NFL Week 10 picks

Back on the winning track for me. I went 4-2 last week to gain another game on Loren who went 3-3. Total records as of now are…36-18 to Loren’s 29-25 record.

New York Giants at Cincinnati
Loren – New York. That was a disgusting loss against the Steelers last week. Good thing they’re playing a mediocre team this week. Still, coming in to this game with a hangover from that loss could spell doom for the Giants. As the Bengals proved against Denver, they have the firepower to challenge better teams.
Derek – New York. The Bengals are one of those “ok” teams, they can play good, bad or somewhere in between. You can always pick against them with confidence but you can’t be surprised if they win. I’m going with the Giants here, they have a better offense and much better defense to handle the Red Rocket and AJ Green.

Detroit at Minnesota
Loren – Detroit. It looks like Stafford and Megatron are getting their mojo back. They better. Detroit’s run D isn’t nearly as good as their secondary. If you’re Minnesota, run the ball all day, control the clock, and mix in a few play-action shots down the field to keep the defense honest. Detroit should be able to handle that, but we’ve seen them lose games they should win.
Derek – Detroit. Obviously the Lions aren’t they team they were last year. They’ve lost something or at least have come back down to reality. That being said they’ve seemed to right the ship the last few weeks and aren’t turning the ball over every other possession. They should have enough offense to make up for the lack of time of possession you’re going to see. AP will have a big day but not big enough.

Atlanta at New Orleans
Loren – Atlanta. Yeah, I’m not going to pick against the only undefeated team in the league. This will probably be a high scoring, close game. But if the difference comes down to which team can make a defensive stop…which would you pick?
Derek – New Orleans. I think it was just last week I said I wouldn’t go against Atlanta until they lost. But I’ve got a feeling about this game. The Saints are playing better and the Falcons don’t look soooo explosive. I think this comes down to one possession and I like Brees with the ball in his hand. Home Dome advantage?

New York Jets at Seattle
Loren – Seattle. This is probably going to be one of those inexplicable games where the Seahawks have a home matchup against a team on the ropes, a game they could make a statement with, and they somehow find a way to lose. Overall, the Seahawks are the better team. If the Jets were smart, they’d abandon all post-season aspirations and start mixing up their personnel, come up with a new offensive plan that plays to their strengths. Ha ha, I just said, “If the Jets were smart…”
Derek – Seattle. Ha ha, Loren said “If the Jets were smart…” Seattle at home is usually a good bet. Wilson seems to be rounding into form and the D is still holding up. I don’t see a bad team in the Jets getting better all of the sudden in the hostile work environment that is the Clink.

Dallas at Philadelphia
Loren – Dallas. Man, I don’t like taking Dallas on the road. This just instinctively feels wrong. After last week’s pasting by the Saints, though, the Eagles don’t deserve a pick here. The Eagles are the most frustrating team in the NFL. On paper, their offense is stellar and their defense should be better than average. If you can’t step up on the field, though, all the paper simulations don’t mean a thing.
Derek – Dallas. Gotta stick with a team that makes minor mistakes to cost themselves the game against a team that seems to make every mistake possible. They only scored 13 against the Saints D. ewww.

Houston at Chicago
Loren – Chicago. This is the hardest game to pick this week. Everyone and their mother jumped on the Bears’ D bandwagon this week. Really? They gave up 20 and 22 points to the Titans and Panthers, respectively, the last two weeks. Hearing the pundits, you’d expect they’d had two consecutive shutouts. But here’s the reason I’m taking Chicago: tossing out the 13 points they scored against the Lions in week 7, the Bears have averaged over 37 points per game in their last 5 games. They haven’t been playing the best defenses, but it shows you the offense is clicking. If their D can even just play up to par for them this week, it should be a home win for Chicago.
Derek – Houston. I think the Texans are a legit 7-1 team and the Bears are more like a 5-3 team. They’ve been playing better recently but Houston will be the best team they’ve played since the Packers and they lost that one. I’ll be surprised if Cutler has less than 3 interceptions. He’s going to be on the run most of the game.