Week 10 Picks!

We have hit Week 10 in the NFL season, and this season is flying by so quick. It is going so fast that I forgot to make a pick on the Thursday Night game between San Diego and Oakland (Good thing because I probably would have went with the Chargers, and the Raiders won 24-17.) I can't believe we are already up to the Thursday Night Game on NFL Network! Anyway, now the puzzle begins to get put together piece by piece. We have learned some things, yet there are still many questions left to be answered. Are the Patriots really vulnerable? Who the hell is going to win the AFC West? Are the Bengals for real? Are the Eagles going to be one of the most disappointing teams in recent history? All of these questions will be answered the next eight weeks, but before we get there, you have to remember that the NFL is a week-to-week league. One week your team is great, the next week you team is not even in the playoff picture. It literally changes every week. You can't get too high with the wins, and you can't get too low with the losses. Case in point: Look at the AFC East. Just one week ago, the Pats were 5-2, the Bills were 5-2 and the Jets were 4-3. No one expected the Pats to lose two in a row, especially at home to the banged-up Giants. The Bills were the darlings of the league, and they were ready to host the Jets in their coming out party up in Orchard Park. The Jets were trying to build off of their second half comeback over the Chargers, but they were an underdog going into Buffalo. The Pats lose late to Giants in a stunner to fall to 5-3, and the Jets dominated the Bills to create a three-way logjam atop the AFC East. The Bills got exposed, and the Jets look like they are hitting their stride. In a span of seven days, the Jets look like the eventual division champs, there are many questions surrounding the Patriots, and the Bills look like a paper tiger. That is the way the NFL goes. Onto to the picks for Week 10........

Last Week's Record: 6-8

Overall Record: 57-66-7

(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

Pittsburgh (-3) over CINCY: I am reluctantly going to take the Steelers in what will be a really good game in the AFC North. That loss to the Ravens was a killer, but I think the Stillers will take care of Andy Dalton on the road this week. It will be close, but look for a 17-10 win by Pittsburgh.

Jacksonville (-3) over INDY: Will the Colts go 0-16? This might be the week they win, but if they lose, they could be going down that path. How bad is it for the Colts that NBC already flexed out of the Colts-Pats SNF game on December 4th? NBC hasn't even named a replacement game yet, but they want no part of the Colts. The Jags aren't very good, and Blaine Gabbert has been awful, but this week they will take care of Indy.

Buffalo (+6) over DALLAS: The Cowboys will be in the wildcard hunt come December, but this looks like a good bounce-back game for the Bills. Everyone is jumping off the Buffalo bandwagon, and I haven't seen too many people pick against the Cowboys this week, so I'll take the Bills on the road.

TAMPA BAY (+3) over Houston: The Texans are the better team, but the Bucs are more desperate. I'll take the desperate team at home. Houston can afford to lose this game, and at 6-4 all they have to do is go 4-2 and finish with 10 wins to get the AFC South. Tampa Bay can't afford another loss because at 4-5 it will be tough for them to get a wildcard in the crowded NFC. The Bucs find a way at home.

Tennessee (+3) over CAROLINA: This game smells like a big one for Cam Newton and the Panthers, but I'll ride the Titans for one more week. I can't really figure out the Titans this year, but this week they rise up and get a big road win to get to 5-4.

MIAMI (-3) over Washington: The Dolphins are like 1-12 in their last 13 home games. They have to get a win one of these days at home right? The Redskins have no QB, plain and simple. Miami got their first win last week on the road at Arrowhead, and they have played hard every week. Take the Fish laying only a field goal.

New Orleans (PICK) over ATLANTA: Big game in the NFC South. I'll take the Saints on the road in a thriller. This looks like a 27-24 game either way, but the Saints and Drew Brees make one more play than the Falcons late to win it.

Detroit (+3) over CHICAGO: How about the Bears hanging around at 5-3? If anyone in Denver wants to know why the Broncos' record since Week 8 of 2009 is 9-25, then look no further at the starting QB of the current Chicago Bears. Jay Cutler has been tremendous this year, and as much as I like the way the Bears are playing, the Lions will win this game on the road. Too much firepower on offense, and the Bears are going to get shut down by that Lions defense.

CLEVELAND (-2) over St.Louis: Has Sam Bradford regressed this year? The Rams have one win, and that came with A.J. Feeley running the offense. The Browns have been a slight disappointment in my opinion, but look for them to take care of business at home this week.

PHILLY (-13) over Arizona: At 3-5, the Eagles are not dead yet, but they are on life support. The need to to 7-1 to make the playoffs, and 6-2 to have any shot of making it. They start the second half of the season, with an easy win over the depleted Cardinals.

Baltimore (-6) over SEATTLE: I will never be a Joe Flacco supporter, but last week's win in Pittsburgh on a late touchdown pass from Flacco to Torrey Smith might have been his moment. Expect no letdown this week, as the Ravens take out the pesky Seahawks on the road.

New York Giants (+4) over SAN FRANCISCO: The Niners have that classic look of the team that finishes 12-4, gets the number two seed in the NFC, a first round bye, and then they lose at home in disappointing fashion in the divisional round. After watching the Giants dispatch of the Patriots last week, I became a believer of the G-Men. By the way, it is nice to see a big game between the Giants and the Niners again. These two franchises have had some epic, big game battles going back to the 80s. Good scene this week out in Candlestick.

NEW YORK JETS (-1) over New England: The Jets are rolling, and the Patriots are reeling. This is the perfect storm for the Jets this week, and they have been really good at home this year. A Jet win this week won't guarantee them the AFC East, but I have a feeling the Jets bring their "A" game this Sunday Night. The Pats aren't done yet, but they will have to regroup after they take their licking in New York.

GREEN BAY (-12) over Minnesota: The Packers will lose a game this year, and they can't play at a high level every week, but I don't see it happening this week at Lambeau on Monday Night. The Packers will toy with the Vikings for a while, but in the end too much Aaron Rodgers and that high-powered offense. One more thing: We all know that Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL right now, but can we hold off on the whole "Aaron Rodgers is the best QB ever" argument? Can we wait until his career ends to start this debate?

KANSAS CITY (-3) over Denver: If Denver wins this game, then the Broncos season really could get interesting. A Bronco win would put them at 4-5 and only one game behind the Raiders for the AFC West lead. Also, enough with the talk that the Broncos ran the option to defeat the Raiders last week. You would think that they lined up in the wishbone all game long. Tim Tebow did run for over 100 yards, but only like 3 plays did he keep the ball on the zone read. The other times they ran it, it was a spread, shotgun run to Willis McGahee. The Broncos have been running that play all year long. The key was that Tebow kept it in key moments, and gained big yardage everytime he did. The zone read give to the halfback is one of the base plays of any team that spreads out their receivers. The bottom line is that the Broncos never win in Arrowhead, and even though the Chiefs aren't dominating at home, this game looks like a tough matchup for Tebow and the Broncos.

Final Score: Kansas City-24 Denver-6