NFL Week 10 Preview

With some top teams on byes and few divisional matchups on tap, week 10 is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the premiere week in this year’s NFL season. Nonetheless, there are intriguing matchups, including the Saints hosting the 49ers in New Orleans, and the Bengals and Browns in an AFC North duel. Below, we take a quick look at every game on the slate in week 10 and give you the early spread.

Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals (-6), Thursday

Who can remember the last time the Bengals and Browns met this late in the season and both teams were over .500? (Not us. Though the internet surely can.) Cincinnati has won 14 of the last 20 meetings in the series, but the Browns have beaten the Bengals in two of the last three games. If the Bengals win, they will stay atop the AFC North. If the Browns win, they’ll move past the Bengals, but may still trail the Steelers (who face the Jets on Sunday) by half a game.

Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens (-10)

The Ravens versus the Titans used to be a big NFL rivalry in the early 2000s, but since Tennessee moved to the AFC South, things have changed.  This will be the second NFL start for the Titans’ rookie QB Zach Mettenberger after Tennessee lost to the Houston Texans in week 8 and then had a bye in week 9.  Tennessee and Baltimore have split the last 20 games with ten wins each. Baltimore has lost two straight against divisional opponents, but have won three in a row at home.

Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5) at Buffalo Bills

Two teams fighting for one of the AFC Wildcard spots will go head-to-head when the Chiefs visit the Bills. The teams met in Kansas City last season where the Chiefs prevailed 23-13. That game marked the first time in seven tries that KC covered the spread against Buffalo. The Chiefs are on a three-game winning streak and are coming off of a 24-10 rout of the Jets; the Bills are on their own two-game winning streak and are coming off of a bye week.

Miami Dolphins at Detroit Lions (-5)

The Dolphins are 3-1 away from home, and this will be the third game against an NFC North rival after losing to the Green Bay Packers at home and beating the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.  The Detroit Lions will be back after a bye week and with hopes high for the return of WR Calvin Johnson.  The Lions already suffered a home loss against an AFC East team, the Buffalo Bills, but have won three straight since. The Dolphins are also winners of three straight and, last week, pitched a shutout against the Chargers.

Dallas Cowboys at Jacksonville Jaguars (OFF)

The Cowboys and Jaguars will meet in London in week 10. It will be interesting to see how QB Tony Romo’s health looks after missing week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. At this point, he is expected to get the start. DeMarco Murray’s run of 100-yard rushing games came to a half against the Cardinals, but he has a good chance to get back to the century mark against Jacksonville, who give up 123 rush yards per game. The Jaguars’ rookie QB, Blake Bortles, had one of his best games of the season last weekend against Cincinnati, but ultimately couldn’t overcome a 19-3 second half deficit. The Central Florida product will be looking for just his second career victory in week 10. The line for this game is not up yet, and likely won’t be until Romo’s status is more concrete.

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints (-3.5)

When the Niners meet the Saints in New Orleans, both teams will be trying to move above .500. The Saints haven’t been over .500 all season, while the Niners haven’t been below since week 3. The Saints enter this game on an 11-game home winning streak. Last week, they dominated the Green Bay Packers in New Orleans and, in week 10, will try to do the same against another NFC contender in San Francisco. The 49ers are 2-2 away from home having lost to the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals, and beaten the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams. They suffered a shocking defeat to the Rams in San Francisco last weekend, though, when QB Colin Kaepernick fumbled on the goal line on the last play of the game. Now they need a win in one of the toughest arenas in the NFL and, if they don’t get it, may be waving goodbye to the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) at New York Jets

The Jets are 1-4 at home and have lost their last four home games this season (and seven straight overall).  The Steelers are 2-2 away home, with wins at Carolina and Jacksonville and losses to Cleveland and Baltimore. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 12 touchdown passes in his last two games (six in each). But both those games were at Heinz Field. Michael Vick started at QB for the Jets last weekend, but was knocked out of the game with a concussion. If Vick is healthy, he will get the start against Pittsburgh.

St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals (-7)

This is just the second divisional game for the NFC-leading Arizona Cardinals (who beat the San Francisco 49ers in week 3).  The Rams are 3-1 in their last four games against the Caridinals, but Arizona won the last meeting 30-10. The Rams are coming off of a surprise win in San Francisco in week 9, which featured a monumental goal-line stand in the dying seconds. They will be trying to make it two straight divisional upsets on the road against Arizona.

New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks (-9)

The Seahawks only home loss this season came against another NFC East team, the Dallas Cowboys. The Seahawks also looked vulnerable in the second half against the winless Raiders last weekend. The Giants had a dominant 45-14 road win over Washington in week 5, but have otherwise struggled on the road, including a 27-0 shutout at Philadelphia in week 6. The Giants will also have a short week to prepare, as they face the Colts on MNF tonight.

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-7.5)

The Aaron Rodgers domination over the Chicago Bears should continue on Sunday Night Football he has had two weeks to prepare his onslaught.  Rodgers is 10-3 in his career against the Bears with 25 TDs and 8 INTs, including a 302 yards performance, 4 TDs no picks in the week 4 win. The Bears are also coming off of a bye week. At 3-5, they can ill-afford another loss, especially within their division.

Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles (OFF), Monday

Quarterback Cam Newton and Nick Foles have yet to meet in their NFL careers, and that may continue as Foles left the Eagles’ week 9 game with a broken collarbone. He is likely to miss several weeks. Newton does have one win over the Eagles, a 30-22 victory in 2012. Since 1996, Carolina is 3-5 SU and 3-5 ATS against Philadelphia; the last three meetings in the series have all hit the over. Mark Sanchez looked surprisingly good in relief of Foles against Houston, and coach Chip Kelly has full confidence in the backup QB. The line for this game likely won’t be up until Foles’ status is confirmed.

Byes: Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New England, San Diego, and Washington.

(Photo credit: Mike Morbeck (Flickr: Aaron Rodgers) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)