It came down to another Joey Slye record attempting miss last week as the Chiefs prevailed over the Panthers to give us the win in week 9. The highly picked teams all won with Nick Folk giving the Patriots the last-second win over the Jets on Monday night as the clincher. The only upset that may have cost a few teams were the Dolphins over the Cardinals.
We move on to week 10. In my main pool, there are about 20% of teams left without a loss. Still, a way to go to get to a winner, but with choices starting to dwindle, your choice each week will make a difference in your odds of winning. Will you follow the herd each week or take a chance and hope for an upset of one of the teams that are highly picked that week?
Three teams are home favorites by more than 7 points this week and we’ll start with the 13 ½ point favorite Packers over the Jaguars. The Jaguars showed some spirit with Jake Luton on Sunday against the Texans and were a two-point conversion away from sending the game to overtime. This won’t happen to the Packers. Aaron Rodgers will have a healthier Aaron Jones and a Covid negative Jamaal Williams to take a little pressure off the passing game. Rodgers and Davante Adams are showing the league how dynamic they are. Will the Packers cover? Maybe. Will they lose? I doubt it. Go Pack Go.
Pittsburgh returns home to face the Bengals as 7 ½ point favorites after nearly losing to the struggling Cowboys in Dallas. Currently, Ben Roethlisberger is on the Covid 19 restricted list due to close contact but has tested negative. It’ll probably be a Matt Stafford type situation with Big Ben, as he is expected to play. If he doesn’t, this game is definitely not where you want to go with Mason Rudolph under center. Joe Burrow will have something to say about the outcome of this game if the Cincinnati offensive line can hold off the pass rush. Surprisingly Dallas only allowed 2 sacks to the Steelers after allowing 4 to the Eagles the week before. Joe Mixon may also return and this could help the Bengals passing game as the threat of the run will be there. If Roethlisberger plays, the Steelers will be a popular play this week.
The Saints made Tampa and TB12 look like the Jets offense showed up and put on Bucs’ uniforms. They are 9 point favorites over the 49ers at home. New Orleans’ defense was stellar and with the injuries that have decimated the Niners, they are looking at another good game. Michael Thomas ’s return was also a factor in opening up the passing attack for Drew Brees . Brees took back the passing touchdown record from Brady as this will go back and forth until one of them retires. It will be tough for the Niners to generate the offense they need to keep up with the Saints. Nick Mullens will be the quarterback and there is a chance that Raheem Mostert returns if he is able to get in a full week of practice. Who Dat nation should be marching down Bourbon Street with a Hurricane and a win.
The Ravens are 7 point favorites on the road in New England. The expectation of this year’s game compared to last year’s is night and day. New England hobbles into this game with a last-second win over the winless Jets compared to last year entering the game 8-0. Cam Newton had a better game but it came in the second half when the Jets had gone up by 17 and then went into tank mode. The Ravens secondary is far superior and should give Cam problems. Damien Harris left the game late with what is reported as a chest injury and this will compound the offensive problems for the Patriots. Sony Michel is back at practice but it’s unknown if he will be back for this game. Rex Burkhead continues to find the end zone but wasn’t used much between the 20’s. The Ravens started their game off slowly but were able to put things together for the win on Sunday. Lamar Jackson continues to seem to be struggling with the passing game and the rushing offense seems to be just a bit off as the coaches seem to favor the RBBC approach with Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins. Even though on the road, I expect the Ravens to win this one.
The picks so far: Buffalo, Arizona, Chargers (L), Rams, Dallas, Miami, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Kansas City.
Pick of the Week: Green Bay
Yes, Green Bay looks like it could be the most popular pick this week, but the rest of the games have questions and I’ve already taken the Saints so they’re out. Pittsburgh is a good pick if Ben plays, but they have Jacksonville next week and could be the choice for us then. Green Bay should handle the Jags at home and do you really think Luton is for real? As Howard Bender said on his show on Monday, David Blough had a good first game last year. Good luck in week 10 and hope to see you back next week.