Prisco's NFL Week 10 Picks: Pats too much for Seahawks, Steelers beat Cowboys
The Falcons also win a close one in Philly and the Panthers sack the Chiefs
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Pete Prisco
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4 min read
This is Malcolm Butler Week in the NFL.
It was in February 2015 when Butler's end-zone interception of Russell Wilson preserved Super Bowl XLIX for the New England Patriots and ended the Seattle Seahawks' chances of being repeat champions.
The Seahawks and Patriots meet this week in Foxborough, which will again bring the spotlight on Butler. When he made the pick that night, he was a little-known backup corner. He's now one of the better cover players in the NFL, using that moment to jump-start his career.
The stories about that play will be plenty this week, and it's especially noteworthy since the Patriots are the best team in the league right now. Tom Brady against the Seattle defense will be a big talking point as well since Brady has been on fire since returning from his four-game suspension.
I like the Patriots in this one, and it won't be as close as Super Bowl XLIX. The Seahawks aren't great on offense right now, and the Patriots are impressing. So New England is the pick.
Cleveland at Baltimore
The Ravens are in first place in the AFC North because of defense. It should be on full display here against a Browns team that has issues. The Ravens will also get the offense going. This will be ugly.
Pick: Ravens 29, Browns 13
Green Bay at Tennessee
The Packers didn't play well in a loss to the Colts on Sunday, and Aaron Rodgers called out the team for lack of effort. The Titans didn't run the ball well at San Diego, and will try and get it back going here to keep Rodgers off the field. I don't think that works. Rodgers gets back on track.
Pick: Packers 31, Titans 24
Minnesota at Washington
The Vikings are now an average team and have lost the past three weeks. They face a tough task turning it around here. Washington is coming off a bye and should be rested. The way the Vikings offense is playing, I will go with the Redskins here.
Pick: Redskins 21, Vikings 17
Chicago at Tampa Bay
The Bears come off a bye, while the Bucs will have had 10 days off after a Thursday game. Tampa Bay is a mess on defense and I think Jay Cutler will take advantage of that. Bears win it.
Pick: Bears 27, Bucs 23
Kansas City at Carolina
The Chiefs have won four straight since their bye and have done so in a variety of ways. The Panthers have won two straight and righted things. I look for the Carolina defense to continue to play well like the past two weeks and lead the Panthers to a victory.
Pick: Panthers 21, Chiefs 13
Atlanta at Philadelphia
The Eagles have lost two consecutive games, but they were on the road. Getting back home will help, but it will be tough to shut down that Atlanta offense. Matt Ryan comes to his hometown and pulls out a victory.
Pick: Falcons 30, Eagles 28
Los Angeles at New York Jets
This could be a quarterback how-not-to with the passers in this game. The edge goes to the Jets, no matter who plays QB, because they are back home and the Rams are on a long trip east. Plus Case Keenum isn't very good. That matters on the road.
Pick: Jets 21, Rams 10
Denver at New Orleans
The Broncos are playing consecutive road games and we know how tough it is to play in New Orleans. But they have the defense to match up with Drew Brees. That matters. Broncos take it.
Pick: Broncos 24, Saints 20
Houston at Jacksonville
The Jaguars showed some life last week against the Chiefs in losing on the road, while the Texans are coming off their bye. The Jaguars will keep this close, but Houston will find a way late to pull it out.
Pick: Texans 21, Jaguars 20
Miami at San Diego
This is a long trip for a Dolphins team that has won three straight games to get to 4-4. They want to run the ball with Jay Ajayi, but San Diego choked off the run last week against the Titans. Even so, I think Miami will keep it close.
Pick: Chargers 21, Dolphins 20
Dallas at Pittsburgh
The Cowboys are playing consecutive road games, which is always tough. It's even tougher against a good team coming off a bad loss. I look for Ben Roethlisberger to get back on track here. That will put a lot of pressure on Dak Prescott to keep up. I don't think he will here.
Pick: Steelers 30, Cowboys 24
San Francisco at Arizona
The Cardinals are off a much-needed bye and can now focus on turning the season around. They are 3-4-1 and just haven't looked right. But they get the perfect tonic here in a San Francisco team that can't stop anybody.
Pick: Cardinals 33, 49ers 17
Seattle at New England
The Seahawks face a bad combination this week. It's a short week after a Monday night game with a long trip to face the league's best team coming off a bye. Good luck with that. The Patriots were rolling on offense before the bye and that will continue here. They will use a ton of quick short, passes to beat the Seahawks.
Pick: Patriots 27, Seahawks 17
Cincinnati at New York Giants
The Bengals are coming off their bye, while Giants are coming off an impressive victory. The Giants offense seemed to get it going, while the Bengals have had defensive problems. The Giants keep winning.
Pick: Giants 27, Bengals 21
