NFL Week 10 Predictions: Projecting the Week's Top Defenses

To anyone who appreciates defense and watched the LSU-Alabama game, you know that the cliche of "defense wins championships" holds true.

Pro football is no different, and no matter how stellar of an offense your teams possesses, the defense better be good enough to slow opponents, otherwise points become obsolete. That being said, here are three of the top defenses for Week 10.

San Francisco 49ers (vs Giants)

The biggest question heading into the 49ers-Giants game is whether Eli Manning can takeover a game by himself. Eli had a sound performance that lead to another impressive game-winning drive over the Pats', but not only is New England's defense sad, but New York was also able to run the ball.

This week New York will have trouble moving the ball on the ground as the 49ers rank No. 1 in rush defense. Also, San Fran does not need to stack the box in order to shut down the ground game.

Thus allowing them to put more defenders in coverage. Not to mention, as we saw against the Seattle Seahawks, Eli is prone to throwing picks and struggles against respectable defenses. Frisco is all that and more, so expect Manning to be under duress for much of his time spent in the Bay Area.

Baltimore Ravens (at Seahawks)

Okay so we have a Top five defense against both the pass and rush (Baltimore), going against an offense in Seattle that ranks No. 23 and No. 30 in pass-to-rush per game averages, advantage Ravens.

The Great Northwest isn't what it use to be in terms of home-field advantage, otherwise Seattle would be undefeated at home this year. As for the Ravens, sure their offense may struggle at times, but their defense is as good as it gets.

Also, Seattle is currently on a three game skid where they haven't scored more than 13 points, so it's obvious that they're lacking confidence and execution. Therefore, don't expect anything less than a dominating performance from Baltimore and it will be shocking if Seattle even scores.

Carolina Panthers (vs Titans)

At first glance it doesn't appear to have any weight, but the Carolina Panthers have a much better defense than given credit for, whereas the Titans offense has been significantly underachieving.

Carolina ranks No. 13 against the pass and although they're just No. 27 against the run, Tennessee ranks No. 13 in pass offense but dead last in running the ball. So, not only does Carolina have the advantage, but they've played against some of the better rushing teams this season.

Tennessee also only ranks that high in passing offense because they're forced to throw the ball early and often. It's obvious that RB Chris Johnson is lacking and his threat on the ground has lost its' pizzazz.

So, Carolina shuts him down and forces Tennessee to pass. Lest we forget that the Panthers have already played Green Bay, New Orleans and Atlanta in terms of solid passing offenses?

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