Surge Summary: Close games are revealing a highly competitive league this NFL season. Will this week confirm that trend? Pigskin Pundit’s picks for each game, week number ten.
by Pigskin Pundit (Nate Clark)
Election Week is over, thank God. Well, almost. But no politics here, just pumped-up, pimpled pigskin. What did last week teach us, boys and girls? Parity is king in this strange year. Nine of the games were decided by 7 points or less. Our freshman class continues to show great promise, while down in the Geriatric Bowl in Tampa the two dinosaurs of the NFL dueled it out for divisional supremacy and swapped the career td passing lead as the Saints splashed holy water onto the Buccaneers and they melted, screaming…” Oohh, what a world!” I went 9-5, and stand at 85-48 for the year. Here are the picks.
Colts at Titans – Last week Lamar and Co galloped all over Frank’s Reich, and throttled Phillip ‘Don’t Call Me Doc’ Rivers. This week, a better running back and better passer come to play. Indy’s no-fly-zone D is going to be tested by the delightfully pugnacious A.J. Brown, while Cannonball Henry tears large holes in the Colt secondary. This is the week the Horseshoes begin their fade from contention. Indy gets bashful in Nashville, while the Titans do their Tennessee waltz.
Buccaneers at Panthers – Don’t kid yourself; Tampa hasn’t lost their way after that drubbing by New Orleans. They faced a very good team and a better coach, and just had an off game. Happens. Won’t happen this week, as they find fifth gear again and take a road win in good Charlotte. The big cats played well losing to KC last week, and this game will be no easier. Brady the Ancient knows he needs to tack on another W here, and when he emerges from beneath Arians’ bus of shame, he will. Tampa is finah than old Carolina.
Texans at Browns – Hmmm…what do you think here? Houston has so many holes this year they look like Julius Caesar on the Ides of March. Cleveland continues the tradition of mediocrity so ensconced in that unfortunate city, but they are rested and more importantly, get Chubb back this week. That bodes ill for Crennel’s run-stoppers, since they don’t stop the run. Nick is slick, Myles piles on and Mayfield Bakes a win on Sunday.
WFT at Lions – Alex Smith had a stellar return to the NFL last week, throwing for 1 td and 3 picks in a loss to the mighty Giants…While the FT has been decent against the pass this year, half a Stafford should be able to find holes and seams enough to stitch together a win. Lyins keep flyin’ while DC is cryin’.
Jaguars at Packers – The Packers are win-stackers while the Jaguars are slackers. Adams is on the eve of greatness, as the top wideout in the league. Lambeau Field tilts one way this week…whichever direction Aaron Rodgers is going. Pack smacks the Jacks.
Eagles at Giants – The Jints are showing slow signs of improvement on defense, and they get to the QB pretty good this year. Philly gets there a little better, and Danny has a Jones for tasting turf, as does Mr. Wentz. This is a pretty even matchup, but Dougie Pederson gets Miles ‘Colonel’ Sanders and Alshon Jeffrey back this week, which will help keep Carson upright. Eagles put a fork in New York.
Bengals at Steelers – Can you say ‘trap game’? Me neither. The Bengals have lost their last several games by the narrowest of margins, and I think this one will also be close. Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t sparkled like their D. Still, it’s the Steelers, at home, against a division rival they have beaten 10-straight. Losslessberger remains unbeaten another week.
Bills at Cardinals – Buffalo out-Seahawked the Seahawks last week, to go to 7-2. Kyler Murray did it two weeks prior. Both teams eat QBs, and both have highly mobile QBs who can also chuck it. So, great matchup! The kicker here will be Buffalo’s ability, or lack thereof, to contain Murray’s run yardage. Murray’s mobility makes time for him to find open receivers, or just rip off a 40-yard dash instead. His stats this season are already better than MVP Jackson’s were this time last year! Buffalo simmers while the Cardinals shimmer.
Broncos at Raiders – I like what Denver is doing, coming together as a rebuilding team. However, they will be going against the odds when they take on Vegas, whose numbers are a better bet. Jeudy is an ace, Lindsay is a wild card, and Lock must double down to keep Denver close. Carr’s play this season ups the ante, and if Waller, Jacobs and Devonte ‘Making’ Booker go all in, Vegas should be in the chips. This week, the smart money is on the Raiders.
Seahawks at Rams – Russell Wilson IS the Seahawks at this point…and that is going to cost Pete Carroll. Both RBs are down, Seattle’s pass defense is non-existent, and Wilson has got way more grass stains on his uniform each week than is healthy. Buffalo buried him 5 times last week, and Aaron Donald makes them look like girl scouts. Not impressed with the Rams’ offense nor Jared Goff’s accuracy, but this week it will likely be enough. Pete Carroll’s mirage vanishes in LaLa Land.
Niners at Saints – The battered Gold Diggers come east this week facing the Saints, and they’re going to rename New Orleans ‘The Big Difficult’. After the Saints hanged the Buccaneers last week, they will be ready to knock the 49ers back into 1849. Gonna be a beatdown on the bayou. Brees blows the Niners out of town.
Ravens at Patriots – Total mismatch. Baltimore will whip the decimated Patriots up, down and sideways. Newton will find it hard to locate any receivers who don’t have a Raven ballhawk lurking inches away. And stopping Jackson? C’mon. New England has trouble tackling in space. Dark times come with dark uniforms. Blackbirds feast on the AFC East.
Chargers at Dolphins – Air Bear is a gamer. We love what this kid is doing, but the problem is he plays for the Chargers, and they aren’t doing much right. Miami is an honest 5-3, and getting better. They struggled defending the Cardinals last week (who doesn’t?), but otherwise their defense has been decent. Tua found a groove last week, and tipped us to what he is capable of. Nobody missing Flyin’ Ryan this week around South Beach. Phins git the win agin.
Vikings at Bears – MNF and a divisional tilt. The Bears have dropped 3 straight, so trending in the opposite direction from Minnesota. Chicago plays above-average defense, which keeps them in games, but their offense is anemic, doing little with the ball when they have it. Nobody attempts more short dump-offs than Nick ‘the Quick’ Foles. If the Vikes can get Cooks some running room, he will take over the game, as he has several times this season. Here’s my take: Foles folds while Cooks cooks.
Enjoy the games!
-PP
The views here are those of the author and not necessarily Daily Surge
Image: By Cedward Brice – Flickr: 1st Play, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18897283
Nathan Clark is a conservative commentator who resides with his wife in New Hampshire. He is passionate about preserving the vision of our nation’s Founders and advancing those tried and true principles deep into America’s future. His interests range broadly from flyfishing, cooking and shooting to pro sports, gardening, live music and fine-scale modeling.
Surge Summary: Close games are revealing a highly competitive league this NFL season. Will this week confirm that trend? Pigskin Pundit’s picks for each game, week number ten.
by Pigskin Pundit (Nate Clark)Election Week is over, thank God. Well, almost. But no politics here, just pumped-up, pimpled pigskin. What did last week teach us, boys and girls? Parity is king in this strange year. Nine of the games were decided by 7 points or less. Our freshman class continues to show great promise, while down in the Geriatric Bowl in Tampa the two dinosaurs of the NFL dueled it out for divisional supremacy and swapped the career td passing lead as the Saints splashed holy water onto the Buccaneers and they melted, screaming…” Oohh, what a world!” I went 9-5, and stand at 85-48 for the year. Here are the picks.
Colts at Titans – Last week Lamar and Co galloped all over Frank’s Reich, and throttled Phillip ‘Don’t Call Me Doc’ Rivers. This week, a better running back and better passer come to play. Indy’s no-fly-zone D is going to be tested by the delightfully pugnacious A.J. Brown, while Cannonball Henry tears large holes in the Colt secondary. This is the week the Horseshoes begin their fade from contention. Indy gets bashful in Nashville, while the Titans do their Tennessee waltz.
Buccaneers at Panthers – Don’t kid yourself; Tampa hasn’t lost their way after that drubbing by New Orleans. They faced a very good team and a better coach, and just had an off game. Happens. Won’t happen this week, as they find fifth gear again and take a road win in good Charlotte. The big cats played well losing to KC last week, and this game will be no easier. Brady the Ancient knows he needs to tack on another W here, and when he emerges from beneath Arians’ bus of shame, he will. Tampa is finah than old Carolina.
Texans at Browns – Hmmm…what do you think here? Houston has so many holes this year they look like Julius Caesar on the Ides of March. Cleveland continues the tradition of mediocrity so ensconced in that unfortunate city, but they are rested and more importantly, get Chubb back this week. That bodes ill for Crennel’s run-stoppers, since they don’t stop the run. Nick is slick, Myles piles on and Mayfield Bakes a win on Sunday.
WFT at Lions – Alex Smith had a stellar return to the NFL last week, throwing for 1 td and 3 picks in a loss to the mighty Giants…While the FT has been decent against the pass this year, half a Stafford should be able to find holes and seams enough to stitch together a win. Lyins keep flyin’ while DC is cryin’.Jaguars at Packers – The Packers are win-stackers while the Jaguars are slackers. Adams is on the eve of greatness, as the top wideout in the league. Lambeau Field tilts one way this week…whichever direction Aaron Rodgers is going. Pack smacks the Jacks.
Eagles at Giants – The Jints are showing slow signs of improvement on defense, and they get to the QB pretty good this year. Philly gets there a little better, and Danny has a Jones for tasting turf, as does Mr. Wentz. This is a pretty even matchup, but Dougie Pederson gets Miles ‘Colonel’ Sanders and Alshon Jeffrey back this week, which will help keep Carson upright. Eagles put a fork in New York.
Bengals at Steelers – Can you say ‘trap game’? Me neither. The Bengals have lost their last several games by the narrowest of margins, and I think this one will also be close. Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t sparkled like their D. Still, it’s the Steelers, at home, against a division rival they have beaten 10-straight. Losslessberger remains unbeaten another week.
Bills at Cardinals – Buffalo out-Seahawked the Seahawks last week, to go to 7-2. Kyler Murray did it two weeks prior. Both teams eat QBs, and both have highly mobile QBs who can also chuck it. So, great matchup! The kicker here will be Buffalo’s ability, or lack thereof, to contain Murray’s run yardage. Murray’s mobility makes time for him to find open receivers, or just rip off a 40-yard dash instead. His stats this season are already better than MVP Jackson’s were this time last year! Buffalo simmers while the Cardinals shimmer.
Broncos at Raiders – I like what Denver is doing, coming together as a rebuilding team. However, they will be going against the odds when they take on Vegas, whose numbers are a better bet. Jeudy is an ace, Lindsay is a wild card, and Lock must double down to keep Denver close. Carr’s play this season ups the ante, and if Waller, Jacobs and Devonte ‘Making’ Booker go all in, Vegas should be in the chips. This week, the smart money is on the Raiders.Seahawks at Rams – Russell Wilson IS the Seahawks at this point…and that is going to cost Pete Carroll. Both RBs are down, Seattle’s pass defense is non-existent, and Wilson has got way more grass stains on his uniform each week than is healthy. Buffalo buried him 5 times last week, and Aaron Donald makes them look like girl scouts. Not impressed with the Rams’ offense nor Jared Goff’s accuracy, but this week it will likely be enough. Pete Carroll’s mirage vanishes in LaLa Land.
Niners at Saints – The battered Gold Diggers come east this week facing the Saints, and they’re going to rename New Orleans ‘The Big Difficult’. After the Saints hanged the Buccaneers last week, they will be ready to knock the 49ers back into 1849. Gonna be a beatdown on the bayou. Brees blows the Niners out of town.
Ravens at Patriots – Total mismatch. Baltimore will whip the decimated Patriots up, down and sideways. Newton will find it hard to locate any receivers who don’t have a Raven ballhawk lurking inches away. And stopping Jackson? C’mon. New England has trouble tackling in space. Dark times come with dark uniforms. Blackbirds feast on the AFC East.
Chargers at Dolphins – Air Bear is a gamer. We love what this kid is doing, but the problem is he plays for the Chargers, and they aren’t doing much right. Miami is an honest 5-3, and getting better. They struggled defending the Cardinals last week (who doesn’t?), but otherwise their defense has been decent. Tua found a groove last week, and tipped us to what he is capable of. Nobody missing Flyin’ Ryan this week around South Beach. Phins git the win agin.
Vikings at Bears – MNF and a divisional tilt. The Bears have dropped 3 straight, so trending in the opposite direction from Minnesota. Chicago plays above-average defense, which keeps them in games, but their offense is anemic, doing little with the ball when they have it. Nobody attempts more short dump-offs than Nick ‘the Quick’ Foles. If the Vikes can get Cooks some running room, he will take over the game, as he has several times this season. Here’s my take: Foles folds while Cooks cooks.Enjoy the games!
-PP
The views here are those of the author and not necessarily Daily Surge
Image: By Cedward Brice – Flickr: 1st Play, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18897283
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