NFL Week 10 predictions: Bengals continue to roll, 49ers get back on track, and Bears defeat Panthers on Thursday night.
Reasons Ali is winning the Bears: The DJ Moore & D’Onta Foreman retaliation match! First overall choice against an undrafted rookie! Head coach versus his previous DC. This NFC slobberknocker has a ton of interesting storylines to ponder. Did I go too far? I believe I went too far. Although draft positioning is likely the main plot point in this one, at least for Chicago supporters (let’s go tie?) the previously mentioned and frequently disregarded Foreman could make headlines on Thursday night. A lot of the bruiser should be expected against his former employer, Carolina, which according to Next Gen Stats has allowed the second-most rushing yards over expected (216) and rushing touchdowns (14) this season.
Fun fact about the draft: Putting wins, losses, and ties aside, the fact that the game is on the slate at all on Thursday night may be the most significant factor. Due to their head-to-head match, both teams’ strength of schedules will significantly decline. Given how the season is going, this could benefit Chicago, who owns Carolina’s first-round pick, in a number of future tie-breaking situations.
Fun fact from NFL Research: Bryce Young vs. Tyson Bagent is only the second meeting between a rookie quarterback chosen first overall and a rookie quarterback not selected in the common draft since the common draft era. The sole other was Duck Hodges vs. Kyler Murray in 2019. Hodges’ third and final NFL victory came in the 23-17 victory. Regards, @dantekopflem
Why Brooke is taking the Colts: The Patriots are having a rough week and not much is going their way. Their 2-7 record is tied for the lowest of Bill Belichick’s nine-game head coach career. Behind an offensive line that is porous, Mac Jones is having his worst season to date. Furthermore, in the majority of categories, the defense is among the lowest in the league. For New England, none of this is encouraging. Still, Indianapolis isn’t exactly having a great year either. The Colts’ offense ranks seventh in the NFL, but
have had difficulty winning; it is possible that Indianapolis would have three wins if it weren’t for Kenny Moore’s two pick-sixes from last week. To get the ball into the hands of his talented running backs and powerful wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., Gardner Minshew needs to figure out a strategy to protect it. I’m leaning toward the Colts, but this game feels incredibly unpredictable, and the fact that it’s being played in Frankfurt just makes it more insane.
Why Tom is going with the Ravens: The Browns have shown that they are a somewhat elite team since their Week 4 matchup: The offense feels like a replacement-level team at best, with Deshaun Watson promising to be no better than Dorian Thompson-Robinson was in the first round of this series. The defense is almost strong enough to win games on its own. In the meantime, the Ravens appear to be an absolute powerhouse. Yes, Cleveland could make enough plays to steal one in Baltimore, but give me the dominant defensive squad with an MVP-caliber quarterback.
Tom is taking the Bengals because C.J. Stroud is extremely attractive. Naturally, the same could be said of the Bengals, whose averages in points allowed (17) and scored (26.5) during their current four-game winning streak demonstrate how difficult Houston’s task will be. The Texans are not easily defeated; in fact, three of their four wins have come against teams that are currently in the hunt for a winning record. I’m expecting Stroud and Joe Burrow to light up the stage. It’s difficult to pick against Cincinnati, though, as they are a legitimate contender in a winning streak.
Why Dan is picking the 49ers: The 49ers last won a game on October 8, while the Jaguars haven’t dropped a game since September. Here, I’m counting on a change in direction. San Francisco needed time to heal and for Brock Purdy to regroup, so the bye was well-timed. Although Jacksonville can win this game and make a strong statement about where it belongs in the standings, I think Kyle Shanahan’s team will be prepared to fight back. After all, the Niners are my choice for the Super Bowl.
Why Brooke is picking the Vikings: Alright, Josh Dobbs, I get it. The Passtronaut gave hope to the Minnesota team currently holding the final wild-card spot with his heroic performance in last week’s victory over Atlanta. He started the game by practicing his cadence with the offensive line on the sideline and went on to deliver several huge scrambles and a game-winning touchdown drive. To get ready for another NFC South opponent, he will have a full week with his new team. However, the offense will be without Cam Akers (Achilles tear), probably without Justin Jefferson, and maybe without K.J. Osborn (concussion). Offering thirty points in
Considering that Minnesota didn’t reach the mark until Week 9, winning two straight weeks against New Orleans’ seventh-ranked scoring defense and overall ranking seems unlikely, but it might be required given that Derek Carr and the Saints average six more points per game (24.4) away from the Superdome than they do at home. It could come down to the last play being made by Brian Flores’ defense. Although Minnesota is the underdog, I think again!
Tom is taking the Steelers because they are a confusing team. If Aaron Jones and the Packers gain a lot of yardage against the 31st-ranked defense in the NFL, will I be shocked? Nope. If Pittsburgh, who has 16 takeaways, third in the NFL, can force a few game-ending errors from Jordan Love and secure yet another improbable win, will that be shocking? No, too. There was no room for shenanigans from the three teams that have defeated the Steelers thus far, as they have won by an average of 19 points. Green Bay isn’t really that dominant, in my opinion.
Why does Gennaro have the Buccaneers in tow? We asked Will Levis to repeat it last week, and he did. Okay, so maybe he didn’t throw four touchdown passes like we saw in his explosive debut, but in a quick road trip to Pittsburgh, the rookie still showed off his alluring arm talent and off-platform ability. Why, then, am I practically requesting that he repeat the action? As it happens, a rookie quarterback in Houston just burned Tampa Bay. Now that they are back in the welcoming environment of Raymond James Stadium, Todd Bowles’ defense needs to have enough pride to prevent another rookie from taking advantage of them. Correct?
Why Dan is taking the Falcons: If Kyler Murray makes his first start of the season on Sunday, I have no doubt that he will inject some much-needed juice into Arizona’s offense. Seeing him back on the field excites me. Regardless of the quarterback, though, these Cardinals weren’t designed to be eliminating even weak playoff contenders this season. The Falcons’ season is most likely over if Arthur Smith can’t turn around his team against one of the worst defenses in the league and a quarterback making his first appearance in 11 months.
