A handful of underdogs rose to the occasion in Week 9 of the 2015 NFL season. Four of last week’s underdogs not only covered the point spread, but also won outright as Carolina, San Francisco, Indianapolis and Chicago recorded stunning victories over Green Bay, Atlanta, Denver and San Diego, respectively.
Exciting NFL action will be coming our way again starting on Thursday and to help you formulate your selections for this week’s games, we’ve compiled the expert opinion of pundits from CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and FiveThirtyEight.
Read on below as we break down the choices of these esteemed football experts and while you’re at it, you can check out TopBet’s NFL Week 10 picks.
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Experts’ Picks for 2015 NFL Week 10
CBS Sports
Game
Spread
Pete Prisco
Jason La Canfora
Ryan Wilson
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
-2.5 NYJ
Jets
Bills
Jets
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
-11.5 GB
Packers
Lions
Lions
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
-1.5 TB
Cowboys
Cowboys
Buccaneers
Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans
+4.5 TEN
Panthers
Titans
Panthers
Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams
-7.5 STL
Bears
Bears
Bears
New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins
+1.5 WAS
Saints
Saints
Saints
Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
-6.5 PHI
Eagles
Eagles
Dolphins
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
-4.5 PIT
Browns
Steelers
Browns
Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens
-5.5 BAL
Jaguars
Jaguars
Ravens
Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders
-3.5 OAK
Raiders
Vikings
Raiders
New England Patriots at New York Giants
+7.5 NYG
Patriots
Patriots
Patriots
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
-6.5 DEN
Broncos
Chiefs
Broncos
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
-3.5 SEA
Cardinals
Seahawks
Cardinals
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
-10.5 CIN
Bengals
Bengals
Bengals
[sc:NFL240banner ]CBS Sports’ panel was unanimous in picking the Patriots to cover against the Giants. They’re banking on quarterback Tom Brady to continue his excellent form this coming Sunday. He has been lights out thus far this season, throwing a league-leading 22 passing touchdowns. He has recorded two touchdown passes in each of New England’s eight games this campaign. He’s second only to Drew Brees in passing offense, averaging a whopping 338.6 yards per game through the air this season.
Brady’s brilliance has helped New England cover the spread in five of its eight games this season. That being said, the Patriots will have their work cut out for them against a Giants team that has had their number in their recent meetings. The Giants are 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three games against the Patriots, with two of those wins coming in the Super Bowl. Also working in the Giants’ favor is their recent home form. New York has won its last three games at MetLife Stadium.
Bleacher Report
Game
Spread
Pick
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
NYJ -3
Bills
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
GB -11
Packers
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DAL -1
Cowboys
Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans
CAR -6
Panthers
Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams
STL -9
Rams
New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins
EVEN
Saints
Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
PHI -5.5
Eagles
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
PIT -4.5
Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens
BAL -6.5
Ravens
Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders
N/A
Raiders
New England Patriots at New York Giants
NE -7
Patriots
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
DEN -6.5
Broncos
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
SEA -2.5
Cardinals
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
CIN -13
Bengals
Bleacher Report’s Michelle Bruton highlights the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers as the favorites to watch in Week 10. She states that this Bengals team is one of the most balanced sides in the NFL today and is deserving of their unbeaten 8-0 slate this campaign. Key to Cincinnati’s excellent start to the season has been their phenomenal defense. The Bengals are 13th in the NFL against the run and are tied for fifth in the league with 23 sacks.
That defense will be too much for a Houston side that has struggled to put points on the board this season. The Texans are averaging just 21.8 points per game this season, 20th in the NFL. Bruton believes that this game has the makings of a blowout, especially with Cincinnati carrying the league’s third-best offense (28.6 PPG). She picked the Bengals to win by more than two touchdowns and cover the 13-point spread.
Bruton also expects that same kind of result for the Packers when they face division rivals Detroit this coming weekend. Even though they have lost their last two games, the Packers have enough firepower to overwhelm a struggling Lions squad. The Packers, who are 10th in the NFL in scoring with 25.4 points per game, will be licking their chops at the prospect of facing a Detroit side that is currently 25th in the league in total defense and is allowing a whopping 30.6 points per contest, the most in the NFL. Bruton tips the Packers to win by double-digits on Sunday and snap their two-game losing skid.
FiveThirtyEight
Game
Spread
Pick
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
NYJ -2.5
Bills
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
GB -11.5
Packers
Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
TB -1.5
Cowboys
Carolina Panthers at Tennessee Titans
TEN +4.5
Panthers
Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams
STL -7
Bears
New Orleans Saints at Washington Redskins
WAS +1
–
Miami Dolphins at Philadelphia Eagles
PHI -6
Eagles
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
PIT -4.5
Steelers
Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens
BAL -5.5
Ravens
Minnesota Vikings at Oakland Raiders
OAK -3
Vikings
New England Patriots at New York Giants
NE -7
Giants
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
DEN -6.5
Broncos
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
SEA -2.5
Seahawks
Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
CIN -11.5
–
Taking a look at FiveThirtyEight’s predictions for this coming week of NFL action, one result sticks out among the rest. FiveThirtyEight is predicting the Pittsburgh Steelers to cover the 4.5-point spread against the Cleveland Browns. That’s a bold pick considering the Steelers will be missing the services of star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who’s nursing an ankle injury.
Pittsburgh fans won’t have to worry that much, though, since they have the ever-reliable Landry Jones on their side. In seven quarters of relief this season, Jones has completed 28 of 47 passes for 456 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. He’ll play a vital role for the Steelers’ offense alongside Antonio Brown and DeAngelo Williams. The dynamic duo combined for 531 of Pittsburgh’s 597 total yards on Sunday.
The Steelers have dominated the Browns of late, winning their last 11 encounters. That being the case, Cleveland has managed to cover the spread in four of its last eight meetings with Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. The Browns’ chances will largely hinge on the availability of quarterback Josh McCown. He’s 12th in the NFL in passing offense, averaging 271.0 yards per game. He’ll trouble a Pittsburgh secondary that’s allowing 273.0 passing yards per game this season, seventh-worst in the NFL.
