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Week 10 NFL Game Previews: The Seattle Seahawks' Last Stand

Both the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings have an opportunity this weekend to secure a hold of their divisions.
Photo by Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Game of the Week: Arizona at Seattle, 8:30 ET NBC

Arizona has a chance to cement its position as the NFC West favorite. Seattle is coming off a bye week. This game will be played in the impenetrable fortress of CenturyLink field at night, which introduces a lot of variables to a game that I think looks fairly simple on paper.

The Cardinals have an actual offense. Seattle has a crude series of diagrams that use pass-catching tight end Jimmy Graham as a blocker, only for offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to whine about how poorly he does it. Arizona has closed out close games, Seattle has let Cincinnati and Carolina come back late—and almost let Dallas do it too. Nothing about the Seattle season that we've seen so far has led me to believe that they will play to their potential.

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But football isn't that simple. Seattle has a massive home-field advantage, and they've had a week to ponder changes that could make this offense better. At the very least, I'd expect Seattle to play better than they have so far.

I just don't trust the coaching staff to get the offense fixed. They've had two years to get it done, and it hasn't happened yet. This'll be close, but I expect the Cardinals to shut the door.

Pick: Arizona 24, Seattle 20

Derek Carr's emergence makes the Raiders a dangerous team. Photo Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Playoff Positioning Game of the Week: Minnesota at Oakland, 4 ET FOX

When I write up my thesis of everything I had wrong about this season, the Raiders will be near the top of the list. Jack Del Rio. A quarterback I didn't fully trust. Amari Cooper over higher-ceiling wideouts. The same collection of outcast free-agent signings. There were a lot of warning signs, and yet the offense has been masterfully executed, and Derek Carr's star is on the rise.

Funny enough, I feel like I was also wrong about Minnesota. Concussion or not, Teddy Bridgewater hasn't played like he did towards the end of last season. The pass defense has not exactly rounded into form. And yet, they're 6-2, with a chance to really put the heat on the NFC North.

Based on current form, I think Oakland is the better team. Even after fading late against Ben Roethlisberger, they still were able to match Pittsburgh point-for-point in a hostile environment. But Minnesota does have a tendency to muddy up games, and Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is exactly the sort of guy I'd expect to figure out the Oakland offense.

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Call this a weird feeling if it turns out wrong, but I like the Vikings to figure out Carr. And if Bridgewater doesn't play, disregard this pick altogether.

Pick: Minnesota 24, Oakland 23

Football Nerd Game of the Week: Miami at Philadelphia, 1 ET CBS

Bill Lazor! Chip Kelly! A battle of two new-school offensive minds with pretty unimpressive passing results! For all the hype about spread offenses, it turns out that in an execution-based league like the NFL, talent actually matters. And no two quarterbacks have spent this year proving that more than Ryan Tannehill and Sam Bradford.

So here's a weird prediction for this game: it'll be won in the trenches. New Dolphins head coach Dan Campbell has figured out that Lamar Miller is the focal point of his offense. The Eagles have sneakily built a pretty great running game up since the disappointing early returns on DeMarco Murray.

I know that Bradford had a nice game last week, and the overtime win is a nice narrative. But until I see him do that against a real pass defense, I simply can't buy it. The Giants don't qualify as a real pass defense. Still, Philly may not need Bradford to do much here.

Pick: Philadelphia 27, Miami 17

Can Eli Manning pull off another upset against the Patriots? Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Narrative Winz Game of the Week: New England at New York Giants, 4:25 ET CBS

Eli Manning is Patriots kryptonite. Tom Coughlin's been beating Bill Belichick since he was in Cleveland (and Tom was in Jacksonville). Mix two Super Bowl losses into a bowl, add in Dion Lewis' devastating injury, and people in the sports media are actually talking about this game like the Giants have a chance to win it.

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A little primer for Sunday's Patriots-Giants game: Since start of 2008 calendar year, Giants are ONLY NFL team the Patriots have NOT beaten.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)November 10, 2015

You can look at the history and come to the conclusion that the Giants have New England's number. Or you could conclude that those were different teams and different seasons. And that this is today. And that the Giants are much worse than New England.

I like New York to keep this one close because of homefield, and Shane Vereen. We went over how big of a loss Johnathan Hankins was for the Giants this week. I don't think this defense can hold New England under 30 points.

Pick: New England 38, New York 27

AFC South Futility Update: Jacksonville at Baltimore, 1 ET CBS | Carolina at Tennessee, 1 ET FOX | Colts versus BYE

In my mind, Jacksonville against Baltimore is a game that the Ravens have won 20-6 twice every season since 2005. In actuality, both of these teams are aerial shows with bad pass defenses. This could be a) a shootout and b) a game that the Jaguars might actually have a chance to win.

I have no such hope for Tennessee. Carolina can muddy up a game plan and I think this could be a lower-scoring affair. At the same time, the Titans need wideout Dorial Green-Beckham to take an immediate step forward or their offense will be entirely centered on tight end Delanie Walker. Good offenses are not built around Delanie Walker—good offenses enable Delanie Walker.

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Indianapolis is going into the bye on a high note, having claimed Charlie Whitehurst off waivers from the Titans. They earnestly tried to lure Jason Campbell out of retirement before that happened. Will Kerry Collins or Jim Sorgi be next? Tune in.

As for the Texans, give me a paragraph.

Picks: Jacksonville 33, Baltimore 27 | Carolina 26, Tennessee 16 | Bye 16, Indianapolis 0

Primetime Game That Shouldn't Be: Houston at Cincinnati, 8:30 ET ESPN (Monday)

It's hard sometimes to not read this season as Andy Dalton's revenge. We've mocked him, his goofy ginger soul, and his first-round playoff exits for years. Now he's carrying an undefeated record, an arsenal of weapons, and a great defense.

While Cincinnati's most recent first-round exit came against the Colts, no one tormented Dalton more than the Texans. It's practically the high-water mark of the franchise.

Combine Houston's overaggressive defense with Cincinnati's misdirection offense, those awesome skill players and that iffy middle of the Houston defense, and this has some bloodbath potential. And while DeAndre Hopkins is going to get his, I don't know if anyone else will.

Pick: Cincinnati 33, Houston 17