NFL Week 10 Picks: 3 Locks You Can Bet the House on This Weekend
Published by Chris Faig on November 6, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
Many NFL teams this season have been very unpredictable, while others have perfected their preparation and consistently execute well-structured game plans. It has been a fantastic season so far, and one full of complete mystery. Some games you just simply do not know what team you’re going to get. The inconsistency of quite a few teams has made it extremely difficult to predict the outcome of many games and will continue to do so the rest of this season.
There are a lot of organizations that are already fading out of divisional contention, while some divisions are in a very tight race. The New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons have pretty much already won their respective divisions because of the consistency and dominance in which they constantly exude. On the flip side, teams in divisions such as the AFC East and NFC West are neck and neck as the 2012-13 NFL season passes its midseason point.
Whether making a friendly bet with a friend or just selecting your picks of the upcoming week for your own amusement, pretty much everybody who follows football will try to predict the week’s winners. During a season that has been arduous to select winners, especially if you’re doing a parlay, check out the following three locks that you can bet the house on this weekend.
(Not condoning betting, but it does make games more exciting and does tend to make you learn a lot more about the sport because you begin to pay more attention to the detail and beauty of the game; as long as it’s healthy and not consistent. Oh yeah, don’t actually bet your house.)
New York Giants (6-3, 3-1 away) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-5, 1-3 home)
Spread: +4 Cincinnati Bengals, -4 NY Giants (According to sportsbook.com)
Although the Cincinnati Bengals record may not reflect how well they’ve been playing at times, they certainly are a solid team. However, the New York Giants are one of the most experienced franchises in the NFL and have won four out of their last five games. Eli Manning has been a little shaky the past few weeks but he has still managed to lead his team to victories.
Going up against a Cincinnati defense that gives up an average of 240.4 YPG passing, Eli and the Giants offense should excel and be able to make some huge plays. You can expect Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz to have spectacular games because the matchup screams advantage to the Giants.
With the spread being just over a field goal, this seems like a no-brainer. New York has been 3-1 against the spread so far this season which makes them a stone cold lock this week.
Giants win 34-20.
Houston Texans (7-1, 3-0 away) @ Chicago Bears (7-1, 4-0 home)
Spread: -1.5 Chicago Bears, +1.5 Houston Texans (According to sportsbook.com)
In what will most likely be the most exhilarating game of week 10, two of the top five teams in the league will battle it out. Both 7-1, the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears have been nothing short of magnificent this entire season. When looking at this game on paper, the majority would think the Texans are a complete lock.
Why? The Texans have the 16th overall passing offense, 8th overall rushing offense, 4th overall passing defense, and 2nd overall rushing defense. On top of that, the Texans are 6-2 against the Las Vegas spread.
But, there’s a kicker.
Houston has yet to be an underdog. The one game that the Texans lost this season, they just simply could not keep up with Green Bay allowing 42 points and over 400 total yards. This matchup is concerning for Houston because the Bears are a complete team that can put up a ton of points.
The Chicago Bears actually have a very good tendency to put up points on the board, whether it is their offense or defense. So for this season the Bears have averaged 29.5 PPG and given up an average of only 15 PPG. The Texans are a very good football team, but the Bears are just a little bit better.
If the Chicago offense can run smoothly, between Jay Cutler throwing precision passes and Matt Forte running his heart out, and the defense can continue to be one of the NFL’s best, then there is no doubt that the Bears will be the victors of this battle. Da Bears!
Chicago wins 27-20.
Indianapolis Colts (5-3, 1-2 away) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7, 0-4 home)
Spread: +3 Jacksonville Jaguars, -3 Indianapolis Colts (According to sportsbook.com)
When you look at the numbers, this appears to be a trap game. The Jags are 4-1 against the spread vs. Indianapolis over the last three seasons. Also, the Colts are 2-10 against the spread when playing against a team with a losing record over the last three seasons.
However, none of this should worry you because of the leadership that is seeming to develop in Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck has earned the respect of his fellow teammates which is enabling them to be a serious force in the National Football League. There may not be much rebuilding time, where no immediate expectations are in place. The playoffs are not as farfetched as they may have seemed at the beginning of the season.
Against one of the worst overall defenses in the NFL, the Colts offense should be in prime form. And with a complete lack of offensive production by the Jags, the defense of Indianapolis should have no problems.
With Jacksonville continuously struggling, the Colts will run away with this game.
Indianapolis wins 30-17
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