After picking 8 winners out of 14 games last week, my record for the season stands at 87 correct and 43 wrong. Here are my week ten choices:
Oakland at San Diego – this is the first of the NFL’s Thursday night games, and I’ll go with the Chargers at home, with Oakland still trying to adjust to new QB Carson Palmer.
Buffalo at Dallas – the Cowboys are certainly tougher at home than on the road, but I believe Buffalo will regroup after a poor performance against the Jets and win a close game here, with their defense coming up with timely turnovers.
New Orleans at Atlanta – huge NFC South battle that may decide the division title. The Falcons have righted the ship after a slow start, and their defense is head and shoulders over the Saints’, who may have the worst tackling defense in the NFL.
Tennessee at Carolina – I expect Chris Johnson to have a decent game running the ball for the Titans, but I also feel Cam Newton will pull out a big Panther win using his arm and legs.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – normally I would go with the Steelers to rebound after a tough loss at home to the Ravens by dominating rookie QB Andy Dalton and shutting down the Bengals, but on a hunch I’ll pick Cinci to continue its’ shocking success by winning at home, with their defense outplaying the vaunted Steeler D.
St. Louis at Cleveland – the Rams, who once played in Cleveland a long time ago, will tough out a win on the road in a battle of teams that are both a long way from being serious contenders.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis – this will be the week when the Colts finally show some pride and come together as a team to get their first win, even though the Jaguars are a tough out.
Denver at Kansas City – maybe there really is something to this Tim Tebow phenomenon. The Chiefs are smarting from taking a hammering from Miami last week in their own home stadium, and the home fans will leave disappointed again this week as Tebow leads another Bronco victory.
Washington at Miami – the Dolphins are starting to believe in replacement QB Matt Moore, while the Redskins are in shambles, mostly on offense. Miami builds on the momentum from their big win in Kansas City last week by beating the ‘Skins at home.
Arizona at Philadelphia – the Eagles, after being upset at home on Monday night by the Bears, need to win every game they can to stay alive in the playoff race, and won’t slip up here. They’ll beat the inconsistent Cards easily.
Houston at Tampa Bay – this should turn out to be a defensive battle, and even though the Bucs are tough at home and highly motivated after losing to the Saints last week, I’ll go with the Texans to win behind Wade Phillips’ defense. Wade is in his comfort zone coordinating a defense, and excels at it, which is exactly what he’s doing this year with Houston.
Baltimore at Seattle – the Ravens were sleepwalking for 2 weeks but woke up in time to beat the rival Steelers for the second time this season last week. Now they need to beat the teams they should beat, and will do just that by pounding the Seahawks.
Detroit at Chicago – this rough, tough NFC North battle will be won by the Bears, who are starting to win me over with a never-say-die attitude they get from their coach, Lovie Smith. Chicago’s defense will be the difference.
New York Giants at San Francisco – this is a really big test for the young Niners, who are on a roll. I’ll pick the Giants to win based on their advantage in experience and the fact that they need to keep winning to keep the lead in their division, while San Fran is already dominating the weak NFC West and can afford the loss.
New England at New York Jets – the difference here is defense. The Jets are solid on that side of the ball, while the Pats rank dead last in the NFL. New York wins at home.
Minnesota at Green Bay – I picked against the mighty Packers last week and I still believe they’ll get ambushed somewhere along the line this season, but it won’t be here, at home at Lambeau on the Monday night stage against a weaker division foe. Green Bay wins easily.