Week 10 in the NFL was not such a great week for this writer. I missed on a bunch of games but as it is in the National Football League, on any given Sunday. I had thought the two worst teams in the NFL the Giants and Panthers would go the way of New York given Daniel Jones’s experience…wrong. Caleb Williams had a chance to resurrect his rookie season on his turf facing the Patriots…wrong again.
My upset specials were not so special. The Bills beat the Colts…another incorrectly picked game. Surely the Falcons would defeat the Saints who had won just two games to date. That and they were on a seven-game losing streak. Streak snapped and I picked the wrong team. Baker Mayfield has had a hot hand for two seasons running but could not beat the 49ers as I had picked Tampa to win. Finally the Rams can’t get consistent losing to Miami and I missed on that one as well.
There’s another chance this week to avoid the upsets and get the winners right so give me another shot!
Washington at Philadelphia: The NFC game of the week hands down. I was impressed with the Commanders in week 10 despite my Steelers narrowly beating them while the Eagles are winning but not in such a convincing fashion. Washington is for real, and I believe they are the better team here. Commanders 27 / Eagles 21
Green Bay at Chicago: The Bears fired their offensive coordinator this week, but I don’t think that it will help rookie Caleb Williams improve. The Packers are by far the better team, and I don’t see Williams all the sudden snapping out of his funk. Packers 34 / Bears 13
Jacksonville at Detroit: I picked the Jags in an upset over Minnesota this week and learned a lesson from it. Jacksonville is not particularly good. Playing the Lions in Detroit? Come on man. Lions 47 / Jaguars 12
Minnesota at Tennessee: The Titans should start thinking of a new quarterback for 2025. Will Levis does not appear to be a franchise type QB and Mason Rudolph had his 15 minutes at the end of last season in Pittsburgh. The Vikings are riding his still with Sam Darnold behind center and they should win this one easily. Vikings 31 / Titans 17
Las Vegas at Miami: Tua Tagovailoa returned from his third concussion last week and Miami won. At 3-6 with eight games remaining, if they want to reach the playoffs, they will probably have to win six or seven of those eight to maybe have a chance. They can make it two in a row against a hapless 2-7 Raiders team. Dolphins 30 / Raiders 17
Los Angeles Rams at New England: The NFC is a mess with the first place Cardinals sitting at 6-4 then the 49ers behind them at 5-4. Next are the Rams and Seahawks tied for last at 4-5. Even a loss in New England wouldn’t certainly damage Los Angeles that much. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye is beginning to play better for the Pats and on their turf, I’m leaning towards the home team. Patriots 23 / Rams 21
Cleveland at New Orleans: The Saints pulled a surprise last weekend and are desperate for another win, they are facing a Browns team that is in complete disarray. Jameis Winston returns to the city where he played four seasons including 2023. Winston only played 21 games in five seasons, so he has a shot to show his old teammates something. It won’t be enough. Saints 17 / Browns 13
Indianapolis at New York Jets: In my opinion no matter what happens the rest of the season, this must be Aaron Rodgers final season in the NFL. The Jets would be crazy to bring him back again and if they cut him loose, honestly, who is going to want him to come in as a starter? He’s washed up and is proving it. His declining skills and ego have done him in. This would be the last nail in the coffin if he loses this one. Which he will. Colts 32 / Jets 24
Baltimore at Pittsburgh: The AFC game of the day no doubt. Bitter rivals are these two teams. Patrick Queen gets his first of two shots for the season at his old team which he just left after last season. Do you think he’s amped? Duh. The Steelers have won seven of the last eight meetings losing only in 2022 16-14 in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are on a three-game winning streak in the series and are playing at home. Currently Pittsburgh is riding a four-game winning streak and Baltimore has won back-to-back games since losing to the Browns. As it is with every Steelers/Ravens game, the hitting will be hard, and the game is almost always close. I think T.J. Watt is also going to be super pumped for this one given he was shut out last week. Russell Wilson has the offense clicking on all cylinders and the defense is out to prove they can handle Lamar Jackson. X factor? Derrick Henry. If Pittsburgh can keep him under 75 yards, the Ravens are done. Steelers 24 / Ravens 17
Atlanta at Denver: The Falcons despite a loss last weekend are still in first place. Denver is fighting for their playoff lives. I smell upset. Broncos 28 / Falcons 27
Seattle at San Francisco: Two teams here heading in opposite directions with similar streaks. The Seahawks have lost two in a row and the Niners have won two in a row. If the ‘Hawks have any thoughts of the post season this probably becomes a must win with their record of 4-5. San Francisco needs the win to keep pace with Arizona who has one more win and the same number of losses at 6-4. 49ers 35 / Seahawks 21
Kansas City at Buffalo: If the Pittsburgh/Baltimore game is not the AFC game of the day, then this one is. The Chiefs just can’t go undefeated, can they? I think not and they are primed for their first defeat. The Bills also know with a win they can inch closer to home field advantage throughout the playoffs. This should be the day the goose egg goes away. Bills 27 / Chiefs 24
Cincinnati at Los Angeles Chargers: The Bengals flat out blew it against Baltimore in week 10. Given a chance to tie the game last in the fourth quarter, they made the risky decision to go for a two-point conversion and get the victory. It failed and they lost. Now at 4-6, with games remaining against Baltimore again and two facing the Steelers, division title hopes are out the window unless the two aforementioned teams start to falter which is unlikely given their amount of talent. The Chargers are a pesky team and when on their game become a difficult opponent. Chargers 37 / Bengals 27
Houston at Dallas: The Texans have a safe two game lead in the AFC South while “America’s Team” has become a laughing stock in the NFL for the way Jerry Jones is running the team. It’s always drama-ville in Dallas and their chemistry is always messed up. With Dak Prescott out and either Trey Lance or Cooper Rush taking over, it doesn’t matter. The Texans are much more competitive and set up to play a solid game where you never know what to expect from Dallas. Texans 33 / Cowboys 16
This week the teams that are not playing will be the Giants, Cardinals, Buccaneers, and Panthers. Perhaps New York and Carolina should consider just staying home instead of finishing the season. Then again, they need to play to see who will be picking first overall in next year’s draft.
Running Pick Record from Week to Week
Week 1: 12/15
Week 2: 8/16
Week 3: 8/16
Week 4: 11/16
Week 5: 7/14
Week 6: 9/14
Week 7: 9/15
Week 8: 11/16
Week 9: 10/15
Week 10: 5/14
