STRAIGHT PICK-EM

LAST WEEK’S RECORD:(9-5) In week 9, it seemed like we were chasing the chicken in all the games that could go either way. Obviously the 5 losses mean we did not catch Colonel Sanders’ next masterpiece.

OVERALL SEASON RECORD: (81-55)

WEEK TEN

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-7) AT CHICAGO BEARS (2-7)

The Panthers as a team are struggling this season for anything positive. Justin Fields is out for the Bears. Bryce Young has not impressed me behind center for the Panthers. The Bears will roll with their rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent from division II Shepard University. If Bagent could just manage this game, you will see a division II school beat the big dog QB Young from the University of Alabama. The Bears defense will be the key in this win. They have played better the last few weeks and not worried about the Panthers offense mustering up enough points to win this game.

OUR PICK: DA BEARS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

EUROPE GAME

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-5) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-7)

This game is being played in Germany. You have to love the mugs on her. German’s fine engineering is what you call it. The Colts have been scoring points as their defense played better than weeks before last Sunday’s win over a bad Panthers team. The Patriots are a broken team & they have nothing positive they do on weekly basis. Is it time to send Bill Belichick packing if you are the slime ball owner of the Patriots Robert Kraft? When you play on neutral ground, I think the best friend to have is a running game. The Colts two headed monster attack with Zack Moss and Jonathan Taylor should be enough to give Indianapolis a road win over the Patriots.

OUR PICK: COLTS

BACK TO THE STATES

CLEVELAND BROWNS (5-3) AT BALTIMORE RAVENS (7-2)

Both the Browns and the Ravens have two things in common. They play solid defense as the Ravens are number one scoring defense in the league while Cleveland is number 3. The Browns have allowed less yards than the Ravens defensive unit. Both the Browns and Ravens do very well in their respective division battles with only one loss in the season. How do you sort this out? You have to go by the quarterback position. Lamar Jackson is playing out of his mind right now as the Ravens as a team look like the best in the entire league. Jackson is much better than the rapist Deshaun Watson this season. Ravens put their claws on the strangle hold of the division in this one with a win.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

HOUSTON TEXANS (4-4) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-3)

Can the Texans go into Cincinnati and get the upset? The Bengals are red hot right now as Joe Cool Burrow is completing over 70% of his passes. CJ Stroud last week completed over 70% of his passes and had 5 touch down passes for 470 passing yards versus a pretty good Buccaneer defense is not too shabby. Call me crazy. Call me insane… this is my upset pick of the week. First thing is the Bengals can look past the Texans at their next match up on Thursday night versus the Ravens. Tee Higgins is out in this one for the Bengals. I like Stroud being able to escape the Bengals pressure on defense. Besides, the Texans are not a team that is a walk in the park anymore. I’m going Houston with the upset of the week.

OUR PICK: TEXANS

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-3) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (6-2)

This game looks like a must see. I’m thinking it may be a let down. Both the Jaguars and 49ers are coming off their bye week. Something has to give in this match up as the Jaguars have won 5 straight while the 49ers have lost three straight. I think the 49ers will benefit from the bye week more than the hotter team, the Jaguars. The 49ers used the week to heal up and get their new guys familiar with the scheme of things. The 49ers adding a dog to their defense from the Commanders in Chase Young will be unleashed in Jacksonville.

The 49ers snap their losing streak and at the same time break the Jaguars winning streak to bring their fans back in from the ledge.

OUR PICK: 49ERS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-4) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS (5-4)

The Vikings are either the luckiest team in the NFL for a stretch of weeks or unluckiest for stretches of the season. The team trades for Joshua Dobbs & then insert him into the game due to an injury. Like that, the Vikings are over 500. The Saints defense came to life in the second half versus the Bears last week, the unit many expected to see most of the year. Can Dobbs save the Vikings season? Can the Saints play the perfect game with Derek Carr putting up points on the scoreboard while the defense limits the opposing team on the scoreboard? Dobbs will now have a week to learn the Vikings play book, but can he run the plays? Last week you know Dobbs was doing the bare bones of the offense and just doing things that came natural. I like the Saints being able to game plan for Dobbs. Another Viking receiver will be out. K.J. Osburn suffered a concussion last week versus the Falcons and will not play which gives the Saints the advantage. Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson is still out. Saints defense can key in on Dobbs.

OUR PICK: SAINTS

GREEN BAY PACKERS (3-5) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (5-3)

The Packers and the Steelers need this win in week ten. The Packers need the win to creep back to the 500 mark and plot a way to get back in the NFC North race. The Steelers are involved in a tight race in the AFC North. Both teams won last week. The Packers beat a Rams team without Matthew Stafford behind center. The Steelers had to come back and top the Titans. Kenny Pickett versus Jordan Love is like a runner in baseball getting to the bag at the same time as the ball. In which goes to the runner being called safe. Which one is the runner? I like the Steelers chances better at home and their defense can do more and give Love a bad name as Pittsburgh shot to the heart of Green Bay fans.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

TENNESSEE TITANS (3-5) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-5)

It was all fun at the beginning of the season with Baker Mayfield playing well for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay was sniffing the playoffs and Mayfield was going to redefine himself as a starting quarterback in the NFL. The Buccaneers may have to do what the Titans have done with rookie Will Levis who is going to start his 3rd NFL game of his career and has done pretty decent so far. The Buccaneers defense has gone soft. The team has lost 4 straight. The Buccaneers should see what they have in Kyle Trask who I thought should have started the season as QB 1. Levis has to be licking his chops right now seeing another rookie CJ Stroud throw for 470 yards last week on the Buccaneers defense. This will be a close game as the Titans pull it out at the end as Levis starts to look more like the future of this Tennessee team for the long haul.

OUR PICK: TITANS

ATLANTA FALCONS (4-5) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-8)

The Falcons Cardinals showdown features former Commander quarterback Taylor Heinicke versus the return of Kyle Murray. Cardinals fans have to be dancing in the streets naked not seeing Clayton Tune, not play it again Sam. Heinicke took over the starting job from Desmond Ridder. Heinicke is a young Colt McCoy who can win games in the NFL but will also lose more games than he wins. Murray will be rusty, but his return has to be a lift for the entire team. The Cardinals have played most of their games tough losing a lot of close ones. I see Murray doing something special and I like the Cardinals at home for this one.

OUR PICK: CARDINALS

NEW YORK GIANTS (2-7) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (5-3)

Danny Devito’s brother Tommy ia getting the start for the Giants and he is not a sub above behind center. Tommy is probably not related to actor Danny Devito. I know this after Tommy faces the Cowboys defense, Giants fans will want to throw him off the train. It can be a sequel, “Throw Tommy Off the Train.” Dallas feeds on teams under 500 like zombies chomping down on brains. The Cowboys use the Giants like that girl everyone knows as a nice rebound to get back on their feet after the loss in Philadelphia.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

DETROIT LIONS (6-2) AT LA CHARGERS (4-4)

The Lions come off a bye week as they look to win their second straight on the road versus a Charger team that has won two straight. We are still waiting for Justin Herbert to get hot as that Charger offense is not firing on all cylinders. For the Lions, they had a comfortable lead in the NFC North, but objects appear closer than usual in your rear view mirror as the Vikings are closing in on distance. I like the Lions defense well rested to keep this Charger offense contained. Jared Goff back in his old stomping grounds will want to play one of his better games in LA and escape with a victory. The Lions are 3-1 on the road, so they can win as they did knock out the Chiefs in the very first game of the season at Arrowhead stadium.

OUR PICK: LIONS

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS(4-5) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (5-3)

The Commanders were sellers at the trade deadline and show me something winning on the road versus a New England team. Meanwhile, Seattle was beaten like a red headed step child by the Ravens last weekend. Geno Smith looked like Geno Smith back in those Jets days. Seattle is 3-1 at home this season so they should be able to get that offense back on track. For the Commanders, two road games and one all the way to Seattle is tough task. I like the Seahawks defense being able to put the pressure on Commanders quarterback Sam Howell who has been sacked one of the most this season in the NFL. The offense reboots and Seahawks will still be on top of the NFC West by themselves or sharing the honors with the 49ers once again.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

NEW YORK JETS (4-4) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (4-5)

Another prime time game for the Jets as all the networks had a hard on for Aaron Rodgers before the season even started. The Raiders lost the dead weight of their former coach Josh McDaniels & now look like a whole new team. The Jets have been lingering around like a floater that will not go down on the first flush. Rodgers is not going to save this team coming out of some dark retreat smoking the pipe. The defense of the Jets has been over worked every week trying to keep this team in games. The Jets offense is horrific while the Raiders defense see red and will be charging like some Viking movie led by Mad Max Crosby. Josh Jacobs, a reborn football player after McDaniels coaching, will have another big game running the ball for another Raiders win.

OUR PICK: RAIDERS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

DENVER BRONCOS (3-5) AT BUFFALO BILLS (5-4)

This is a must win game for the Buffalo Bills. It’s never easy it seems lately for the Bills as the Broncos have won two straight with the last victory coming against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills find themselves falling on hard times with an offense that is sputtering and fans are waiting for the one play or the savior who will spark this team. The Broncos come off a bye week to face a tough road test with a team that is wounded mentally and possibly physically, and they don’t want to set the short wick. The Bills have the Eagles, Chiefs, and Cowboys coming up after a rematch with the Jets so they need games like this with the buzz saw of a schedule in late November, early December.

The Bills will come out loose in this game & playing at home will help get them back on track for at least this week. I can’t promise you anything beyond. The Broncos bye week comes when the team is hot, but will come out cold.

OUR PICK: BILLS