NFL Picks: Week 10

Well, look at this - back-to-back 10-4 weeks from Figgs has vaulted him back into contention, with a 3-0 money pick record in Week 9 to boot. Joe halted his slide with a solid 8-6 slate, and Nick nailed a mid-second-quarter Thursday pick and an anti-Browns pick to move to 7-7 for the week.

This is the worst possible football weekend coming up, with OSU and the Browns both on byes. Andy will fill the gap by taking in the CMU Tartans' visit to Cleveland to take on the CWRU Spartans this Saturday (an unprecedented instance of me supporting a Pittsburgh club over a Cleveland one), but is still undecided on how to proceed without the Browns there to ruin his Sunday.

Last Week:
Figgs: 10-4 (!)
Joe: 8-6
Nick: 7-7
Figgs' $ Picks: 3-0 (!)


Season to Date
Nick: 62-67-3
Joe: 60-69-3
Figgs: 57-72-3
Figgs' $ Picks: 10-13
Nick's $ Picks: 5-8, -4 Schrute Bucks


Thursday Night Football, 8:20
JAGUARS (+3) vs. Colts
Figgs: Indy. Six home dogs this week, and I feel like I'm mostly going to go with the roadies to cover, even though that typically goes against my thinking. Definitely here. Andrew Luck is totally legit and the Jags blow more than Hootie.
Joe: Colts; I have been wonderfully impressed with Andrew Luck so far.  I watched a lot of him last week, and if you put a generic jersey on him, I would have sworn that was Aaron Rodgers making those throws.  He is as good as advertised.  These are the same Colts that went 2-14 with Curtis Painter, and this guy has them thinking playoffs.  Maybe, maybe not, but they beat the lowly Jags this week. 
Nick:


Sunday 1:00 kickoff
BENGALS (+4) vs. Giants
Figgs: NYG. Going against the Bengals has done me well. The Giants may not be at their peak, but the way Philly and Dallas are playing they could run away with this division by just beating teams that they should, like Cinncy. ($)
Joe: Giants; Same old Bengals.
Nick:

DOLPHINS (-6) vs. Titans
Figgs: Fish. I immediately typed "Titans" here then paused for awhile thinking of a reason. I couldn't come up with one. Six points seems way to high for a Dolphin team that plays up/down to their level of competition, but I just see more scenarios that play out with Mia covering. This will definitely be one I'll be upset about second-guessing myself if it goes the other way.
Joe: Titans; I think 6 is too high.  I could see a FG deciding this game, so give me those points. 
Nick:

VIKINGS (+1) vs. Lions
Figgs: Vikes. This time I'll take the home dog. Detroit has proved me right in recent weeks with back-to-back covers, but these two teams are pretty much on the same level in my book, so if you're going to give me points to take the home team, I'm in. Minny already won in Detroit this season.
Joe: Lions; I picked them to beat the Vikes earlier when they played at home and lost, but I'm gonna do it again anyway.  I think that, like the Cardinals, we're starting to see that the Vikings just aren't very good. 
Nick:

PATRIOTS (-11) vs. Bills
Figgs: Pats. NE has never been shy about covering big spreads.
Joe: Pats; The Bills built a 14 point 2nd half lead in the 1st meeting....and proceded to lose by 24.  The Pats may not be significantly better than the rest of the league anymore, but they are still solid.  And Buffalo is known for getting blown out by superior teams. 
Nick:

SAINTS (+3) vs. Falcons
Figgs: Saints. I skipped this one and came back to it thinking I might have a better idea. I do not. I hate going against the ATL but I just think in New Orleans seems like a likely place for them to slip up and finally get a loss.
Joe: ATL; I have been waiting for the Falcons loss to come, but it hasn't yet.  I talked myself out of taking Dallas to beat them last week because it seems foolish to try to pick their loss every week just to finally nail it when it happens, meanwhile losing the rest of the time.  Watching them Sunday night, they remind me of (a more likeable version of) the steelers.  Not flashy, not glamorous, but efficient and more talented than anyone wants to give them credit for. 
Nick:

BUCS (-3) vs. Chargers
Figgs: Bolts. The Bucs have won three of their last four, but two of those came against the dregs of the AFC West. SD is on a higher level.
Joe: Bucs; Same old Chargers.  Tampa is better at beating bad teams than San Diego is.  So, I'll take the Bucs, especially at home.  Oh yeah, and Doug Martin is good. 
Nick:

PANTHERS (+4) vs. Broncos
Figgs: Broncos. Big game for Denver. On the road or not, they can't afford to give one away against an inferior team with SD right on their heels. ($)
Joe: Broncos; Cam finally looked good again last week and the Panthers got a nice win.  But this is Peyton Manning, and now that their in the soft part of their schedule, the Donks are gonna end up running away with this division. 
Nick:

RAVENS (-8) vs. Raiders
Figgs: ratbirds. I'm done giving Oakland chances. They stink.
Joe: Ravens; I hate to give this many points for a Ravens team that looks capaple of collapsing any second now.  But Oakland is so dreadful, I can't convince myself to take them against anyone.  I wonder if Carson is kicking himself for coming out of the surfing heaven that is retirement for this crap.   
Nick:


(4:05 kickoffs)
SEAHAWKS (-7) vs. Jets
Figgs: NYJ. I like Seattle to stay undefeated at home here, but 3 of their 5 wins in Quest have come by four points or less. Closer than the experts think.
Joe: Seahawks; The Jets are a dumpster fire and Seattle flat out wins at home.  With their pass rush, and a sitting duck Jets QB, I don't look for the Jets to score much.  Therefore, I'll give the full TD. 
Nick:


(4:25 kickoffs)
EAGLES (+1) vs. Cowboys
Figgs: 'Boys. Don't love this pick, because I couldn't take either of these teams with confidence against anyone considering the downward spirals they are both in. I guess Dallas is spiraling slightly less.
Joe: Cowboys; Yeah^.  They are lesser of two trainwrecks. 
Nick:

49ERS (-11) vs. Rams
Figgs: Niners. Another big spread that I am fully confident in. Before their bye week, the Rams played two quality teams (Packers and Patriots) both at home and lost by a combined 75-27. This one's on the road.
Joe: Rams; I have taken two many big favorites already, and while I certainly am not calling for an upset here, I just haven't seen enough out of San Fran lately to warrant giving this many points.  Aside from their opening day victory over the Packers, what exactly has San Francisco done that makes us think they are good again?
Nick:


Sunday Night Football, 8:20 kickoff
BEARS (-1) vs. Texans
Figgs: Bears. Great matchup between two of the league's top teams. I said before the season that Chicago was my Super Bowl sleeper team, and they have made me look smart with that all season long. Might as well stick with them here, but this could certainly go either way.
Joe: Texans; Both of these teams are undefeated against everyone except Green Bay (which futher empasizes why I still think the Packers are the real deal).  It used to be a great defense always beats a great offense, but in the NFL 2012, I'm not so sure.  I think Shaub and company will be able to avoid the huge mistakes that the Bears thrive on.  If so, the Texans should win this possible Super Bowl preview. 
Nick:


Monday Night Football, 8:30 kickoff
STEELERS (-12) vs. Chieves
Figgs: pittsburgh. I don't want to watch one second of this game.
Joe: steelers; KC is epically awful.  That's the only reason. 
Nick: