My 2022 NFL Picks (Week 10)

This is a special week in the NFL.  The Seahawks and Bucs are playing in Munich, the first-ever NFL game in Germany.  It won't be the last, either.  There'll be at least three more, with Munich and Frankfurt alternating as the host.  And they gave the Germans a great game, too.  Unlike London, which gets the Jaguars every year.  The German game will probably continue to be a good one moving forward.  Both the Patriots and Chiefs have expressed interest in playing there, so you'd have to figure it'll be one of them next season and the other shortly after that.

Frankly, I'm surprised it took the NFL this long to have a game in Germany.  Five of the six teams in NFL Europe played in Germany, some of which still have a massive fan base.  So it's clear that there's plenty of potential in the German market.  Likewise, I think the moving around Germany is smart.  If they ever decide to schedule a game in Berlin, I have no doubt they'll sell out the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium!

Interestingly, Munich wasn't one of the five German cities that was home to an NFL Europe team.  In addition to Berlin and Frankfurt, the others were based in Cologne, Dusseldorf and Frankfurt.  Munich does have the beautiful Allianz Arena that's the home stadium for one of the most famous soccer teams in the world, though, so the choice does make sense.  As for the game itself...

Thursday Night: Carolina (Win)

Seahawks (6-3) vs Buccaneers (4-5): Seattle-Seattle is on perhaps the longest road trip in NFL history (it was probably longer for those teams that played preseason games in Asia in the 90s, but this is certainly the farthest in the regular season).  So I wonder if the travel and nine-hour time difference will have an impact.  I'm still picking them to win, but you know Brady is relishing the opportunity to participate in something new.  Also, how sad is it that if the Seahawks win, dropping Tampa Bay to 4-6, the Bucs will still be tied for first place?

Vikings (7-1) at Bills (6-2): Buffalo-Josh Allen's health is by far the biggest question mark heading into the game, and it could have a major bearing on who wins.  If Allen plays, the Bills are the clear favorite, especially at home.  If he doesn't, the Vikings' chances increase significantly.  Although, whether Allen plays or not shouldn't matter to the Buffalo defense.  And that's why I have a feeling the Bills may win either way.

Lions (2-6) at Bears (3-6): Chicago-With the Packers reeling, this game takes on heightened importance.  Of course, the Vikings are already running away with the division and will likely win it going away, but who knows what can happen if one of these two gets the momentum going?  We've already seen the Bears destroy the Patriots.  Can they do the same to the Lions?

Broncos (3-5) at Titans (5-3): Tennessee-Last Sunday night's loss to the Chiefs was a setback for the Titans to be sure, but all it really affects is their playoff seeding.  The AFC South is still well within their control, which will continue to be the case after they host the Broncos.  And, hey, at least Denver isn't a national game this week!

Jaguars (3-6) at Chiefs (6-2): Kansas City-How big was pulling that game out against the Titans last week?  Now Kansas City is definitely a player in the race for home field and the AFC's 1-seed.  So, it could be the Chiefs who end up being the biggest beneficiary of Josh Allen's injury.  Of course, if they lose to the Jaguars at home, that would change everything.  And, frankly, they wouldn't deserve the bye if that happens.

Browns (3-5) at Dolphins (6-3): Miami-We've almost reached the point where the Browns get their sexual harrasser of a quarterback is eligible to return.  His first practice will be on Monday, in fact.  I've wasted too much space here already talking about that guy and how disgusting it is that he has a guaranteed contract.  Fortunately, Cleveland won't be relevant in the playoff race once he starts playing games in December.  The Dolphins, meanwhile, will be very relevant in the playoff race at 7-3.

Texans (1-6-1) at Giants (6-2): Giants-Coming off a loss and their bye week, the Giants are still in pretty good shape.  And they're just two wins away from avoiding another 10-loss season.  That magic number should be cut to one after they host the Texans.  Say what you want about the Giants "not being that good."  They can only play the teams that are on their schedule.  And their schedule says "Houston" this week, so that's who they're playing.

Saints (3-6) at Steelers (2-6): New Orleans-It might just be about time to call it.  It's not gonna happen in Pittsburgh this season, and Steelers fans will have to brace for a new reality.  They not only won't make the playoffs, they'll be lucky to avoid a 10-loss season.  Yes, life without Ben Roethlisberger is proving to be more difficult than they imagined.  The Saints, meanwhile, are in much better shape.  In fact, depending on how the Bucs-Seahawks game goes, they could be tied for first at the end of the day.

Colts (3-5-1) at Raiders (2-6): Indianapolis-The Colts realized they needed to do something before the season completely got away from them.  (Or, at least, something else after benching Matt Ryan.)  So Frank Reich got canned and he was replaced by Peyton Manning's center, Jeff Saturday, who has absolutely no experience.  Incredibly, the season isn't lost, though.  And, fortunately for Saturday, his first game is against the equally-inept Raiders.

Cowboys (6-2) at Packers (3-6): Dallas-Has FOX been plugging this game enough?  I've seriously seen almost as many promos for this game over the past few weeks as I have political commercials.  To an extent I get it.  It's a marquee matchup between two of the premier teams in the league.  But, from what we've seen from both teams, it shouldn't be a contest.  Dallas wins big.

Cardinals (3-6) at Rams (3-5): Rams-What's going on in the NFC West?  We went into the season thinking everybody but Seattle might be a playoff team, but at midseason, it's the Seahawks who are in first place, while both the Cardinals and Rams are struggling.  They both need a win very badly, too.  They've both lost two in a row and are in danger of falling out of the playoff race completely if they don't get this one.  I think our streak of Super Bowl home teams will come to an end.  Since I have no confidence in the Cardinals' ability to win this game.

Chargers (5-3) at 49ers (4-4): Chargers-I know I complain about Denver and Chicago being on national TV seemingly every week, but San Francisco also on national TV a lot.  It's definitely 49ers overload, but they're at least good.  So are the Chargers, who the Sunday Night Football audience will get to see in back-to-back weeks.  That game next week will become even bigger, as the Chargers will continue to keep pace with the Chiefs atop the division.

Commanders (4-5) at Eagles (8-0): Philadelphia-As I've said before, I don't think the Eagles will go undefeated.  But as long as they keep winning, we'll keep talking about it.  They haven't played the Giants yet, and they still have games against Dallas and Tennessee on the schedule, as well as the Packers, who may actually show up that week!  It won't end this week, though.  The Eagles will be 9-0.

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 8-5
Overall: 79-57-1