Week 10 NFL Picks: Predicting Outcome to Sunday's Games

The Week 10 NFL schedule officially launches every team into the second half of the season. The games of the upcoming weeks are the ones that will make or break the seasons of playoff hopefuls. They are also the contests that allow the worst teams in the league to lay the groundwork for next season.

These mixed agendas will clash in several spots on the schedule Sunday. Here's a look at the full slate and predictions for each game.

Below the table is a closer look at three marquee matchups.

Sunday, Nov. 9	Prediction
Monday, Nov. 10	Prediction
Kansas City at Buffalo	Buffalo
Miami at Detroit	Miami
Dallas at Jacksonville	Dallas
San Francisco at New Orleans	New Orleans
Tennessee at Baltimore	Baltimore
Pittsburgh at NY Jets	Pittsburgh
Atlanta at Tampa Bay	Atlanta
Denver at Oakland	Denver
St. Louis at Arizona	Arizona
NY Giants at Seattle	Seattle
Chicago at Green Bay	Green Bay
Carolina at Philadelphia	Philadelphia

Aaron Rodgers is Simply Better Than Jay Cutler

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

There's reason to believe the Chicago Bears can beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

The Packers run defense is horrendous. They are ranked last in the NFL in that category. The Bears have a plethora of offensive weapons at their disposal. Brandon Marshall is healthy and paired with Alshon Jeffery, and they are still the best receiving tandem in the NFL.

Throw in all-world running back Matt Forte and tight end Martellus Bennett—should he play with sore ribs, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com—and it's clear this offense should be able to score with any team in the league. Even with all that talent, the Bears won't beat the Packers on Sunday night.

The reason is simple—Green Bay's quarterback is better than Chicago's, as noted by the Chicago Tribune's Steve Rosenbloom and PFTonNBCSN:

In the first meeting this season, the team's traded points through a tight first half. Chicago trailed 21-17 at the break. In the second half, the Bears couldn't keep pace with Green Bay's fast-paced attack.

To no one's surprise, Jay Cutler began to turn the ball over. He threw two third-quarter interceptions while Aaron Rodgers was nearly impeccable. The Packers star finished with 302 yards passing, four touchdowns and no picks.  

It didn't help that Marc Trestman—the Bears' clearly overwhelmed head coach—made some questionable decisions right before halftime that gave the Packers more momentum. Trestman's inexplicable and failed onside kick attempt just before the half gave the Pack great field position to work with.

Considering the Bears hadn't stopped Green Bay once in the first half and that the Packers would be getting the ball to begin the third quarter, the risk outweighed the reward. Nevertheless, Trestman though it was worth a shot.

The end result was a 38-17 loss for the Bears at home. Sunday's game is at Lambeau Field, where the Packers are undefeated and Rodgers hasn't thrown an interception in three games this season.

Green Bay is far from a perfect team, but it has a leader who is able to conceal the team's deficiencies. Chicago does not. Green Bay will complete the season sweep of their rivals and permanently squash the Bears' realistic playoff hopes.

The Dolphins Will Ruin Megatron's Return

Calvin Johnson is set to return to the Detroit Lions' lineup on Sunday.

He'll be greeted rudely by a Miami Dolphins team that has been playing extremely well over the last three weeks. The Fins are on a three-game winning streak after stomping the San Diego Chargers 37-0 in Week 9.

The key to Miami's success has been dominating the turnover margin. The team is plus-nine in turnover ratio over the last three games. The Dolphins have given the ball away just one time in that span.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Despite still being sacked seven times during the win streak, quarterback Ryan Tannehill has seemingly had the light pop on in a major way. He's thrown just one pick and six touchdown passes over the last three weeks. This may be the best stretch of his career.

Defensively, the Dolphins have stepped up as well. In addition to the team's 10 takeaways, the Miami defense has also produced 10 sacks of opposing quarterbacks during the win streak.

The Lions have had receivers like Golden Tate step up in Johnson's absence, but they are running into a red-hot team and quarterback.

With confidence riding high, the Dolphins will march into Detroit and hand the Lions a loss. 

Russell Wilson's Leadership vs. Giants' Soft D

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

So the Seattle Seahawks defense isn't quite as scary as it was last season, but their leader under center is just as strong. When his team has needed him, Russell Wilson has remained calm and focused.

That's about as surprising as Cutler's implosions. Wilson is like a machine. His focus and team-first approach are as predictable as his post-roll like comments after an interview. It's because of his steadiness that the Seahawks haven't imploded during some transitional moments earlier this season.

After two straight losses, the Seahawks have quietly strung together back-to-back wins. While Wilson's numbers haven't been overly impressive, his poise and demeanor have helped to right the ship. Things are about to get really tough for the Seahawks from here.

With two games against the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers remaining, the defending Super Bowl champions' mettle will be tested over the next eight weeks. At least the Week 10 matchup should offer a brief reprieve.

The New York Giants defense has struggled mightily over the last three weeks, allowing an average of 32.7 points per game. It's no wonder New York has lost three in a row. The Giants' soft defense is exactly what Seattle needs to continue its winning streak and further its momentum heading into the toughest stretch in its 2014 schedule.

At home, Seattle will roll over the G-Men.

All stat references per Pro-Football-Reference.com.