On goes a wild, wild NFL regular season heading into Week 10. The Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots remain as the only unbeaten teams in the league, all sporting 8-0 records. But they face some tough challenges ahead.
The Panthers take on a very promising quarterback in Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota on the road. The Patriots face tough rivals in the New York Giants on the road as well. Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton faces an elite pass-rusher in Houston’s J.J. Watt. Can these stellar teams remain unbeaten? Read on as we take a look at all the action set for Week 10 of the 2015 NFL Regular Season.
Check out some of this week’s primetime matchups in our complete previews for the Cardinals vs. Seahawks and Texans vs. Bengals.
[sc:Football ]2015 NFL Week 10 Picks
Thursday, November 12
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
The Bills had quite a game with quarterback Tyrod Taylor back under center after missing the past two games with an injured knee. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins benefitted the most with a career-high 168 yards receiving and a touchdown. But it was the rushing offense that takes the cake with Karlos Williams running for 110 yards with two scores and LeSean McCoy bursting for 112 yards with a touchdown.
[sc:NFL240banner ]An overall performance should help Buffalo against AFC East rivals, the New York Jets. The Bills could slow down against the Jets’ defense which allows just 323.2 yards of offense per game. But the Jets don’t have enough weapons on the other side of the ball to hang with the Bills. Running back Chris Ivory has been held to 41 yards or less in three straight games, while quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is nursing a torn ligament in his hand.
Writer’s prediction: A short week does the Jets no good. Buffalo wins big on the road to help its playoff chances.
Sunday, November 15
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers lost consecutive games for the first time since 2010, which should be enough to light a fire under the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers is due for a big game against the struggling Detroit Lions. Detroit has allowed opposing quarterbacks to connect on a league-high 73.1 percent of pass attempts. Rodgers has passesd for 1,078 yards and 11 touchdowns in four home games this year.
Writer’s prediction: Rodgers showcases his brilliance in a blowout at home.
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite a late fourth quarter rally to force overtime, the Dallas Cowboys lost for the sixth straight time after allowing a 41-yard passing touchdown to Philadelphia in the extra frame. The loss wasted a solid effort from quarterback Matt Cassel, who threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns in regulation.
Cassel could bounce back nicely against Tampa Bay, though. The Buccaneers have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns (19) in the league this season. Tampa Bay might struggle to keep themselves in the game with a turnover-prone rookie quarterback in Jameis Winston. This year’s first overall draft pick has completed just 57.7 percent of his passes, while throwing 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Writer’s prediction: The Cowboys snap their six-game losing streak with a blowout of Tampa Bay.
Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans
With a big victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 9, Carolina moved to 8-0 as one of three teams still unbeaten in the league. Cam Newton was absolutely brilliant, passing for 297 yards with three touchdowns and adding 57 yards rushing and a score. He faces a pretty stingy defense in Tennessee. The Titans are allowing just 329 total yards of offense per game this season.
The Titans also have a very good quarterback in rookie Marcus Mariota, who threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in a 34-28 overtime win at New Orleans on Sunday. The Panthers allowed 369 yards passing and four touchdowns in the win against Green Bay.
Writer’s prediction: Tennessee upsets Newton and the Panthers
Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams
It’s going to be a battle of running backs over at St. Louis. The Chicago Bears’ rookie running back Jeremy Langford relished his time to shine, racking up 72 yards rushing with a score and 70 yards receiving in a 22-19 win over San Diego on Monday Night Football. The Rams have their own solid rookie running back in Todd Gurley III. Gurley rushed for at least 128 yards in each of his first four games this season before being limited to 89 yards and a score in a 21-18 overtime loss to Minnesota in Week 9.
Writer’s prediction: Gurley and the Rams prevail at home.
New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins
Drew Brees had another pretty solid outing for New Orleans, passing for 387 yards and three touchdowns to three different receivers. But his performance was not enough to salvage a win against the Tennessee Titans. Brees faces a solid passing defense in the Washington Redskins, who allow just 240.4 yards per game. But running back Mark Ingram should find the holes to exploit against a Washington front seven which allows 132.5 yards rushing per game.
Writer’s prediction: The Saints turn to the ground game in a tight road victory against Washington.
Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
There was no stopping the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense in a 33-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. Quarterback Sam Bradford completed 25 of 36 passes for 295 yards and the game-winning touchdown to Jordan Matthews (133 yards). Meanwhile, DeMarco Murray rushed for 83 yards and a score and Ryan Mathews added 67 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
The Eagles head home to face a Miami Dolphins team coming off back-to-back losses. While the Dolphins were blown out by Buffalo 33-17 on Sunday, they did show some big play abilities. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for 309 yards in the loss. Running back Lamar Miller ran for 44 yards and score, while adding 97 yards receiving on seven catches.
Writer’s prediction: The Dolphins rebound against an inconsistent Philadelphia team. Take Miami for the win.
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
The Browns return to Josh McCown at quarterback when they head over to Pittsburgh in a big divisional showdown. McCown has been strong this season with 1,897 yards passing and 11 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He’ll face a vulnerable Pittsburgh pass defense which has allowed 273 yards per game and 16 total touchdowns this year.
Pittsburgh won’t have Ben Roethlisberger to counter Cleveland’s McCown. Roethlisberger suffered a left foot injury on Sunday. He’s expected to miss a couple of weeks while Landry Jones or Mike Vick get snaps under center.
Writer’s prediction: McCown lifts the Browns to a big road win over Pittsburgh.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens
The Jacksonville Jaguars have their selves to blame in their Week 10 loss. A fumbled punt return and an interception from quarterback Blake Bortles basically handed the New York Jets the 28-23 win on Sunday. But the Jags’ duo of wide receivers in Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns, who combined for 243 yards and a touchdown against the Jets, is still better than Baltimore’s motley group they call a receiving corps.
The Ravens’ Kamar Aiken has played for four teams since 2011; Marlon Brown hasn’t scored a touchdown in 22 straight regular season games; Jeremy Butler, an undrafted rookie, is yet to play a snap in the NFL; and Chris Givens came from the league’s worst passing offense (St. Louis). Quarterback Joe Flacco may have a difficult time getting his receivers up to speed even coming off a bye week.
Writer’s prediction: The Jags upset the Ravens.
Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders
Teddy Bridgewater appeared to be knocked unconscious in Sunday’s 21-18 win over the St. Louis Rams. He’s now under the concussion protocol, which casts doubt on a possible start next week against the Raiders. Still, the Vikings have an in-form Adrian Peterson, who’s coming off back-to-back games of 100-plus yards. Peterson could explode for a monster game against the Raiders. Oakland allowed Pittsburgh running back DeAngelo Williams to rush for 170 yards and two scores on 27 carries Sunday.
Minnesota’s passing defense, which ranks sixth in the league with just 220.6 yards allowed per game, should have enough to prevent Raiders quarterback Derek Carr from another big game. Carr has 923 yards and 11 touchdowns in his last three games, including two 300-yarders.
Writer’s prediction: The Vikings slow the game down with Adrian Peterson at the helm to win the game.
New England Patriots at New York Giants
The New England Patriots are coming oh so close to their 2007 form when they won all 16 of their regular season games and the AFC Championship before losing to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Here come the Giants looking to wipe out New England’s unbeaten streak yet again with an excellent quarterback in Eli Manning.
Manning has been pretty solid the past two weeks. He passed for 350 yards and six touchdowns in a 52-49 loss at New Orleans in Week 8. He then passed for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns at Tampa Bay on Sunday. Manning faces a pretty vulnerable New England passing defense, which allows 244.8 yards per game (16th in the league).
Writer’s prediction: The Giants hand New England’s first loss of the season.
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
That was quite a game. The Colts led by as much as 17-0, before the Denver Broncos rallied in a 27-24 loss. Quarterback Peyton Manning fell just three yards short for the career-record for passing yards after throwing for 281 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions Sunday afternoon. Manning should break the record this coming Sunday, barring injuries, especially against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Manning has been a nightmare matchup for Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs. Manning has beaten Smith all five times they’ve faced one another since Smith arrived in Kansas City in 2013. Smith was horrible in this matchup at Arrowhead Stadium in September, passing for 191 yards and two interceptions of a 31-24 loss.
Writer’s prediction: The Broncos sweep the season series against Kansas City.
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a much needed bye, having fought back to a .500 record (4-4). They start off the second half of the season at home against the Arizona Cardinals, who they’re 4-1 SU/ATS against in the past five meetings. Seattle ranks second in the league in total yards allowed per game (284.9), which should have the Seahawks confident against a very good quarterback in Carson Palmer.
The Arizona signal caller passed for 374 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-23 blowout of Cleveland prior to their Week 9 bye. Seattle’s own quarterback in Russell Wilson hasn’t been that good, however. Wilson threw for two touchdowns and four interceptions in his last two games before the bye week.
Writer’s prediction: Palmer has another solid game as the Cardinals take a hard-fought win at Seattle.
Monday, November 16
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton looked like an elite quarterback in primetime, blowing out the Cleveland Browns 31-10 on Thursday night. He passed for 234 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. But Dalton is still 4-7 in primetime games in his career. A meeting with the Texans’ J.J. Watt (8.5 sacks, second in the league) could lead to a bad performance from Cincinnati’s quarterback.
The Texans have a pretty serviceable quarterback in Brian Hoyer, who could keep things close against the Bengals. Hoyer passed for 508 yards with five touchdowns and one interception in back-to-back games before a Week 9 bye.
Writer’s prediction: The Texans hang close enough to cover the spread.
Now that you’re armed with everything you need to know heading into an exciting week of football, it’s time to create a betting account and join in on all the fun.
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