Mattie T’s Week 10 NFL Predictions

Justice League time…

Even with Chris Johnson on a bye week, i was still able to score a season-high 80 points in my blowout win over PLAYOFF SPOILERS 10/11. Now i’m a step closer to clinching my division & locking up the #1 seed for the playoffs, but first i must knock off Deep 3rd this Sunday for my 5th straight win.

We’ll see what happens…

Week 9: 10-3

Overall: 78-52 (.600)

Ravens/Falcons:

Marquee Thursday night matchup, as Atlanta needs to win in order to stay atop first place in the NFC South.

They might be in a lot of trouble if Roddy White (knee) can’t suit up, as he’s currently leading the NFC with 58 receptions for 796 yards.

This should be a close game, but i think Joe Flacco will be able to take advantage of the Falcons’ 26th ranked secondary to lead the Ravens to a close road win.

Mattie T’s Pick: Baltimore

Bengals/Colts:

Cincinnati nearly stunned the football word with a late rally against Pittsburgh on Monday night, but it fell just short as they dropped their 5th straight game.

Now they travel to Indianapolis on a short week and could use a big game out of Cedric Benson, who has only rushed for 100 yards or more just once this season.

I think the Bengals fall just short, as Indianapolis wins to keep pace with Tennessee in the AFC South.

Mattie T’s Pick: Indianapolis

Jets/Browns:

Cleveland will try to shock the world for a 3rd straight week after stunning wins over both New Orleans & New England.

Braylon Edwards is due to get a lot of boos from the home crowd, but 4 of his 5 receiving touchdowns this season have come on the road.

Oddly enough, Colt McCoy has led the Browns to two straight wins despite not throwing for any touchdown passes.

I think the Jets will focus on stopping Peyton Hillis (ran for season-high 184 yards last week during win over Patriots) & force McCoy to beat them.

Sorry folks, but Cleveland’s miracle ride is about to come to an end.

Mattie T’s Pick: N.Y. Jets

Vikings/Bears:

Minnesota can pull within a game of Chicago in the division with a win on Sunday, but also comes into this game with 8 straight losses (incl. playoffs) on the road.

The big question in this one remains if Sidney Rice can make his season debut, as he’s been out following hip surgery following the Vikings’ NFC Championship Game loss to New Orleans.

Rice will be needed if Percy Harvin (migraine) can’t go, as he’s coming off a 9-catch, 126 yard game against Arizona despite playing with an ankle injury.

Chester Taylor was succesfully able to punch in the Bears’ first 1-yard touchdown run of the season during their Week 9 win over Buffalo & could wind up playing another big role here.

Close game, but i see Chicago prevailing in their sweet 1940 throwback jerseys.

Mattie T’s Pick: Chicago

Titans/Dolphins:

Randy Moss has a chance to make NFL history on Sunday, as a touchdown could make him the first player ever to have a TD reception with three different teams in the same season.

He could be catching passes from Kerry Collins, as the twosome were teammates for one season in Oakland (2005).

This move should really benefit Chris Johnson, who will face off against Miami’s 16th ranked run defense.

As for the Dolphins, they’ll start Chad Pennington over an erractic Chad Henne at quarterback.

I don’t think Miami’s QB switch will be enough to land them their first home win of the season against a suddenly dangerous Tennessee offense.

Mattie T’s Pick: Tennessee

Texans/Jaguars:

With two of the NFL’s worst pass defenses squaring off against eachother, this game has the makings of a wild shootout.

After throwing for a career-high 497 passing yards in Week 2, Matt Schaub has only thrown for 6 touchdowns in his last 6 games. (Houston 2-4 in that timestretch)

Jacksonville has historically struggled following bye weeks (2-5 record) under Jack Del Rio & will have trouble stopping the Texans’ well-balanched offensive attack in this one.

Mattie T’s Pick: Houston

Lions/Bills:

One streak of futility will come to an end on Sunday, which will be either Detroit’s 24 straight road losses,  or Buffalo’s 8-game losing streak to start the season.

The Lions will try to win with Shaun Hill once again at quarterback, as he thrived in his last start on October 10th as he completed 21 of 32 passes for 227 yards & threw for 3 touchdowns during their 44-6 win over the Rams.

The Bills are hurting at wide receiver after Roscoe Parrish suffered a season-ending wrist injury during their Week 9 loss against Chicago, which will hurt their punt-return game.

Close game, but i think Detroit will do just enough to avoid making NFL history.

Mattie T’s Pick: Detroit

Panthers/Buccaneers:

The quarterback carousel continues again in Carolina, as Matt Moore suffered a serious shoulder injury during their Week 9 loss to New Orleans & will miss the rest of the season.

Jimmy Claussen will step in & try to lead the Panthers’ offense, as he only has thrown for 1 touchdown pass in his five games played this season.

Tampa will bounce back from their close loss to Atlanta with a big game from LeGarrette Blount, who gets to face a woeful Carolina run defense on Sunday.

Mattie T’s Pick: Tampa Bay

Chiefs/Broncos:

After a tough overtime loss to Oakland in Week 9, Kansas City will look to bounce back strong Sunday against a Denver team that’s lost 4 straight games.

With virtually no run game to rely on, Kyle Orton (2,510 pass yards) is actually on pace along with Philip Rivers (2,944 pass yards) to break Dan Marino’s single-season record of 5,084 yards during the 1984 season.

Orton should put up big numbers again this week, but in a losing cause.

Mattie T’s Pick: Kansas City

49ers/Rams:

Rams could find themselves in sole possession of 1st place in the NFC West with a win on Sunday, as Sam Bradford looks to have his 4th straight game without an interception.

Troy Smith will get his 2nd straight start here, as Alex Smith (shoulder) hasn’t been medically cleared to play yet.

4 of San Francisco’s 6 losses have come by 3 points or less, and this figures to be another close one. However, i think Bradford’s Rams will take one more step towards a surprising playoff run by winning this game on Sunday.

Mattie T’s Pick: St. Louis

Cowboys/Giants:

The Jason Garrett era offically begins on Sunday, as the Cowboys will try to slow down the red-hot Giants, who have won each of their last 5 games.

Dallas’ run game has been non-existent all season, and this won’t be the week to get it going against New York’s 2nd ranked run defense.

The Cowboys’ terrible defense took yet another blow, as defensive end Marcus Spears is out for the season following a calf injury during their blowout Week 9 loss to Green Bay.

Even with the Giants’ rotating door of injuries to their offensive line, they still have the NFL’s 3rd best rushing offense & will try to keep Eli Manning away from pass-rushers DeMarcus Ware & Jay Ratliff among others.

I think Dallas will come out with some emotion, but not enough to deliver the biggest upset of the weekend.

Mattie T’s Pick: N.Y. Giants

Seahawks/Cardinals:

The Seahawks are hoping to turn things around quickly after getting outscored 74-10 in their last two games.

Arizona is also looking for a bounceback effort, as they blew a 14-point lead with just under 5 minutes remaining during their Week 9 loss to Minnesota.

The Cardinals defense will swarm Matt Hasselbeck in this one, as he missed their Week 9 loss against the N.Y. Giants with a concussion.

This should be close, but i think Arizona will hold on to avoid moving into a last-place tie in the NFC West.

Mattie T’s Pick: Arizona

Patriots/Steelers:

New England comes into this marquee matchup banged up, as Stephen Gostkowski (thigh) is done for the season, and Tom Brady dealing with foot & shoulder injuries that has caused him to miss practice time.

Pittsburgh nearly blew a 20-point lead during their Week 9 win over Cincinnati, but paid a huge price as offensive tackle Max Starks is done for the season with a neck injury.

Ben Roethlisberger has only been sacked 7 times in his 4 games played this season, but that total may increase with the team starting two new offensive tackles.

This should be a close & physical game, but the Steeler defense will be the big winners as Pittsburgh wins to keep pace with Baltimore in the AFC North.

Mattie T’s Pick: Pittsburgh

Eagles/Redskins:

The Eagles hope that they’ll have Michael Vick from start to finish on Monday night, as he suffered a serious rib injury during Week 4 against Washington.

Donovan McNabb should have extra incentive to play well following his surprising benching in Week 8, but won’t be 100% as he’s still battling a hamstring injury.

McNabb was also sacked a season-high 6 times in their last game against Detroit two weeks ago, so Philadelphia’s blitz-happy defense will be sure to attack him at full speed.

I think a healthy Vick plays a huge difference here, as Philadelphia wins to set up a crucial showdown with New York next weekend at the Linc.

Mattie T’s Pick: Philadelphia