NFL Picks Week 10: One Reason You Should Never Bet Against Each Team

The NFL season is more than halfway through, and we are now recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of each team. 

Whether you're 8-0 or 0-9, each team has got something going for it, from the sheer determination of your team or if you've got Aaron Rodgers leading your offense and Clay Matthews bringing up your defense.

NFC South

The NFC South has been a pretty tough division in the past, and while the Panthers have lagged behind the past few years in actually winning games, this year they are still a team you have to put your best efforts toward. 

New Orleans Saints: The Saints are leading the division thanks to Drew Brees and his running back combination of Darren Sproles and David Thomas.

Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons are not living up to the hype they built up last year, but with Jonathan Babineaux and John Abraham putting pressure on any opponent, they are still a tough team to beat.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Albert Haynesworth was picked up by the Bucs after being released from the Patriots for being less than productive.  It will be interesting to see if his team chemistry is any better in Tampa.

Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton has been breaking records and surpassing expectations left and right.  Its only a matter of time before the rest of the team comes together and Carolina becomes unstoppable again.

NFC East

The Giants have a pretty good lead in the East, with the other teams struggling more than expected.

New York Giants: Coming off their win over the New England Patriots, Eli Manning is on fire, and I wouldn't bet against him any time soon.

Dallas Cowboys: Rookie, DeMarco Murray, has brought the spark back to Dallas.  Give him a little more time and he will be a tremendous player.

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles need to redeem themselves, so hopefully it can be an all-around effort to come back and beat Arizona this weekend.  Their defense has been pretty decent but will have to step it up.

Washington Redskins: The Redskins have gotten lucky a few games, and John Beck at QB is definitely an improvement for the team.  Between him and DeAngelo Hall, the Redskins should be able to compete in every game.

NFC North

For the second year in a row, no one can touch the Packers. But the surprise in the division—really the whole NFL—is the Detroit Lions.  These two teams are really keeping this division exciting.

Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers is absolutely unstoppable. 

Detroit Lions: All around the Lions have bust out of the gate and exceeded expectations.  Matt Stafford is proving to be a great QB and Ndamukong Suh really commands on defense.

Chicago Bears: The Bears have been struggling some lately but now that Earl Bennett is back and healthy, Jay Cutler will have someone to get the ball to and make some great plays.

Minnesota Vikings: There have been lots of changes in Minnesota this year, but Christian Ponder at starting QB seems to be the most productive. Having only started two games, he has nonetheless gained immense confidence.

NFC West

Another team who has emerged out of nowhere and taken their division by storm is the 49ers. Everyone else in the West seems to have decided not to show up on Sundays.

San Francisco 49ers: Alex Smith is having a great year in San Fran and leading the team past almost every opponent.

Seattle Seahawks: Seattle is having some trouble this year, but on a positive note, Tarvaris Jackson has decent mobility and can be dangerous.

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals picked up cornerback Patrick Peterson in the draft, and he has been emerging as the best player in Arizona this season.

St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford is doing all he can in St. Louis, don't give up hope on him yet.

AFC South

This division has really flip-flopped. The dynamics have changed now that Indy has been unable to get a win.

Houston Texans: Arian Foster is killer; he's had 656 rushing yards this season and is just going to blow right through Tampa.

Tennessee Titans: Chris Johnson is going to explode against Carolina on Sunday. It's about time for him to get back to his normal playing ability, and Sunday is the day.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags take on the Colts—not sure why anyone would think they would lose this game.

Indianapolis Colts: They haven't won so far this season, and their "Suck for Luck" campaign is just going to continue. That said, Curtis Painter is proving he can handle the pro game, and this team is bound to win at some point.

AFC East

While the Pats normally dominate, the division is in a gridlock with the Pats, Jets and Bills all tied at 5-3, while Miami lags behind at 1-7.

New England Patriots: Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are sure to get back on track this week after losing to the Giants last week.

New York Jets: The Jets defense will be applying lots of pressure on Brady and Gronkowski in their Sunday night matchup.

Buffalo Bills: The Bills have been playing solid football all year round and are sitting prettier than Dallas is right now.

Miami Dolphins: They got their first win last week so the momentum may power them through Washington. It all depends on how Matt Moore and Reggie Bush can connect.

AFC North

Here's another AFC division that is almost in a gridlock. There have been some interesting inter-divisions matchups this season, particularly between the Ravens and Steelers.

Cincinnati Bengals: Andy Dalton is proving to be a great selection for the Bengals.

Baltimore Ravens: After their exciting win over the Steelers, the Ravens should run right through the Seahawks.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Historically the Steelers dominate their games against the Bengals, but it will be fun to watch Dalton and Roethlisberger go head to head.

Cleveland Browns: Taking on St. Louis should be an easy game for the Browns; they have been playing OK this season but definitely better defense than the Rams.

AFC West

While one of the division games ended last night when the Raiders beat the Chargers, the AFC West has had a pretty run-of-the-mill season.

San Diego Chargers: They lost last night, and Philip Rivers and the rest of the team really need to step it up for the last half of the season. This team is too talented to continue losing like this.

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have a chance to win Sunday against Denver, mainly because they are both mediocre teams.

Oakland Raiders: Carson Palmer redeemed himself last night in their win over San Diego and will probably continue to get back to his old stature.

Denver Broncos: Since Tim Tebow entered for Denver, things have been looking up. Tebow has been waiting for the chance to shine.