It's Week 10, which means everybody has reached at least the halfway point of their schedule. I originally wanted to do midseason NFL power rankings this week, but life got a little busy and I couldn't quite find the time. So, instead I'll just include the Top 5 and Bottom 5 with this week's picks.
The Bottom 5 is incredibly easy. The Raiders are by far the worst team in football, followed closely by the Jets (31), Jaguars (30), Bucs (29) and Falcons (28). The best teams got shuffled around a little bit last week, but I think there are definitely five that stand out. Dallas, which was No. 2 a few weeks ago, stays in the Top 5 despite back-to-back losses. The Eagles come in just ahead of their division rivals. Denver drops from No. 1 to No. 3 after its loss to New England, while the Patriots jump up to No. 2 after that win and the Cowboys' losses. And the best team in the NFL? That would be the 7-1 Arizona Cardinals. That one was an easy call. They're the only 1-loss team, they're in first place in perhaps the hardest division in the league, and they've got a number of good wins already on their resume. No question the Cardinals have earned the No. 1 spot.
Now for the picks...
Thursday night: Cincinnati (Loss)
Chiefs (5-3) at Bills (5-3): Buffalo-This is perhaps the hardest game to pick this week. The Chiefs have won three straight, including a victory in San Diego, to move into second place in the AFC West. I don't think anyone is surprised to see them there. The Bills, however, have surprised many by going 5-3 in the first half. This is a very hard one to call. But I've been in Buffalo in November. It's not a fun place to be. Especially for an opposing team. The Bills get the W.
Dolphins (5-3) at Lions (6-2): Detroit-Another battle of somewhat-surprising playoff contenders. Things have finally all clicked for both the Dolphins and Lions this year. Miami's in that massive group of 5-3 AFC teams, while the Lions are in first place in the NFC North. Winner here's playoff chances become that much greater. In Detroit, I'll take the Lions. (Sidebar, this should've been the Lions' Thanksgiving game. It's incredibly unfair to the AFC that all three Thanksgiving matchups are NFC vs. NFC.)
49ers (4-4) at Saints (4-4): New Orleans-Despite the fact that they're just 4-4, people are still talking about the 49ers as one of the best teams in the league. I'm not sure I see it. Arizona isn't going to come back to the pack, so San Francisco's looking at a wild card at best. This week's opponent is a New Orleans team that might've finally turned the corner. The Saints won a road game last week! In the Superdome, they don't lose.
Steelers (6-3) at Jets (1-8): Pittsburgh-How many touchdown passes will Ben Roethlisberger throw this week? Will it be more than the Jets quarterbacks (either one or both of them) throw to Steelers defenders? Those are the only real questions I have about a matchup of one team that's headed in one direction and one that's clearly going the other way. I have good news for you, though, Jets fans. They can't lose next week! It's the bye!
Falcons (2-6) at Buccaneers (1-7): Tampa Bay-Lovie Smith said point blank last week that his team isn't very good right now. Well, neither are the Falcons. The NFC South schedule is weird, though. They always seem to back load the division games. That's a good sign for both these teams. Because winning the division is still a realistic possibility. But they've got to win this game first. Since it's in Tampa, I'll say the Bucs are the ones that do that.
Cowboys (6-3) vs. Jaguars (1-8): Dallas-Sorry, people of London, that the Jaguars are your "home" team. At least you get to see the Cowboys, though. Tony Romo said his back felt fine on the flight over, but whether or not he plays shouldn't be an issue. It took a trip across the pond, but Dallas should snap its two-game losing streak.
Titans (2-6) at Ravens (5-4): Baltimore-Want to hear something amazing? At 5-4, the Baltimore Ravens are in LAST PLACE in the AFC North! (Meanwhile, the 4-4 Saints are in first place.) After back-to-back losses, including last week's embarrassment in Pittsburgh, the Ravens have got to be happy to get out of the division. They've got to be even happier to finally return home.
Broncos (6-2) at Raiders (0-8): Denver-It's hard to imagine, but there's actually a team out there that's more of a mess than the Jets. It happens to be the only team the Jets have beaten this season. The Raiders are downright embarrassing. They put on a game effort last week in Seattle, but the two Super Bowl teams from last season in consecutive weeks is a daunting challenge for anybody. Let alone a bad team like Oakland.
Rams (3-5) at Cardinals (7-1): Arizona-Now that they have the best record in the NFL, people have finally taken notice of the Cardinals. They've created a lot of believers. Now the hard part. Keeping them. And proving that their start wasn't a fluke. They've already notched some impressive wins. It's time to take care of business in the division.
Giants (3-5) at Seahawks (5-3): Seattle-The Giants have to be pretty grateful to share a city with the circuses surrounding the Jets and A-Rod. Because, outside of a few obligatory "Fire Coughlin" cries, there's really nobody talking about their 3-5 record. It doesn't get much easier over the next three weeks, either (at Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas). It also doesn't help that the Seahawks know they need to win in order to keep pace with the Cardinals.
Bears (3-5) at Packers (5-3): Green Bay-The NFL's oldest rivalry comes to "Sunday Night Football." The Bears are making their way towards that Bottom 5 list. I don't know what it is about that team. So much talent, yet they never seem able to put it together. Aaron Rodgers, meanwhile, told the fans not to freak out when the Packers were 1-2. Well, he was right. When we last saw the Packers, it was also on "Sunday Night Football," and they were getting lit up by New Orleans (well, I didn't see it, I was watching the World Series). That game, however, wasn't a rivalry game. And it wasn't at Lambeau.
Panthers (3-5-1) at Eagles (6-2): Philadelphia-Just a couple weeks ago, everyone was really high on the Carolina Panthers. Then they had that tie and it's been downhill from there. Three straight losses and counting. The Eagles, meanwhile, are one of the best teams out there. Philly's going to add to Carolina's misery and make it four in a row.
BYE: Houston (4-5), Indianapolis (6-3), Minnesota (4-5), New England (7-2), San Diego (5-4), Washington (2-6)
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 7-6
Season: 86-48-1
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