The second edition of Pigskin Pick’em resulted in another successful weekend. I was 3-2 outright and 4-1 against the spread for the second week in a row. Without further delay, the week 10 picks:
Thursday Night: Cincinnati Bengals (-6) vs. Cleveland Browns
An old AFC rivalry. Temperatures expected to be in the 30s. In other words, the perfect set up for some good, old-fashioned, smash-mouth football. I can’t see either team pulling away from the other. Thursday night games are notoriously sloppy, and the Bengals and Browns have a recent history of playing ugly football, even in wins. I like Brian Hoyer and the Browns have been frisky this year, but the Bengals have the better team overall.
The pick: Cincinnati 17, Cleveland 14
New Orleans Saints (-4.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers – after a brutal 13-10 loss to the Rams – are in the midst of a debacle in San Francisco. With Jim Harbaugh’s leadership being questioned, and his days with the team possibly numbered, it’s a bad time to catch a hot Saints team. With extra rest coming off a Thursday night game combined with home field advantage, I could see the Saints turning this one ugly. One concern – the 49ers usually play up or down to their competition, and could come out motivated for a showdown against a fellow 4-4 playoff contender.
The pick: New Orleans 34, San Francisco 17
Detroit Lions (-3) vs. Miami Dolphins
Calvin Johnson will be back in the lineup for Detroit. The Dolphins thrive on running the ball, and the Lions are one of the best in the league at stopping it. Miami has looked impressive the last few weeks, but has injury concerns with running back Lamar Miller banged up and safety Reshad Jones now out for the season. I’m not going to overthink this one – the better team is playing at home.
The pick: Detroit 28, Miami 16
Arizona Cardinals (-7) vs. St. Louis Rams
The Rams pulled off an upset of the 49ers at home last week, and the Cardinals had the benefit of Dallas going full-Weeden on them. Still, the Cardinals are the best team in the NFC. Before the season, Rodney Harrison said that Arizona might be the most talented team in the league. I thought he was crazy. I’d like to apologize for questioning his judgment. With one of the best crowds in the league, I don’t see the Cardinals letting St. Louis off the hook.
The pick: Arizona 28, St. Louis 10
Green Bay Packers (-7.5) vs. Chicago Bears
Each team was blown out in week eight and had a bye week to recover from their respected losses. The difference – the Packers loss was a fluke, whereas the Bears loss is closer to the team they actually are. Big spreads are always dangerous, but this Green Bay offense is the real deal. The Bears had no answer for Tom Brady, and I see no reason why they would have any answer for Aaron Rodgers.
The pick: Green Bay 38, Chicago 21
Ross Gienieczko can be reached at [email protected], and can be followed on Twitter @RossGien
