NFL 2012: Week 10 Picks
Half of the NFL season is in the books and although it looks like the Cincinnati Bengals might be out of it already, a lot of good football games are left to be played. The playoff picture will continue to become clearer each and every week and there are several very meaningful games this week for teams in the playoff hunt.
Who is in the playoff hunt, you ask? Well, with half of the season to go here are the teams I think will make playoffs come January along with a few who are on the bubble, followed by my picks for Week 10, of course.
AFC Playoff Picture
East: New England Patriots (5-3)
North: Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
South: Houston Texans (7-1)
West: Denver Broncos (5-3)
Wild Card: Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3), Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
In the Hunt: Miami Dolphins (4-4), San Diego Chargers (4-4)
NFC Playoff Picture
East: New York Giants (6-3)
North: Chicago Bears (7-1)
South: Atlanta Falcons (8-0)
West: San Francisco 49ers (6-2)
Wild Card: Green Bay Packers (6-3), Seattle Seahawks (5-4)
In the Hunt: Minnesota Vikings (5-4), Detroit Lions (4-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4), and it's a bit of a stretch, but I think the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) and the New Orleans Saints (3-5) still have a slim chance of getting in.
Week 10 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
Indianapolis over JACKSONVILLE: The Colts have won three in a row and they are now shaving their heads in honor of head coach Chuck Pagano. Colts keep the winning streak alive with a win over the Jaguars.
MIAMI over Tennessee: After seeing the Titans turn the ball over five times and give up 51 points to the Bears last week, how can you even think of taking Tennessee in this one?
Detroit over MINNESOTA: The last time these two teams met the Vikings needed two special teams touchdowns to knock off the Lions and I doubt history will repeat itself in this one. Megatron and the Lions move over the .500 mark with a win in Minnesota.
NEW ENGLAND over Buffalo: Patriots will be well rested after their bye and although I don't expect them to put up 52 points on the Bills like they did back in Week 4, I still see them winning this one by at least two touchdowns.
Atlanta over NEW ORLEANS: A lot of people are taking the Saints in this one and I know New Orleans looked good Monday night against the Eagles, but that was against a bad Philadelphia team. Atlanta is a far superior team than the Eagles and they stomped Philly, 30-17, back in Week 8. I don't think the Falcons, who are 8-0, will go undefeated, but I do think they stay perfect for at least one more week.
TAMPA BAY over San Diego: RGIII and Andrew Luck might get all the press, but Doug Martin is quietly having an excellent rookie season. After rushing for 251-yards and four touchdowns last week, Martin is now third in the league in rushing with 794-yards and is second with seven touchdowns. Good luck San Diego.
Denver over CAROLINA: I saw with my own two eyes last week just how good Peyton Manning is playing this season and I would be stunned if Denver lost more than two games the rest of the way. And Carolina certainly won't be one of them.
BALTIMORE over Oakland: Although the Ravens aren't playing great football right now, I still like them Sunday against the Raiders who gave up an astonishing 278-yards on the ground last week. Ouch.
SEATTLE over NY Jets: If the Patriots can't win in Seattle, neither can the Jets.
Dallas over PHILADELPHIA: With what I saw from the Eagles last Monday night in New Orleans, I think the end might be near for Andy Reid and Michael Vick in Philadelphia. The Cowboys will get a much needed win on the road.
SAN FRANCISCO over St. Louis: The 49ers take care of business against the Rams and get ready for next week's Monday Night Football matchup with the Bears.
Houston over CHICAGO: Game of the Week. I really struggled with picking a winner for this one because these two teams are so evenly matched. The Bears are 4-0 at home; they have a great quarterback, a star running back, one of the league's best receivers and a defense that is playing at a Super Bowl caliber level. The Texans are 3-0 on the road; they too have a great quarterback, a star running back, one of the league's best receivers and a very good defense. Not to mention both teams are 7-1 and both lost to the Green Bay Packers.
So, with that being said, I'm taking the Houston Texans for two reasons. First, the Bears defense is really good and what makes them so good is that fact that they force turnovers. Chicago has forced 28 turnovers and has scored seven touchdowns thus far this season; however, the Texans have turned the ball over just six times. Second, Texans QB Matt Schaub has only been sacked 10 times this season opposed to the Bears' Jay Cutler who has been sacked 28 times, second most in the league. I think Houston will take care of the football and get pressure on Cutler to win on Sunday in Chicago.
PITTSBURGH over Kansas City: The Chiefs would struggle to beat Alabama or Oregon with the way they are playing football right now.
Giants over BENGALS: Facing one of the Manning brothers is tough enough, but facing both of them in back-to-back weeks just isn't fair. I give the Bengals credit for coming back against Peyton and the Broncos last week, but the fact is they just aren't a very good football team.
The Bengals got absolutely zero pressure on Peyton last week and it cost them. They also committed several devastating penalties that eliminated any sort of a comeback. At 3-5, Cincinnati needs a win in the worst way to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive. As disappointing as it is to say with half the season left, I don't see the Bengals making the playoffs and I don't see them beating Eli and the Giants this Sunday either.
It's a disappointing time to be a Bengals fan, yet again when isn't it, and I'm afraid things will only get worse with a loss to the Giants, but there is good news however. Cincinnati plays the 1-7 Kansas Chiefs next week and then Carson Palmer returns to town with the Oakland Raiders the following week. So, maybe the Bengals can reel off a couple wins and perhaps finish 8-8, but it is the Bengals so don't hold your breath. Giants 31, Bengals 23.
Byes: Cleveland, Green Bay, Arizona, Washington
Last Week: 10-4
Overall: 85-47
Who is in the playoff hunt, you ask? Well, with half of the season to go here are the teams I think will make playoffs come January along with a few who are on the bubble, followed by my picks for Week 10, of course.
AFC Playoff Picture
East: New England Patriots (5-3)
North: Baltimore Ravens (6-2)
South: Houston Texans (7-1)
West: Denver Broncos (5-3)
Wild Card: Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3), Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
In the Hunt: Miami Dolphins (4-4), San Diego Chargers (4-4)
NFC Playoff Picture
East: New York Giants (6-3)
North: Chicago Bears (7-1)
South: Atlanta Falcons (8-0)
West: San Francisco 49ers (6-2)
Wild Card: Green Bay Packers (6-3), Seattle Seahawks (5-4)
In the Hunt: Minnesota Vikings (5-4), Detroit Lions (4-4), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4), and it's a bit of a stretch, but I think the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) and the New Orleans Saints (3-5) still have a slim chance of getting in.
Week 10 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
Indianapolis over JACKSONVILLE: The Colts have won three in a row and they are now shaving their heads in honor of head coach Chuck Pagano. Colts keep the winning streak alive with a win over the Jaguars.
MIAMI over Tennessee: After seeing the Titans turn the ball over five times and give up 51 points to the Bears last week, how can you even think of taking Tennessee in this one?
Detroit over MINNESOTA: The last time these two teams met the Vikings needed two special teams touchdowns to knock off the Lions and I doubt history will repeat itself in this one. Megatron and the Lions move over the .500 mark with a win in Minnesota.
NEW ENGLAND over Buffalo: Patriots will be well rested after their bye and although I don't expect them to put up 52 points on the Bills like they did back in Week 4, I still see them winning this one by at least two touchdowns.
Atlanta over NEW ORLEANS: A lot of people are taking the Saints in this one and I know New Orleans looked good Monday night against the Eagles, but that was against a bad Philadelphia team. Atlanta is a far superior team than the Eagles and they stomped Philly, 30-17, back in Week 8. I don't think the Falcons, who are 8-0, will go undefeated, but I do think they stay perfect for at least one more week.
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| Last Sunday Doug Martin became the first player in NFL history with three rushing touchdowns of more than 45-yards in the same game and he's only a rookie. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP) |
TAMPA BAY over San Diego: RGIII and Andrew Luck might get all the press, but Doug Martin is quietly having an excellent rookie season. After rushing for 251-yards and four touchdowns last week, Martin is now third in the league in rushing with 794-yards and is second with seven touchdowns. Good luck San Diego.
Denver over CAROLINA: I saw with my own two eyes last week just how good Peyton Manning is playing this season and I would be stunned if Denver lost more than two games the rest of the way. And Carolina certainly won't be one of them.
BALTIMORE over Oakland: Although the Ravens aren't playing great football right now, I still like them Sunday against the Raiders who gave up an astonishing 278-yards on the ground last week. Ouch.
SEATTLE over NY Jets: If the Patriots can't win in Seattle, neither can the Jets.
Dallas over PHILADELPHIA: With what I saw from the Eagles last Monday night in New Orleans, I think the end might be near for Andy Reid and Michael Vick in Philadelphia. The Cowboys will get a much needed win on the road.
SAN FRANCISCO over St. Louis: The 49ers take care of business against the Rams and get ready for next week's Monday Night Football matchup with the Bears.
Houston over CHICAGO: Game of the Week. I really struggled with picking a winner for this one because these two teams are so evenly matched. The Bears are 4-0 at home; they have a great quarterback, a star running back, one of the league's best receivers and a defense that is playing at a Super Bowl caliber level. The Texans are 3-0 on the road; they too have a great quarterback, a star running back, one of the league's best receivers and a very good defense. Not to mention both teams are 7-1 and both lost to the Green Bay Packers.
So, with that being said, I'm taking the Houston Texans for two reasons. First, the Bears defense is really good and what makes them so good is that fact that they force turnovers. Chicago has forced 28 turnovers and has scored seven touchdowns thus far this season; however, the Texans have turned the ball over just six times. Second, Texans QB Matt Schaub has only been sacked 10 times this season opposed to the Bears' Jay Cutler who has been sacked 28 times, second most in the league. I think Houston will take care of the football and get pressure on Cutler to win on Sunday in Chicago.
PITTSBURGH over Kansas City: The Chiefs would struggle to beat Alabama or Oregon with the way they are playing football right now.
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| Andy Dalton could not escape the Broncos pass rush last Sunday as he was sacked three times by Denver's Von Miller. (John Grieshop/Mile High Report) |
Giants over BENGALS: Facing one of the Manning brothers is tough enough, but facing both of them in back-to-back weeks just isn't fair. I give the Bengals credit for coming back against Peyton and the Broncos last week, but the fact is they just aren't a very good football team.
The Bengals got absolutely zero pressure on Peyton last week and it cost them. They also committed several devastating penalties that eliminated any sort of a comeback. At 3-5, Cincinnati needs a win in the worst way to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive. As disappointing as it is to say with half the season left, I don't see the Bengals making the playoffs and I don't see them beating Eli and the Giants this Sunday either.
It's a disappointing time to be a Bengals fan, yet again when isn't it, and I'm afraid things will only get worse with a loss to the Giants, but there is good news however. Cincinnati plays the 1-7 Kansas Chiefs next week and then Carson Palmer returns to town with the Oakland Raiders the following week. So, maybe the Bengals can reel off a couple wins and perhaps finish 8-8, but it is the Bengals so don't hold your breath. Giants 31, Bengals 23.
Byes: Cleveland, Green Bay, Arizona, Washington
Last Week: 10-4
Overall: 85-47
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