With Week 10 of the National Football League upon us, the stretch drive has officially begun and every game will take on added significance for teams with playoff aspirations.
It was another up and down week in the picks department — 10-4 straight up and 5-9 against the spread for an overall record of 86-49-1 straight up and 55-75-3 against the number.
There are a bunch of intriguing games this week, including the Week 10 opener on Thursday night.
Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (-2) One of the best rushing teams in the league (Titans) faces the best defence in the league (Colts) to open the week. This is a battle for first place in the AFC South and they will face off against each other in Week 12 at 5-3 Indy. The 6-2 Titans win this matchup by a field goal. Tennessee 23-20
Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants (+3.5) New York may be 2-7 but they are playing some of their best ball of the season. Their last five games have been decided by three points or less, and they’ve won two of them. 3-4-1 Philly is on a two-game winning streak, including a 22-21 win over the G-Men, and are coming off a bye week. Philadelphia 27-23
Jacksonville Jaguars at Green Bay Packers (-13) Clearly the mismatch of the week, the 6-2 Packers host 1-7 Jacksonville. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is poised to have a monster day while Jags QB Jake Luton will be making his second career start. The Pack hand the Jaguars their eighth straight loss. Green Bay 38-13
Washington Football Team at Detroit Lions (OFF) 3-5 Detroit has been blown out in back-to-back weeks while 2-6 Washington has lost six of their last seven games. Alex Smith will start for Washington, which also sports the No. 1 defence against the pass. If Matthew Stafford doesn’t open up a turnover stand then the Lions win. Detroit 20-19
Houston Texans at Cleveland Browns (-3) The well-rested 5-3 Browns host 2-6 Houston in what could out to be a shootout. Cleveland is fresh off its bye week while the Texans snapped a two-game losing streak last week against Jacksonville. Cleveland 33-28
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers (+5) The Buccaneers fell to 6-3 after they got obliterated 38-3 by New Orleans on Sunday night. 3-6 Carolina is on a four-game slide but nearly upset the Chiefs in Kansas City last week. Tom Brady and the Bucs rebound against the Panthers. Tampa Bay 28-20
Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins (-2.5) It’s Tua Tagovailoa vs. Justin Herbert, the fifth and sixth overall draft picks in 2020, as 5-3 Miami takes on 2-6 L.A. The Chargers’ rookie QB has played well this season but the Bolts have had a handful of heartbreaking losses this season. The Dolphins have won four in a row, including 2-0 with Tua as their starter, and keep rolling. Miami 27-24
Denver Broncos at Las Vegas Raiders (-5) The 5-3 Raiders have won two straight games and seem to finally have their defensive struggles ironed out. Denver is 3-5 and has alternated wins and losses over the last four weeks. Vegas’ Derek Carr outperforms Broncos QB Drew Lock. Las Vegas 31-24
Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals (-1.5) The 7-2 Bills are going for their fourth straight victory when they visit 5-3 Arizona. Josh Allen torched Seattle’s defence for 415 yards, threw three TDs and ran for another score last week and is facing a Cards D that has allowed 30+ points in consecutive weeks. Arizona may also be looking ahead to next week’s NFC West showdown against the Seahawks. Buffalo 31-30
San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints (-9) Two straight losses in which they’ve allowed 30+ points have dropped San Francisco to 4-5 on the season. The Saints have won five games in a row and at 6-2 are the top team in the NFC right now thanks to their 5-1 conference record. 49ers QB Nick Mullens won’t be able to match Drew Brees. New Orleans 34-23
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams (-2) The 5-3 Rams are coming off a bye week after getting embarrassed by Miami in Week 8. Seattle dropped to 6-2 last week after getting exposed by Buffalo. Jared Goff and L.A. get back on track offensively and remain unbeaten at SoFi Stadium by limiting Seattle’s big-play ability. L.A Rams 28-27
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (-7.5) Ben Roethlisberger is on Pittsburgh’s COVID-19 list and remains a question mark for the 8-0 Steelers. Even if Mason Rudolph is forced to start for Pittsburgh they should be able to get past the 2-5-1 Bengals, who are coming off a bye week. Pittsburgh 27-17
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (+7) This matchup was once a potential AFC Championship preview but the 3-5 Patriots are not who they used to be. Cam Newton rallied the Pats to a fourth quarter comeback against the 0-9 New York Jets but the 6-2 Ravens will be a much tougher test. Look for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens to run all over New England. Baltimore 30-20
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (+3) It likely won’t be the best game of the week, but the Monday Night Football matchup between the 5-4 Bears and 3-5 Vikings could be surprisingly entertaining. Chicago has lost three straight, despite having a great defence. Minnesota is on a two-game winning run, thanks in large part to the rushing exploits of Dalvin Cook. Minnesota 24-23
Overall straight up 86-49-1
Overall against the spread 55-75-3
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.
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