Week 10 NFL Predictions: Highlighting Winners of Most Pivotal Games

Week after week, this NFL season has been intent on smacking us in the face with surprising results to remind us that there is no predicting this league of parity.

However, bravery has often been a more ready companion than caution to me, and it is going to take more than the Jets beating the Saints or Nick Foles throwing seven touchdowns to keep me from telling everyone I know what is going to happen.  

Week 10 boasts some great matchups and ones with big impact on the fast-approaching postseason. 

Check out my predictions for all games, and then I'll take a closer look at the three most pivotal matchups. 

Away Team	Home Team	Prediction
Washington Redskins	Minnesota Vikings	Redskins win, 34-20
Oakland Raiders	New York Giants	Giants win, 24-20
Seattle Seahawks	Atlanta Falcons	Seahawks win, 24-13
Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears	Lions win, 31-27
Philadelphia Eagles	Green Bay Packers	Packers win, 45-27
Jacksonville Jaguars	Tennessee Titans	Titans win, 20-13
St. Louis Rams	Indianapolis Colts	Colts win, 27-17
Buffalo Bills	Pittsburgh Steelers	Bills win, 31-24
Cincinnati Bengals	Baltimore Ravens	Bengals win, 20-17
Carolina Panthers	San Francisco 49ers	Panthers win, 17-14
Houston Texans	Arizona Cardinals	Texans win, 24-10
Denver Broncos	San Diego Chargers	Broncos win, 45-38
Dallas Cowboys	New Orleans Saints	Saints win, 42-31
Miami Dolphins	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Dolphins win, 27-20

Denver Broncos 45, San Diego Chargers 38

For fans of offense, this game is going to be a blast. 

The Broncos are breaking scoreboard lights this season and have gone for at least 33 points in every game. They lead the league in points per game by over 12. 

Meanwhile, the Chargers are in the middle of the pack (15th) in points per game at 24. That stat, however, does not indicate the effectiveness of the Chargers offense. 

Philip Rivers is enjoying a resurgent season and has the Chargers fourth in the league in passing yards. He's also completing just over 72 percent of his passes. 

Meanwhile, the San Diego defense has struggled. Last week, it allowed the Redskins 30 points and 500 yards of offense. 

In San Diego's previous two games, the Chargers had allowed just 15 combined points in victories over the Colts and Jaguars. However, that was largely due to the fact that neither team held the ball for over 23 minutes. 

Ryan Mathews rushed for over 100 yards in both of those contests, as San Diego was able to control the ball. That is not a strategy that will work against Denver. 

The Broncos are third in rush defense but 30th in pass defense. Denver is susceptible to the big play, and San Diego will look for some. 

This will set up the fast pace—a pace that San Diego will not be able to keep up with. 

Denver, as it has so many times this season, will catch fire in the second half and take control of this game. 

New Orleans Saints 42, Dallas Cowboys 31

The above game isn't going to be the only feast of the week for offensive lovers. This Superdome matchup featuring division leaders will provide plenty of fireworks as well. 

As I mentioned above, the Saints surprisingly fell to the Jets, 26-20, this week. The 20 points was the second-lowest total of the year for the Saints. 

That meager point total won't be the start of a trend. The Jets have been playing quality defense, and the Saints have long been more dangerous when playing indoors. 

They will definitely be more dangerous this week. 

The Cowboys have been struggling on pass defense all year and are 31st in the league in passing yards allowed. 

Drew Brees is going to shred a secondary that just two weeks ago allowed Matthew Stafford to throw for almost 500 yards and Calvin Johnson to catch over 300 yards. This will be far more than the Cowboys will be able to keep pace with.

However, the Cowboys will be able to keep the Saints in sight.

Dallas has struggled to get its 27th-ranked run game going but will find some success this week against the Saints' 26th-ranked rush defense. Still, Dallas will have to do most of its damage through the air.

The Saints are vastly improved on pass defense this year and fifth in the league in that category. However, they are a lower 11th in yards allowed per pass.

Tony Romo will face his share of pressure in this game, and he will undoubtedly make some costly mistakes, but he will also hit for some big plays to ensure this is an exciting game.  

Carolina Panthers 17, San Francisco 49ers 14

So I just predicted that 156 combined points will be scored in the above matchups, yet this one, and the 31 total points, will be the week's best game. 

The Panthers and 49ers are strikingly similar teams. Both feature powerful run games bolstered by quarterbacks who can move. Also, both are physical teams that like to win the battle at the point of attack. Both also happen to be red hot. 

The Panthers have won four straight and the 49ers five. The Panthers have outscored their opponents in that stretch, 130-48. Meanwhile, the 49ers have outscored their five previous opponents by a combined score of 174-61.

This game will be a nice proving ground for both teams, and it is going to be an absolute war in the trenches. This will be especially true when the 49ers have the ball and bring the league's No. 1 rushing attack against the Carolina and the second-ranked rush defense. 

I'm giving the edge to the Panthers in this one because their strong defensive front will be able to limit the holes the 49ers' savage offensive line will be able to create. 

This will force the 49ers into passing downs and eventually lead to a costly mistake. That will open the door to the Panthers pulling out a hard-fought win.