NFL Predictions Week 10: Can't-Miss Picks and Matchup Guide

The NFL landscape gets tougher to interpret with each passing week, but teams figure to start showing their true colors in Week 10 now that the stretch run is on the horizon.

This is make-or-break time for many of the teams that are in the thick of playoff contention. Additionally, those who find themselves at the top of their divisions or conferences can't yet afford to breathe a sigh of relief.

Week 10 could see many teams make big statements. While some of the contests on the schedule feel like virtual coin flips, bettors will have an opportunity to identify possible mismatches.

Along with picks for every Week 10 game, here is some further analysis regarding the best bets on the board.

Point spreads courtesy of Odds Shark. 

Date	Away Team	Home Team	Spread	Pick Straight Up	Pick ATS
Thursday, Nov. 6	Cleveland Browns	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN (-7)	CIN	CIN
Sunday, Nov. 9	Atlanta Falcons	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	ATL (-1)	TB	TB
Sunday, Nov. 9	Tennessee Titans	Baltimore Ravens	BAL (-10)	BAL	BAL
Sunday, Nov. 9	Pittsburgh Steelers	New York Jets	PIT (-6)	PIT	PIT
Sunday, Nov. 9	San Francisco 49ers	New Orleans Saints	NO (-5)	SF	SF
Sunday, Nov. 9	Dallas Cowboys	Jacksonville Jaguars	DAL (-7.5)	DAL	JAC
Sunday, Nov. 9	Miami Dolphins	Detroit Lions	DET (-2.5)	DET	DET
Sunday, Nov. 9	Kansas City Chiefs	Buffalo Bills	KC (-2)	BUF	BUF
Sunday, Nov. 9	Denver Broncos	Oakland Raiders	DEN (-11.5)	DEN	DEN
Sunday, Nov. 9	St. Louis Rams	Arizona Cardinals	ARI (-7)	ARI	ARI
Sunday, Nov. 9	New York Giants	Seattle Seahawks	SEA (-10.5)	SEA	NYG
Sunday, Nov. 9	Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers	GB (-7.5)	GB	CHI
Monday, Nov. 10	Carolina Panthers	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI (-6)	PHI	CAR

Denver Broncos (-11.5) at Oakland Raiders

On the heels of a 22-point drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots, the Denver Broncos undoubtedly have a chip on their shoulder. One can only assume they will be angry and determined to atone for that defeat in Week 10, and the 0-8 Oakland Raiders are the unfortunate team that will be on the receiving end.

The Raiders turned some heads by hanging in there on the road against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9 and losing by just six points. Oakland's lack of developed and established talent on both sides of the ball prevented them from pulling off the upset, though, and that will once again be an issue against the Broncos.

Oakland will likely be motivated to perform well against its rival at home, but the disparity between these two teams is obvious.

Quarterback Peyton Manning is coming off a game in which he didn't play particularly well, and it is tough to imagine that happening again, as pointed out by Josh Dubow of The Associated Press:

The Raiders are a respectable 10th in the NFL against the pass, but that generally doesn't matter against Manning. Also, Oakland allows over 130 rushing yards per contest, which sets the stage for running back Ronnie Hillman to do some damage.

Denver is a perfect 4-0 against the Raiders in the Manning era, with the smallest margin of victory being 13 points. The Broncos are laying 11.5 in this one, which feels a bit low considering the fact that the Broncos will want to bounce back in a big way.

While the Broncos struggled to slow down Tom Brady last week, they should be much better against rookie signal-caller Derek Carr. He threw a pair of picks at Seattle last week, and Denver will make him pay for similar mistakes Sunday.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1) vs. Atlanta Falcons

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

The Atlanta Falcons thrashed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 56-14 in Week 3, but that seems like a lifetime ago in NFL terms. Neither squad has played well since then, but their second meeting of the season should be much closer.

That much is evidenced by the fact that Atlanta is only a one-point favorite on the road. As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times points out, the Falcons haven't won a game since that decisive victory almost seven weeks ago:

Atlanta is particularly bad away from the Georgia Dome. In fact, it is 0-5 in road or neutral-site games. The Falcons are coming off a bye week, which could rejuvenate them, but their latest game featured them blowing a 21-point lead against the Detroit Lions in London.

The Falcons are a broken team right now, and they will be facing an opponent that obviously doesn't want to get embarrassed for a second time. Additionally, the Bucs have made a change at quarterback in hopes of creating a spark. Josh McCown will be taking over the starting job, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

It isn't as if McCown performed well as a starter earlier in the season, but the move makes sense considering Mike Glennon's struggles over the past few weeks.

The Falcons rank 30th in the league against the pass, and McCown just so happens to have a pair of big, physical and athletic receivers to throw to in Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. That combo isn't unlike Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, with whom McCown thrived as a member of the Chicago Bears in 2013.

Tampa Bay has lost four in a row, but three of those losses have been by a touchdown or less, so it has been knocking on the door. With the Falcons struggling to protect quarterback Matt Ryan due to issues along the offensive line and struggling to play defense as a whole, the Buccaneers should be able to prevail.

Arizona Cardinals (-7) vs. St. Louis Rams

The Arizona Cardinals may not always make it look pretty, but they are currently the top team in the NFL, with a record of 7-1. They are particularly strong at home, which is why they should be able to keep the momentum rolling this week against the St. Louis Rams.

Few teams in the league are grittier than the Rams, as they have upset the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers in two of the past three weeks. That means the Cards have to be wary, but it is abundantly clear Arizona is the superior team.

Arizona has quality wins over the Niners, the San Diego Chargers, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. It is also a perfect 4-0 at home, which doesn't bode well for the Rams.

As scrappy as St. Louis is, the Cardinals are scrappy as well. They somehow figure out ways to pick up victories, and head coach Bruce Arians believes that has led to a huge spike in confidence, according to The Associated Press, via FoxNews.com:

"

I don't see any cockiness in our football team. I see a true belief that we're going to win every week. Our guys are finding ways to win, especially in the fourth quarter. We may stink it up for three quarters offensively, but all of a sudden when it's crunch time we score. That's learning how to win.

"

A huge reason for Arizona's success has been the play of quarterback Carson Palmer. He has at least 249 passing yards and two touchdowns in each of his five starts, and he is on pace for an all-time great season as far as Cardinals signal-callers are concerned, per Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910:

The Cards are also No. 3 against the run defensively, and they became the first team this season to hold Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray under 100 yards. With that in mind, the Rams' motley crew of backs should struggle.

Arizona is simply a more complete team than St. Louis, and it should win by a couple of scores within the friendly confines of University of Phoenix Stadium.

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