NFL Predictions Week 10: Breaking Down the Weekend Slate

The fun starts over yet again for another unpredictable week of NFL action.

Last week's playbill is a tough one to follow. Nick Foles threw seven touchdowns, the New England Patriots scored 55 points, and the New York Jets upset the New Orleans Saints.

What does this weekend have in store? 

There are plenty of intriguing games headlining the Week 10 schedule, but let's highlight three select contests that could stifle a team's attempt to stay alive.

Away	Home	Prediction
Washington Redskins (-2.5)	Minnesota Vikings	WAS 27-17
Jacksonville Jaguars	Tennessee Titans (-11.5)	TEN 24-10
Philadelphia Eagles	Green Bay Packers (-1.5)	PHI 27-23
Buffalo Bills	Pittsburgh Steelers (-3)	PIT 23-20
Oakland Raiders	New York Giants (-7)	NYG 27-16
St. Louis Rams	Indianapolis Colts (-9.5)	IND 31-13
Seattle Seahawks (-6)	Atlanta Falcons	SEA 20-10
Cincinnati Bengals (-1.5)	Baltimore Ravens	CIN 20-13
Detroit Lions (-2.5)	Chicago Bears	DET 31-23
Carolina Panthers	San Francisco 49ers (-6)	CAR 24-23
Houston Texans	Arizona Cardinals (-3)	HOU 27-20
Denver Broncos (-7)	San Diego Chargers	DEN 40-31
Dallas Cowboys	New Orleans Saints (-7)	NO 34-24
Miami Dolphins (-2.5)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	MIA 17-12

Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers

The Eagles found their quarterback, but the Packers lost theirs, putting the entire season in jeopardy.

Foles fired seven touchdowns against the Oakland Raiders, raising his season total to 13 through five games. During that stretch he has yet to surrender an interception.

That small sample size doesn't make him Aaron Rodgers, but Foles won't have a chance to square off against the former MVP. Rodgers broke his clavicle on Monday night, and NFL.com's Ian Rapoport said he won't return for at least a month.

Green Bay is obviously a completely different team without Rodgers, but that's not breaking news. Luckily, second-stringer Seneca Wallace can keep the Packers in partial possession of first place in the NFC North by stepping up to manage the team's offense.

Wallace can move the ball enough to assemble some points, but a Green Bay defense that allowed Josh McCown to storm down the field will have trouble stymieing Philadelphia's offense, which has amassed the fourth-highest yards-per-game average this season.

Look for the Eagles to capitalize on Rodgers' injury and storm to .500 with a win.

Prediction: Eagles 27, Packers 23

Oakland Raiders at New York Giants

The winner can keep describing vivid depictions of a miraculous comeback in its the dream journal, but it's over for the losing squad.

Oakland already has several teams to climb past after allowing 49 points in a loss to Philadelphia, but crazier things have happened. New York's season should be kaput at 2-6, but the NFC East keeps leaving the door open.

Don't count on either team finishing with a winning record this season, but somebody needs to snatch the victory on Sunday. 

New York's defense is often perceived as an albatross for relinquishing 27.9 points per game, but the offense deserves much of the blame for its NFL-worst 25 giveaways. Big Blue's defense actually ranks ninth in run defense and 16th at stopping the pass.

The struggling offense should receive a pick-me-up with the return of running back Andre Brown, who injured his leg during the preseason. The Star-Ledger's Conor Orr liked what he saw from Brown in practice.

New York relied on Peyton Hillis over the past two games with mixed results, so it will welcome Brown, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns last season.

Terrelle Pryor has played better than advertised, but the passing offense is not consistent enough to trust on a weekly basis. Expect the Giants to grab their third straight win.

Prediction: Giants 27, Raiders 16

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

Like every other game involving the Broncos, this one has shootout written all over it.

Denver ranks 27th in yards allowed per game, but San Diego is not much better at No. 24. Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers are both defying critics who worried that the quarterbacks were over the hill, and they are instead posting career years.

While the Broncos are looking ahead to their Week 11 battle with the Kansas City Chiefs, they can't afford a setback to mitigate their next AFC West showdown. As for San Diego, a loss sends the team slipping down the ropes for an AFC Wild Card spot.

Despite its offensive bonanza, Denver has looked vulnerable over its last few games. Tony Romo exceeded 500 yards in a losing effort, the Colts limited Peyton Manning just enough to escape with a win, and Denver needed a fourth-quarter breakthrough to top Washington. 

Rivers can move the ball with fervor, but San Diego will need some lucky bounces on the defensive side to contain Manning. You never know when a dropped pass luckily falls into a cornerback's lap, but nobody can predict that. Denver will outscore San Diego and rise to 8-1.

Prediction: Broncos 40, Chargers 31