Week 10: Huge Matchup Between Pats and Steelers; Is the Third Team a Charm for Moss?

Week 11 (Thursday night game): 

CHICAGO AT MIAMI: Injuries have forced the Dolphins to lean on third-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen, while the Bears are coming off a big win over the Vikings. But I've had success picking the Phins this season, so I'm sticking with it. PICK: DOLPHINS

Week 10 picks:

TENNESSEE AT MIAMI: Randy Moss returns to Sun Life Stadium, the last venue he played in as a New England Patriot. Moss caught ZERO passes in that Monday Night Football game on Oct. 4. Both of these teams are embroiled in tight races in their respective divisions. A couple of old-timers will be taking snaps: Chad Pennington gets the start for Miami, and I think he'll light a spark on offense. PICK: DOLPHINS

CINCINNATI AT INDIANAPOLIS: The Colts are 5-3, which seems so pedestrian for a team that won its first 14 games last season. The Bengals are the Dallas Cowboys of the AFC; a returning division champion that is out of the playoff picture halfway through the season. PICK: COLTS

MINNESOTA AT CHICAGO: Well, Vikings fans didn’t disappoint last week. The “Fire Childress” chants echoed throughout the Mall of America Field. Yet Brett Favre managed to have a career day and the Vikings came from behind to snip the Cardinals. The Bears barely snuck by the Bills last week to avoid their third straight loss. PICK: VIKINGS

DETROIT AT BUFFALO: I can’t believe I’m picking the Bills for a second straight week, but they’ve got to win one game. Right? PICK: BILLS

CAROLINA AT TAMPA BAY: Wow, the Bucs really hung in there last weekend at Atlanta. The Saints or the Falcons will be one of the wild card teams coming out of the NFC, and common sense dictates that one team from the NFC East will sneak in, too. But still, Tampa Bay is in the conversation after nine weeks. I didn’t see that coming. PICK: BUCS

HOUSTON AT JACKSONVILLE: Texans wideout Andre Johnson is likely to play but is hampered by an ankle injury, which seemingly affected his production last week against the Chargers. Both of these teams are only one game behind Indy and Tennessee in the AFC South, so this is a huge game for both clubs. PICK: TEXANS

N.Y. JETS AT CLEVELAND: I’d prefer to see both of these teams lose, but that really isn’t an option in Week 10. The Browns are riding high off a convincing win over the Patriots – which is apparently worthy of a Gatorade shower for Coach Mangini – and the Jets are oh-so lucky they didn’t lose to the Lions. Cleveland has knocked off the Saints and the Pats in their last two outings, and the Jets haven’t looked so hot in their last two, so this seems like a very winnable game for the hosts. It’ll be a tight one, but I think the Jets will pull it out. PICK: JETS

KANSAS CITY AT DENVER: The Broncos haven’t won since Week 4, and they’ve had two weeks to prepare for the Chiefs. PICK: BRONCOS

DALLAS AT N.Y. GIANTS: I love watching the Cowboys lose, but I’m not going to lie: I kind of felt bad for them on Sunday night. That was pathetic. It’s not going to get any easier in New York. PICK: GIANTS

SEATTLE AT ARIZONA: How weak is the NFC West? The 49ers only have two wins, but they’re a pair of wins from a tie of the division lead. The Seahawks and Cardinals have two of the weakest offenses in the league. When in doubt, go with the home team. PICK: SEAHAWKS

ST. LOUIS AT SAN FRANCISCO: The Rams can’t seem to win on the road. PICK: 49ERS

NEW ENGLAND AT PITTSBURGH: The Patriots looked horrible last weekend. Just horrible. Their performance  reminded me a bit of their playoff loss to Baltimore last winter, with a horrendous start that they could not recover from. I know it’s a team game and no single player can be blamed, but Rob Gronkowski’s mishaps really took the Pats out of the game. Gronkowski is only 21 years old, so, these things are going to happen with youngsters on the field. The defense was anemic and the offense looked out of rhythm the whole game. Let’s hope that performance was an aberration. My gut instinct says that the Steelers are just a better overall team than the Patriots. BUT… Belichick teams usually deliver when there’s a cloud of doubt hovering over the franchise. (I know, spoken like a true homer) PICK: PATRIOTS

PHILADELPHIA AT WASHINGTON:  This is a very entertaining matchup. The Redskins bested the Eagles in October after Vick was knocked out of the game in the first quarter. McNabb was pulled out (for poor play) during Washington’s loss against Detroit two weeks ago. Lots of storylines heading into a game that will determine whether it will be a two- or three-horse race in the NFC East. PICK: EAGLES

Last Week: 9-4

Thursday’s Game: 0-1

Season Record: 79-52