Week 10 NFL Picks: Final Vegas Odds and Predictions for Sunday's Slate

The Minnesota Vikings are a hot team right now, having won their last four games in a row. Two of those wins came on the road, and that's important, because they will be taking on the improving Raiders in Oakland.

The Vikings come into this game with a full dose of confidence, and that comes from two basics of the game that they do quite well. The running game is a given because the Vikings have Adrian Peterson, who has already rushed for 758 yards and is averaging 4.5 yards per carry. That should prove quite troublesome to the Raiders, who rank 30th in yards allowed per game.

The Vikings also play well defensively, as head coach Mike Zimmer has given his defense an excellent game plan, and his players have proved quite disciplined when it comes to following it. The Vikings rank seventh in yards allowed, and they can make it very tough on the opposition to move the ball consistently.

The Raiders will be an excellent challenge for the Vikings, because they have one of the most improved quarterbacks in the league in Derek Carr. The second-year signal-caller has thrown for 2,094 yards, and he has a 19-4 TD-interception ratio.

Carr has two excellent receivers in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, while Latavius Murray gives them an impressive running game. Murray has picked up 630 yards on the ground.

But the Raiders will not find it very easy to pick up yards or points against the Vikings. Defensive end Everson Griffen (4.5 sacks) can come around the corner and put considerable pressure on Carr, and safety Harrison Smith can be a game-changer with his hard hitting and heady play.

The Raiders are 2.5-point favorites in this game, according to OddsShark, and those points should be a bonus for the Vikings. The Raiders will push hard and make it close, but the Vikings are the better team, and they will win this game in the fourth quarter.

Game	Line	Over/Under	Selection
Jacksonville at Baltimore	Baltimore -4.5	47.5	Jacksonville: Over
Detroit at Green Bay	Green Bay -12	49	Detroit: Under
Miami at Philadelphia	Philadelphia -7	50	Philadelphia: Under
Cleveland at Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh -6	41.5	Pittsburgh: Over
Chicago at St. Louis	St. Louis -7.5	42.5	St. Louis; Under
Dallas at Tampa Bay	Even	43.5	Tampa Bay: Under
Carolina at Tennessee	Carolina -4	44	Tennessee: Under
New Orleans at Washington	Even	50	Washington: Under
Minnesota at Oakland	Oakland -2.5	44	Oakland; Over
Kansas City at Denver	Denver -4.5	41.5	Kansas City: Under
New England at New York Giants	New England -9	54	N.Y. Giants: Over
Arizona at Seattle	Seattle -2.5	44.5	Seattle: Under
Houston at Cincinnati	Cincinnati -12.5	47	Cincinnati: Over

Bears, Rams will slug it out in low-scoring game

Don't look for a lot of points to be scored as the St. Louis Rams host the Chicago Bears.

St. Louis quarterback Nick Foles has struggled to throw the ball consistently this season (174.6 yards per game), and the Bears are not an offensive juggernaut by any stretch.

While Chicago is playing much better than it did either of the last two seasons and quarterback Jay Cutler has cut down on his mistakes, they will have a difficult time moving the ball on the athletic and aggressive St. Louis defense (ranked fifth in yards allowed).

Additionally, Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has been slowed by a groin injury this week, and he is listed as questionable. Jeffery has had three consecutive games with 100 receiving yards or more, but it doesn't seem likely that he will be at his best if he plays this week.

The Rams are going to play hard-nosed defense and run the ball with Todd Gurley. Don't expect them to light up the scoreboard. The Bears may score 10-14 points in this game.

With the total set at 42.5 points, this game appears to be a strong under play.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

It's time for Seahawks to step up

The first half of the season has been nightmarish for the Seattle Seahawks.

They are not out of the race for the playoffs or first place in the NFC West, but they are just 4-4, and they have not demonstrated their hallmark toughness or consistency.

They have flashed their talent, but if they are going to make a run at their third consecutive NFC title, it has to start Sunday when they host the division-leading Arizona Cardinals.

It will not be an easy game, because Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer has been throwing the ball as well as he has in years. Palmer is completing 64.6 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,386 yards and putting together a 20-6 TD-interception ratio.

That's sensational quarterback play, but the Seahawks have the weapons in Michael Bennett, Bobby Wagner, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas to shut down the high-powered Cardinals offense.

The Seahawks are just 2.5-point favorites at home, and that's basically an insult to Pete Carroll's team. Look for this game to be a dogfight for three quarters before the Seahawks pull away and win by at least a touchdown in the final 15 minutes.