NFL Picks Week 10: Breaking Down Marquee Matchups of Weekend Slate

With the 2013 NFL season passing the halfway point, the playoff race is starting to heat up, and teams are positioning themselves for late-season pushes that will begin in Week 10.

Many teams are stuck at, or near, the .500 mark, with very few getting out to blazing starts while a handful of other clubs are already squandering playoff positioning. With that said, plenty is on the line for more than half of the league heading down the stretch.

Let's take a look at who will win each of the following Week 10 matchups and break down the most enticing games on the slate.

Away Team	Home Team	Prediction
Washington Redskins	Minnesota Vikings	Redskins
Seattle Seahawks	Atlanta Falcons	Seahawks
Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears	Bears
Philadelphia Eagles	Green Bay Packers	Packers
Jacksonville Jaguars	Tennessee Titans	Titans
St. Louis Rams	Indianapolis Colts	Colts
Oakland Raiders	New York Giants	Giants
Buffalo Bills	Pittsburgh Steelers	Bills
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

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

The Denver Broncos enjoyed a much-needed bye to rest Peyton Manning's sprained ankles in Week 9, but will face a surprisingly tough Chargers team on the road this weekend.

The Chargers have enjoyed a resurgent season from Philip Rivers, who led San Diego to within one yard of a victory on Sunday at Washington before losing in overtime. Despite the loss, the Chargers sit at a respectable 4-4. 

Rivers and Co. are 2-1 at home this season, but must still face both Denver and Kansas City twice down the stretch.

I like them to win at least one of those games, but it won't be against a well-rested Broncos team that is motivated by the fact that it is still trailing the Chiefs in the AFC West race.

Prediction: Broncos 38, Chargers 30

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

Detroit is also coming off a bye entering a tough Week 10 matchup. The Lions are tied atop the NFC North with Chicago and Green Bay after the Bears' win on Monday Night Football.

Without Jay Cutler, backup quarterback Josh McCown has thrived, having not thrown a touchdown in his two appearances. He was asked to throw 41 passes on Monday night, and turned those into 272 yards and two touchdowns. 

Matt Forte was a beast against the Packers as well, rushing 24 times for 125 yards and a touchdown.

As long as big wideouts Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery keep making things easy for McCown, and the Bears give him help on the ground, even the surging Lions won't be a match for Chicago at Soldier Field

Prediction: Bears 31, Lions 28

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers

Led by Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers are suddenly a force in the NFC, sitting at 5-3 heading into an all-important road contest with San Francisco.

Sunday's game will feature the clash of the NFL's top run offense in the 49ers against the league's second-best run defense in Carolina. 

The Panthers have done a good job on the road in that aspect, not allowing a 100-yard rusher in a road game since the Bills' C.J. Spiller ran over Carolina in Week 2. That span for the Panthers included holding Adrian Peterson to just 62 yards rushing in a Week 6 win. 

The Niners, however, haven't needed 100-yard rushing games from running back Frank Gore to win games. He has only reached the century mark in two of San Francisco's six wins.

The impact of mobile quarterback Colin Kaepernick is an additional element that the Panthers haven't had to deal with this season. I expect Kaepernick and Gore to have success early and set up some big plays off the passing game.

Prediction: 49ers 30, Panthers 20