After picking 12 winners out of the 14 NFL games played in week 9, my record for the season now shows 69 correct and 34 wrong, which calculates to a .710 winning percentage. A lot of NFL head coaches would like to have a winning percentage like that. Here are my week 10 picks:
Indianapolis at Jacksonville – the Colts, behind rookie QB Andrew Luck, are becoming a great story line in the NFL this year, as they continue to win for ailing head coach Chuck Pagano. Indy should win this game, since the Jags don’t have much of a home field advantage.
Buffalo at New England – this might as well be New England versus Orchard Park High School – it might make for a closer result. The Patriots win big at home.
Oakland at Baltimore – I have this sneaking hunch that the Raiders could pull an upset here, but don’t have the guts to pick it. The Ravens win a close one.
Denver at Carolina – it’s too tough to pick against Peyton Manning now – he’s obviously back and healthy. The Broncos win due to the play of their defense this week rather than relying on Manning’s arm.
New York Giants at Cincinnati – the Bengals just aren’t showing that they are capable of repeating their playoff run of 2011. I’ll go with the Giants to rebound from a tough loss to the Steelers last week and win on the road.
Tennessee at Miami – both of these teams are coming off of disappointing losses, and the Titans should be especially motivated after being embarrassed by the Bears last week. I like Miami’s defense to carry the day and help the Dolphins get a win.
Detroit at Minnesota – I think it’s safe to say that the loser of this game will likely drop out of playoff contention in the NFC North, so it’ll be a hard-fought divisonal rivalry game. The Lions are a little better team and will squeeze out a road win.
Atlanta at New Orleans – the Saints have some holes on defense, but they’re marching again on offense. Atlanta’s undefeated run ends here as New Orleans pulls the upset at home.
San Diego at Tampa Bay – I’m impressed with what the Buccaneers are doing this year, even though they almost blew a big lead at Oakland last week. However, I have to go with the Chargers at home.
New York Jets at Seattle – if the Jets are going to keep their playoff hopes alive, they have to rise to the occasion and win here. I don’t think they’re capable. I’m picking the Seahawks to win at home.
Dallas at Philadelphia – with Tony Romo and Michael Vick squaring off in this one, it should be a turnover fest. It’s always hard to figure how these divisional games will unfold, but I’ll take Dallas since they’ve been a bit more consistent overall this season.
St. Louis at San Francisco – this figures to be a solid 49er victory, although I expect Jeff Fisher to have his Rams ready to play after getting throttled by New England in London last week.
Houston at Chicago – this could be an honest-to-goodness Super Bowl preview. Both of these teams are solid, offensively and defensively. For this game, the Bears have the home field advantage, plus a significant edge on special teams. Chicago wins.
Kansas City at Pittsburgh – not much of a matchup in this one. The Chiefs will wilt early and that translates into an easy Steeler victory.
Louise
November 8, 2012 at 11:56 am
Maybe the Bills will surprise us this week and come up with a complete game – all 3 phases playing well. They will need it!