NFL Week 10 Picks: Predicting Biggest Matchups on the Schedule

After bye weeks, a few of the NFL's heavyweights are back in action in Week 10, and there are a few excellent matchups on the schedule.

It feels like the 2013 season began just yesterday, but this season is already more than halfway over, with playoff contenders emerging as Super Bowl favorites in both conferences.

However, nothing in this league is stationary. One injury can derail a team's chances of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February, just as one big loss often means the difference between making it into the playoffs and watching the tournament from home. 

Here's a look at the full schedule of games for Week 10, followed by a closer examination of a few games that have serious playoff implications. 

AWAY	HOME	PREDICTED WINNER
Washington Redskins	Minnesota Vikings	Redskins
Oakland Raiders	New York Giants	Raiders
Seattle Seahawks	Atlanta Falcons	Seahawks
Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears	Lions
Philadelphia Eagles	Green Bay Packers	Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars	Tennessee Titans	Titans
St. Louis Rams	Indianapolis Colts	Colts
Buffalo Bills	Pittsburgh Steelers	Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals	Baltimore Ravens	Bengals
Carolina Panthers	San Francisco 49ers	49ers
Houston Texans	Arizona Cardinals	Texans
Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers	Broncos
Dallas Cowboys	New Orleans Saints	Saints
Miami Dolphins	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Dolphins

Detroit at Chicago

The Detroit Lions pulled off a spectacular last-minute comeback against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8 to improve to 5-3 heading into their bye to match Green Bay in the win column. 

Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears have been dealt a tough hand of late, losing Jay Cutler and Lance Briggs to short-term injuries. They have lost three of their last four games. 

Detroit won 40-32 earlier this year at home against these Bears.

Chicago turned the ball over four times and Reggie Bush went off for 173 total yards and a touchdown. Given the Bears depleted linebacking corps, it's hard to imagine Bush not having another huge game.

Combined with the Bears pitiful pass rush, this is a matchup that favors Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Detroit's passing game—especially if Jay Cutler is still out with his groin injury. 

Final Score: Lions win 38-28.

Cincinnati at Baltimore

After rattling off four straight wins (and six wins in the last seven), Cincinnati must be sick about losing to the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football in Week 9.

Andy Dalton was atrocious in that game. He turned the ball over four times (three interceptions and one lost fumble), killing his team's chances of winning a winnable game. However, before this game, he'd been on an incredible three-game stretch, having thrown 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Meanwhile, Baltimore fell to 3-5 on the season with a loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. 

Joe Flacco desperately needs a running game, but the Ravens can't get Ray Rice or Bernard Pierce going at all this year, which has turned Baltimore's offense stagnant. 

Even without Geno Atkins, who was lost for the season with a torn ACL, Cincinnati's defense is more than capable of shutting down Baltimore's pitiful offense (No. 21 in the NFL, averaging 21.4 points per game). 

Provided Dalton returns to the form we saw during the Bengals' recent four-game winning streak, Cincy should be able to knock off its divisional rival on the road. 

Final Score: Bengals win 27-21.

Carolina at San Francisco

Since opening up the season with three losses in the first four weeks, Carolina has transformed into a playoff contender. 

Despite two interceptions by Cam Newton on Sunday, the Panthers easily dispatched the Atlanta Falcons and head into the second half of the season with an impressive 5-3 record.

However, until the Panthers knock off an NFC heavyweight like the San Francisco 49ers on the road, they'll be considered a lower-echelon team in the NFC playoff race.

On paper, the 49ers appear ready to make another run at the Super Bowl.

Before the Week 9 bye, San Francisco had won five games in a row, scoring at least 31 points in all five games. The best part is that this team is still getting healthy, with Michael Crabtree, Mario Manningham and others still yet to suit up this season. 

Carolina's defense will surely make things tough for the 49ers on offense, but you'd be hard-pressed to find many experts who expect the home team to lose.

Final Score: 49ers win 35-20.

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