Shortly during this introduction, I’ll briefly discuss some of the more important talking points during the NFL since the last time I wrote. How about those Pittsburgh Steelers? A lot of people, including myself, questioned the Steelers and whether the Le’veon Bell situation would continue to distract the team. However, they have stormed back, winning five games in a row. The Houston Texans have won six games in a row but nobody seems to be talking about them. They lost their first three games and now have a 6-3 record. I still don’t think the Texans are a great team, but I still really like quarterback Deshaun Watson and the plays he makes for his team. Finally, the Saints and Rams are the two contenders in the NFC and they have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. They played a thrilling game two Sundays ago, which the Saints won 45-35. I would love to see these two teams play again in the NFC Championship game. For my picks, this was a very difficult week because there are some massive point spreads. Now without a further ado, let’s get to my Week 10 picks!
Carolina Panthers (-4) at Detroit Lions: I really like the Carolina Panthers to win and cover the spread against the Lions on Sunday Morning. This pick is all about the different directions that each of these teams are headed. The Panthers have looked great in recent weeks, the exception being that blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Lions have looked awful the last couple of weeks, getting blown out on the road by the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Detroit still cannot run the football, which puts a lot of pressure on quarterback Matt Stafford to make key plays. Also, the Panthers quarterback Cam Newton should do well against the Lions defense which is one of the worst in the NFL. The Panthers should win this game by a touchdown or more.
Panthers 27, Lions 19
Denver Broncos at LA Chargers (-7): I like the Chargers to cover the spread in a potential blowout against the Broncos. The Chargers have been on a roll lately and the Broncos have not played good football recently. I do not think the extra seven days the Broncos have had to prepare for this game due to their bye week will have an effect on this game. The Chargers have a lot to play for, and the Broncos season is pretty much over. When the Broncos traded wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Texas Texans, it felt like they were waving the white flag on this season. The Case Keenum experiment has unfortunately not worked out for the Broncos. This pick is a little bit risky because of LA’s lack of a true home field advantage, but I think their more motivated to win this game. Broncos 20, Chargers 30
Kansas City Chiefs (+3.5) at LA Rams: This is my favorite pick of the week. Look, even with the change of location of this game, from Mexico City to Los Angeles, If you did not know, this game was originally going to be played at a neutral field in Mexico City. However, due to the field being worn out from concerts and soccer matches, they have decided to move the game to the Coliseum in LA, where the Rams play because they were the scheduled home team. I still will take the three and a half points that the Chiefs are getting. As good as the Rams have been this year, their defense has really struggled the last few weeks. Last week against the Seattle Seahawks, they had a very hard time dealing with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Chiefs quarterback Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs offense will be too good to lose by a considerable amount. I’m going to be bold and predict a Chiefs upset victory here on Monday Night Football.
Chiefs 34, Rams 31
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints (-8): This is a little bit of a risk, but I’ll take the Saints to blowout the Eagles on Sunday. Both of these defenses have been exposed this year and I think this makes for a shootout. The Eagles have not played great this year, but their passing attack is still decent and they should be able to score against the Saints. However, the Eagles cannot run the football and the Saints can. Also, the Saints offense has been cooking for more than a month now. Saints quarterback Drew Brees is an MVP candidate, and with Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas, they have three of the best offensive players in the NFL. They go up against a Philly defense that gave up a lot of yards and points to an average Dallas Cowboys offense last week. The Saints will win, and this will be a shootout in New Orleans.
Eagles 27, Saints 38
