NFL Week 10 Preview | Expert Picks

The chalk was the main talking point in Week 9 (favorites were 11-3-1 against the spread), which continues to be a trend this NFL season. Will NFL Week 10 stick to that script, or will underdogs be barking this week? The action begins with an intriguing matchup on Thursday Night Football, as the Cincinnati Bengals travel to Baltimore to take on a Ravens team that is looking to pull even with the Pittsburgh Steelers at the top of the AFC North.

With Week 10 just around the corner, it’s time to target our three best bets for this weekend’s slate of games. We included a side, a total and a team total in this piece, so there’s plenty of variety with our card. Let’s get into our picks and best bets for NFL Week 10.

From a situational perspective, this is one of the best spots on the board this week, particularly for a home underdog. The Bills are coming off a recent stretch of games that included a massive win over the Jets, a decisive victory in Seattle against the Seahawks and a thrilling win in the final seconds over the Dolphins a week ago. With the AFC East firmly in Buffalo’s grasp, the Bills travel to Indianapolis for a date with the Colts before returning home to face the Chiefs in what will surely be the biggest game in the AFC this regular season. 

With that massive revenge spot on deck and a slew of injuries to navigate on both sides of the ball, including wide receivers Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper, cornerback Christian Bentford and defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot, it would be easy to see Buffalo go through the motions in this game and just try to make it to next weekend healthier than this week.

Therefore, while the Colts offense struggled mightily with Joe Flacco under center a week ago, Indianapolis should see success in this one against a Bills defense that rarely brings pressure and allows opponents to march methodically downfield. This one should be closer than most expect, so let’s take the home underdog at this number.

Instead of attacking this game via a point spread or game total, let’s look at the team total route and back the Vikings to score early and often against this Jaguar's defence. Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold leads the NFL in 20+ yard passing attempts, and explosive plays in the passing game should be available against Jacksonville. After all, this is a Jacksonville secondary that ranks dead last against the pass by DVOA, including poor performances against the likes of Joe Flacco, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams and most recently, Jalen Hurts. 

The Viking's offence was sputtering a bit heading into their bye week, but they got back on track in Week 9 against an improving Colts defence. As long as Darnold can minimize the turnovers and costly mistakes that have plagued him in recent weeks, Minnesota should be able to torch an already beleaguered Jacksonville defence that still hasn’t reached its bye week yet. Let’s target the Vikings to score in bunches on Sunday.

It looks like this will be a lost season for the Dallas Cowboys, which also might signal the end of the Mike McCarthy era once January rolls around. Until then, Dallas will be an offense to fade now that quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the foreseeable future with a hamstring injury. Cooper Rush will replace Prescott under center this week against an Eagles defense that has quietly been playing its best football of the season in recent weeks. 

On the other side, the biggest issue for Dallas’ defense has been their inability to stop the run. That’s all that Philadelphia should look to do in this NFC East battle, especially since it’s looking like star wideout A.J. Brown could miss this game with a knee injury. Philadelphia’s offense looks a whole lot different without Brown out there, averaging just over 17 points per game in the three contests without him this season. Even at this deflated number, it’s hard not to take the under in this one.  

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