick against the home team in this one. So, of course, the Dolphins will probably lose.

Green Bay at Minnesota: PACKERS. Both teams are 4-4, but I strongly feel that the Packers are better, and I still think Green Bay winds up taking the NFC North. Despite backing the Bears against the Titans this week, I just can't see Chicago winning the division.

Buffalo at New England: PATRIOTS. The Bills have lost 3 of their last 4, and it's hard to say whether they're just going through a rough stretch or if this is a full-fledged collapse. Honestly, I'm leaning toward collapse. I mean, I still think we're better than the Jets and Dolphins, we just didn't play up to our potential in those games and made some truly awful mistakes. However, I also think we're nowhere near as good as we looked in the beginning of the season. We may have been overrated to begin with, and now we're plagued with injuries at key positions. The team's confidence must be at a low right now, coming off two consecutive divisional losses, we're just flat out not as good as the Patriots, and we're playing on the road against a team that has dominated us for most of this decade. In other words, the Patriots are a stone cold lock in this game. They will win, and almost certainly by a wide margin. Disclaimer: I have been wrong about the Bills for four consecutive weeks now-- I predicted we would lose to the Chargers and beat the Cardinals, Jets, and Dolphins. I hope that trend continues. But it won't.

St. Louis at Jersey Jets: RAMS. Partly because I'm pissed at the Jets after last week, and partly because I really do think the Rams are better than their record. After losing to Arizona, they have little chance of making the postseason, but I think they could be a major spoiler for teams in the second half of the season. Call this the upset special of week 10 (well, this and the Bears).

Baltimore at Houston: TEXANS. Houston is my favorite bad team in the NFL this season (unless you count the Bills, and we might soon be doing that). They're just fun. They throw constantly, their games tend to have exciting finishes, and Andre Johnson is quickly becoming one of my favorite players. This is definitely a tough game to call, and Baltimore is better than I first thought. But, what the hell, might as well side with the home team instead of taking a rookie quarterback on the road.

Carolina at Oakland: PANTHERS. The Raiders have won 2 games this season, and right now they're not as good as their record. Does the embarrassing state of the Raiders make Lane Kiffin look better in retrospect?

Indianapolis at Pittsburgh: STEELERS. This game could be the nail in the coffin for the Colts. The Titans are running away with the division, and if Indy picks up loss number 5 here, they'll be hard-pressed to make the playoffs in the competitive AFC.

Kansas City at San Diego: CHARGERS. I think it was a mistake for the Chargers to fire defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. Changing coordinators or coaches partway through a season is almost never a good idea, and I know Cottrell is capable of being a great defensive coordinator (he built a ferocious defense when he was in Buffalo several years ago). On the other hand, Ron Rivera was the architect of that dominant Bears defense, circa 2005, so maybe it wasn't a bad call. Anyway, it's hard to have much faith in the Chargers, but the Chiefs are a complete mess, so it's hard to imagine KC beating anyone on the road. And, as messed up as the Chargers are, they still have a solid chance of winning the division. They'll still be a game back of the Broncos even assuming they win this game, but Denver doesn't exactly inspire confidence in anyone.

Jersey Giants at Philadelphia: GIANTS. I was very tempted to take the Eagles here. They're playing well, Westbrook is unbelievable, and you know their fans will be going insane with the hated Giants in town. If Jersey is going to pick up a rare loss, this is the kind of situation where it would happen. So Philly would be an understandable upset pick here. But... I couldn't do it. The Giants are just so good. I think they're the best team in the league, easily. Yes, the Titans are undefeated, but the Giants would be perfect if not for a fluky loss to the Browns. Can't really hold one inexplicable bad game against them. Besides, let's assume the Titans and Giants make it to the Super Bowl. Right now, is there anyone outside the state of Tennessee who would take the Titans over the Giants at a neutral location? There probably are some people who would, but I'm not one of them.

San Francisco at Arizona: CARDINALS. To say the Mike Singletary era got off to an inauspicious start would be a massive understatement. And I'm ready to admit it-- the Cardinals are for real. Tim Hightower... who knew? The Cards will win this game by many points.

Okay, that's all for this week. Please, Buffalo, for the love of God, find a way to beat the Patriots. Use the Wildcat constantly. Start Fred Jackson at quarterback. Whatever you need to do. I've had a stressful week and a win over the Patriots would make everything seem better. Yeah, I know it's not going to happen. I still love you, Bills.

-Nick