NFL Week 10 Predictions: Projections for the Early Lines, Spreads and Odds

The pretenders and contenders began to separate themselves during the NFL's ninth week, and now we are entering a critical time in the season schedule where teams are living on the edge as they try to fight for positioning in playoff races.

Some crucial matchups loom ahead on Sunday, most notably games between the 5-3 Dallas Cowboys and the 4-4 Atlanta Falcons as well as the 6-2 Minnesota Vikings and 4-4 Washington Redskins.

Here's a quick peek ahead to Week 10, with odds (via OddsShark) and picks provided below. Note that some over/under totals are unavailable at this time.

Seattle Seahawks (-6, 42.5 O/U) at Arizona Cardinals

Don't let the Arizona Cardinals' 4-4 record fool you: They've beaten the winless San Francisco 49ers twice, in addition to victories over the 3-6 Indianapolis Colts and 2-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers by single digits.

The Seattle Seahawks should come out angry after losing a close game to the Washington Redskins at home. They will take care of business in the desert.

Writer Pick: Seattle 27, Arizona 10

New York Jets at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4.5)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won two games: a last-second victory over the 1-7 New York Giants and a blowout win over the Chicago Bears before the Monsters of the Midway changed quarterbacks (and their fortunes). They've looked lost in two losses to the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers by a combined score of 47-13.

Meanwhile, the New York Jets have been competitive in all but one game this year and are confident after beating the five-win Buffalo Bills. They'll take this game to even their record at 5-5.

Writer Pick: New York 27, Tampa Bay 14

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (-3)

The Chicago Bears are 2-2 in the Mitchell Trubisky era, with those two losses coming against two 6-2 teams (the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints).

They also beat another six-win team (the Carolina Panthers) and won on the road against the Baltimore Ravens.

Ultimately, this team is playing tough, hard-nosed football on defense and is grinding out yards on offense through a solid running game. Look for them to improve as the season goes along and to beat their archrivals at Soldier Field.

Writer Pick: Chicago 16, Green Bay 13

Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans (-5.5, 40.5 O/U) 

The Cincinnati Bengals have not enjoyed their roller-coaster season. Two lifeless losses to start the year led to an offensive coordinator change, and then the team looked excellent in their next three games.

However, the last three contests have either been disappointments (in the case of a squeaker win over the 3-6 Indianapolis Colts) and/or bad losses (29-14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers and 23-7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars).

They simply don't look like a team that will be competing for a playoff spot in December. Tennessee should win this one comfortably.

Writer Pick: Tennessee 24, Cincinnati 13

Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions (-9.5)

One team here has lost all of its games, and the other is fighting to stay alive in the NFC playoff picture. It's not hard to pick the winner of this contest straight up, but how well will the Detroit Lions do?

The guess here is that they blow out Cleveland thanks to the exploits of the passing game, led by quarterback Matt Stafford and wideouts Golden Tate and Marvin Jones Jr. They should fare well against a Browns team that has been susceptible to big plays through the air.

Writer Pick: Detroit 31, Cleveland 13

Pittsburgh Steelers (-10.5, 43 O/U) at Indianapolis Colts 

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has accounted for 505 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the team's three victories. In the team's six losses, Hilton has just 197 yards and zero scores.

Basically, if an opposing defense stops Hilton, then it will go a long way toward victory. If not, then Hilton could almost single-handedly propel the Colts to a win.

Unfortunately for Colts fans, the Steelers have one of the best pass defenses in football, allowing just 6.2 yards per attempt (second in the league). That success will go a long way in an easy Steelers win.

Writer Pick: Pittsburgh 27, Indianapolis 10

Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars (-4, 41.5 O/U)

It's hard to bet against the Jacksonville Jaguars after they allowed just seven combined points in their last two games. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell is one of the better free-agent pickups any team has made in recent memory, and the secondary is second to none in football.

The Los Angeles Chargers look much better after their 0-4 start, but the Jags defense is a tall task for any team. Look for another standout performance in a dominant win.

Writer Pick: Jacksonville 23, Los Angeles 7

Minnesota Vikings (-2, 42.5 O/U) at Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins are one of the more confusing teams in football. They barely hung on to beat the winless San Francisco 49ers and lost by two touchdowns to the Dallas Cowboys (both home games), but they also beat the 6-2 Los Angeles Rams and 5-3 Seattle Seahawks on the road.

Which Washington team will show up on Sunday? The guess here is the Dr. Jekyll version, as the Washington secondary might create havoc against Vikings quarterback Case Keenum and the Minnesota pass attack.

Writer Pick: Washington 20, Minnesota 16

Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams (-11, 47 O/U) 

Can we give the Coach of the Year award to Sean McVay now? He and his staff have completely transformed a Rams team that went 4-12 last year and looked inept on offense.

Thanks to a few additions to the team, as well as a new playbook, the Rams are a high-octane unit capable of dropping 40 on any given day. They should have no problem with a Houston Texans team that just lost to the 3-6 Indianapolis Colts at home.

Writer Pick: Los Angeles 34, Houston 10

New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers (-1, 42 O/U)

Two teams with a combined record of 1-16 will face off in the Bay Area. The New York Giants just lost two home games by a score of 75-24, while the San Francisco 49ers are at least hanging around in most of their contests (six of their nine losses have been by 10 or fewer points).

The edge goes to the home team in an ugly game.

Writer Pick: 49ers 23, Giants 20

Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons (-3, 50.5 O/U)

It's crunch time for the Atlanta Falcons, who are two games behind the New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC South. They need to get on track fast in order to stay within striking distance, but a tough game with the surging Dallas Cowboys looms.

Ultimately, the Falcons have been living on the edge all year, winning some close games they could have easily lost (a 23-17 win over the Chicago Bears) and losing some close games they could have easily won (a 20-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins).

But a 1-4 stretch isn't a good omen against a Dallas Cowboys team that has won three straight, especially given the fact that the once-maligned Dallas defense has given up just 46 total points during that span. The Cowboys will come away with the road victory.

Writer Pick: Dallas 27, Atlanta 20

New England Patriots (-7.5, 46.5 O/U) at Denver Broncos

After the first quarter of the season, the Denver Broncos were 3-1 and seemingly on the verge of a playoff push (and perhaps an AFC West title). Now they are sitting at the bottom of their division after four straight losses by a combined 72 points.

All of their defeats were via double digits, and one of them came against a New York Giants team that hasn't beaten anyone else this year.

They stand little chance of taking down quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, who look to be on the verge of clinching their ninth straight AFC East title.

Writer Pick: New England 27, Denver 13

Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers (-8)

The Miami Dolphins are 4-4 and somehow have the third-worst point differential in the AFC. The guess here is that regression is forthcoming for the Fins, who have been on the right side of luck thus far.

Miami won't be lucky against the Carolina Panthers, whose defense has allowed just 23 points in their last three games.

Writer Pick: Carolina 24, Miami 10