NFL Games Of The Week: Week 10 - Brendan Darr's Blog

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Brendan Darr's Blog

NFL Games Of The Week: Week 10 Stuck

Posted on November 11, 2012 at 11:29 AM.

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Detroit Lions (4-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-4)

Why to watch: The NFC North is the best division in football this season and both of these teams could be heading in different places. The Vikings jumped right out at the gate with a 4-1 start, while the Lions struggled and started 1-3.

Five games later, the Vikings are 5-4 and the Lions are 4-4. The winner will put themselves in better position for a wildcard spot, while the loser will sit at the bottom of the division.

X-factor:

Matt � Christian Ponder

Ponder has to rebound. With Percy Harvin out, the offense can�t rely just upon Adrian Peterson. He�s thrown eight interceptions in his last five games to only five touchdowns. Going against an awful secondary, Ponder now has his chance to shine.

Brendan - WR Michael Jenkins, Minnesota Vikings

Jenkins is going to have to step up in the place of Percy Harvin this week, and whether or not he can be the number one isn't really a debate -- he's failed in the past. However, he's presented an incredibly favorable matchup this week which even he can exploit.

If Jenkins will obviously need the help of Christian Ponder to get him the ball, but as long as Ponder is locked on underneath routes to Kyle Rudolph and Adrian Peterson, Jenkins should be in for a big game.

Predictions:

Matt - All the momentum in this match up favors Detroit. Also the Vikings are losing a major contributor in Percy Harvin. The Lions get revenge from earlier in the season and get one on the road in the process. Prediction: 23-17 Lions.

Brendan - I agree 100% with Matt on this, all the momentum is favoring Detroit. However, they do have three key guys Questionable (Calvin Johnson, Titus Young and Cliff Avril) for this game, and one still Out (Louis Delmas). The Vikings are missing do-it-all Harvin. I'm going to pick the Vikings to squeak one out at home on the back of Adrian Peterson. Prediction: 17-14 Vikings.

Atlanta Falcons (8-0) at New Orleans Saints (3-5)

Why to watch:

Will this be the week that the 8-0 Falcons finally lose a game? The Falcons have a mere 2-11 record against the Saints since Drew Brees has been a saint. Will the losing trend continue?

X-Factor:

Matt � WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

Julio Jones started off strong in the season, but hasn�t had the same type of success with Ryan lately. Jones has only two touchdowns in the last five games. He�s had a solid last two weeks, but will need to get in the end zone this week as well.

Brendan - Saints Running Back Committee

Darren Sproles will be out this week, which means more opportunities for Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory to make an impact on the game. Pierre Thomas will likely be the lead back, but it looks like Ingram and Ivory could play a role in this game as well. Plus, it is a little easier to run on the Falcons than it is to pass on them.

Prediction

Matt- Very tempted to go with the Saints, but the Saints can be shutdown against a defense like Atlanta�s. The Falcons offense should shred the Saints� secondary as well. Prediction: 35-21 Falcons.

Brendan - It truly is tempting to take the Saints in this matchup. They've turned their season around, and a game at home against the Falcons to end their undefeated season? I'm game. This will have to be a shootout because the Falcons won't have much trouble against the Saints defense. Prediction: 38-35 Saints.

Dallas Cowboys (3-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)

Why to watch:

Watch two teams who should be better than they are struggle and turn the ball over a lot. As a bonus, proceed to speculate which coach will get fired faster after the game.

Oh yeah, there�s that whole NFC East rivalry thing too.

X-Factor:

Matt � Turnovers

It sounds simple enough, but whoever has the less turnovers between these two teams will win this game. The Eagles and the Cowboys have the worst takeaway/giveaway differential with -9 and -11 respectively.

Brendan - QB Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

Romo is the ultimate x-factor in sports, if he is on -- the Cowboys usually do well enough to win. The problem with that is, he is also highly erratic and unreliable. He rarely, if ever, puts together a solid or consistent four quarters. He'll have to in order to beat this Philadelphia secondary.

Predictions:

Matt � The Eagles with three turnovers to the Cowboys two. 17-14 Cowboys.

Brendan - Both defenses have ball-hawking secondaries, and in theory, both should have dominant front seven's in order take advantage of the others offensive line issues. I think Matt's prediction of five turnovers may be too low. In a battle of erratic Quarterbacks, we all lose. Prediction: 23-20 Eagles.

Houston Texans (7-1) at Chicago Bears (7-1)

Why to watch: Possibly the two best teams in Football going against each other in a primetime Sunday night match up. What�s not to like?

X-Factor:

Matt � QB Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears

The Bears offense finally seems to be starting to click with Cutler re-finding his chemistry with Brandon Marshall. Although, will Cutler be able to play well against one of the best defenses in the league. More importantly, how many times will he be able to avoid J.J. Watt?

Brendan - QB Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

Rest assured, the Bears will limit Arian Foster and Ben Tate in some way on Sunday night. It'll be up to Schaub to beat the Bears secondary and lead his team to victory. If Charles Tillman does play, and it is looking increasingly likely that he will, Andre Johnson will need to really step up to help Schaub. Schaub has thrown for 4,000 yards in the NFL before, he knows how to carry a team on his shoulders, or arm as it were.

Predictions:

Matt - In their primetime debut this season, the Texans disappointed on Sunday Night Football against the Packers. Rodgers lit up the highly touted defense for six touchdowns. While the Jay Cutler most likely will not have that type of performance, the Bears defense has been extraordinary. At home, a dominant Bears defense will shut down a normally great Texans offense. Prediction: 16-10 Bears

Brendan - I honestly see both teams getting defensive touchdowns out of this game. I believe the term for this game is a "slobberknocker" and JR would be proud. At the end of the day, I trust Matt Schaub just a little bit more than I trust Jay Cutler. Prediction: 24-20 Texans.