Three of my four losses in Week 9 featured one score games with the Lions, Packers, and Chiefs all losing. Moving into the Week 10 games, 6 of the 14 matchups will be divisional games. The NFC continues
to be dominated by five teams (Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and the Seattle Seahawks). But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers are dangerous in their own right. Will there be a new projected playoff order after this week? Here are my predictions for the full Week 10 slate.
Week 9 picks: 10-4, Cumulative picks: 82-51-1 (.615)
Week 10 Matchups & Predictions
(Thursday) Las Vegas Raiders @ Denver Broncos, 8:15 PM EST
These two teams are trending in opposite directions with Las Vegas looking desperate for answers across their roster. Meanwhile, Denver keeps winning in close games, but I don’t think this will be one of those.
Pick: Broncos win 27-17
Atlanta Falcons @ Indianapolis Colts (Berlin, Germany) 9:30 AM EST
Both the Falcons and Colts are coming off losses in Week 9. My concern with Atlanta is that Bijan Robinson has not been able to be unleashed to his full ability. The Colts were shut down by a Steelers defense that took away Jonathan Taylor and tested Daniel Jones to beat them with his arm.
Give me Indianapolis winning a close one in Germany.
Pick: Colts win 23-20
New York Giants @ Chicago Bears, 1:00 PM EST
The Giants are going to struggle over the remaining schedule with missing starters. It does not help that they are one of the most undisciplined teams in the NFL. Chicago is not a great NFC team but they will find a way to get a win at home.
Pick: Bears win 27-20
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins, 1:00 PM EST
The Bills have found their identity with the combination of Josh Allen’s playmaking and James Cook providing explosiveness in the run game. We saw what Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry did to Miami on Thursday Night Football against these same Dolphins.
Pick: Bills win 36-17
Baltimore Ravens @ Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 PM EST
The Vikings pulled a fast one and upset the Lions last week at Detroit nonetheless. I see Lamar Jackson presenting a new problem for Brian Flores – mobility, something Jared Goff lacks.
Pick: Ravens win 28-20
Cleveland Browns @ New York Jets, 1:00 PM EST
The battle of the NFL’s “finest”. The winner of this game will likely ruin any opportunity for a first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The New York Jets just traded two of their best pieces: Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, leaving their defense even more vulnerable.
Pick: Browns win 23-14
New England Patriots @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 PM EST
For the record, Drake Maye is not an MVP candidate. He’s a very good quarterback in 2026, but he is not in the stratosphere of Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford. This will be an intriguing game because I think we will learn a lot more about the deficiencies of the loser. Something to remember here is that Tampa Bay had a bye week to prepare and the Patriots needed four quarters to take down the Falcons in Foxborough. I think the Patriots are due for their win streak to be snapped.
Pick: Buccaneers win 23-20
New Orleans Saints @ Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM EST
The Saints are the worst team in the NFL and even though this is a division game and anything can happen, I don’t think it will happen.
Pick: Panthers win 30-16
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans, 1:00 PM EST
As of Wednesday afternoon, CJ Stroud has been ruled out; paving the way for the Jaguars to expand their division lead over Houston. But…the Jaguars struggled offensively against the Rams (a top 3 defense) and I think the same will be the case against the Texans (No. 1 defense). Davis Mills was lukewarm at best, but Houston will give everything they have to get behind their backup quarterback.
Pick: Texans win 16-10
Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 PM EST
The Seahawks have won the last 8 matchups against the Cardinals and the Seahawks are playing extremely well on both sides of the ball. The Cardinals will put up a fight on the road but Seattle wins in a defensive fight.
Pick: Seahawks win 24-17
Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 PM EST
On paper, the Rams are the better team. It’s just the small execution details like special teams, costly fumbles, and red zone inefficiency that cost them the last time they played San Francisco.
Kyle Shanahan is going to scheme up how to get Christian McCaffery the ball and the ball out of Mac Jones hand quickly. When LA can’t get home with their pass rush on quick passes, it exposes their coverage deficiencies.
Hate to say but I’ll go with the home team…
Pick: 49ers win 27-24
Detroit Lions @ Washington Commanders, 4:25 PM EST
Jayden Daniels is out for the foreseeable future because of a dislocated left elbow. The Lions are coming off a surprising home loss to the Vikings. This is a no-brainer pick that Detroit will be playing angry, especially against the team that knocked them out in the divisional round last year.
Pick: Lions win 49-13
(Sunday Night Football) Pittsburgh Steelers @ Los Angeles Chargers, 8:20 PM EST
I accurately predicted the Steelers to upset the Colts last week and they are the underdogs again this week. With the Chargers still not having a good rushing offense, I’m going to lean towards Pittsburgh.
Pick:
(Monday Night Football) Philadelphia Eagles @ Green Bay Packers, 8:15 PM EST
Since starting 2-0, the Packers are 3-2-1, not exactly the record of an elite NFC team. Those losses have included the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers and a tie to the Dallas Cowboys.
Philadelphia has had an extra week to prepare for the Packers and they’ve added upgrades to their roster. In addition, the Eagles will find a way to bully the Packers in the run game.
Pick: Eagles win 26-18
Teams on Bye: Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs
Will the Rams win in San Francisco? Who are your picks for Week 10? Is LA capable of landing the No. 1 seed in the NFC? Add your comments below.
