2013 NFL Season: Pokorny's Week 10 NFL Picks

Redskins Need Their Running Game: The Redskins almost blew it late in the fourth quarter against the Chargers last week, but won it in overtime to pull off a much-needed victory to stay alive in the NFC East race. The key for Washington will be to see if they can continue doing what they did last week: running the ball effectively (5.2 yards per carry against San Diego). The Vikings do a decent job stopping the run, but their lack of continuity at the quarterback position is absurd. Redskins 31, Vikings 20

Rebounding From an Epic Loss: It sounds like the Bills will be getting E.J. Manuel back this week, which is a positive sign for the team, but not necessarily something that vaults them into a contending team. The Steelers were embarrassed defensively last week, but we've seen that has-been defense pull off some decent outings here and there against teams like Oakland and Baltimore. They'll do it again, this time against the Bills. Steelers 20, Bills 14

Just Not Good Enough: A loss by the Bengals would put the Browns in great position to take the lead in the division in a couple of weeks, but the Baltimore team of present is pretty terrible. They have no running game to speak of, and Joe Flacco has been anything but clutch. The defense is very mediocre. Cincinnati has lost some pieces defensively due to injuries, but overall, they are still the much better team. Bengals 24, Ravens 20

High Stakes in November: The Bears might have Jay Cutler back for this week's game, but they don't look completely incompetent without him in the lineup. The Bears and Lions each find themselves in a three-way tie (with the Packers) for the NFC North division lead. Detroit is coming off of a bye, and all I can remember is the historic showing that Calvin Johnson put on against Dallas. I'm riding the Stafford-to-Johnson momentum for this week's pick. Lions 34, Bears 24

Just Stay Steady: The Titans have an interesting schedule coming up. After the Jaguars, three of their next four games will be against Indianapolis and Denver. That's a tough stretch, but they end the season with Arizona, Jacksonville, and Houston, a not-so-tough stretch. With the Titans' running game surging like it did against the Rams last week, there's no reason we should expect the Jaguars to pull off an upset here. Titans 23, Jaguars 13

Anyone's Guess: This is the type of game where I think you'd have to be insane to place money on it. The Raiders have managed to look really good and really bad this year, much like the Jets. The Giants started the season at 0-6, but have won two straight and have held their past two opponents to seven points each. Coming off of a bye, the Giants will continue their hot streak to remain a marginal threat in the NFC East. Giants 20, Raiders 17

It's Seneca Wallace Time: Deep in the back of his mind, I wonder if Seneca Wallace wants to beat Pat Shurmur's team (he's the offensive coordinator for the Eagles)? I think the Packers' offense is very dependent on the incredible skill of Aaron Rodgers that shifting to a guy like Wallace will make things pale in comparison. Nick Foles has actually been very effective this season, to my surprise upon looking back at the stats, and that will continue this week as Green Bay's offense struggles. Eagles 27, Packers 17

Living Life on the Edge: Some people will point to the Seahawks' huge deficit last week as a sign of weakness for them, but let's be real here: they are 8-1 and remain one of the league's best teams. If anything, we should accept the fact that teams have their "off" days, and despite that, the Seahawks rallied in a major way to win. This week, they face a Falcons team that is just a mess across the board. Even Matt Ryan can't salvage what's left, and it's too bad to see Tony Gonzalez possibly finishing off with a loss of a season. Seahawks 24, Falcons 10

Will T-Rich Finally Break Loose? Zac Stacy has been effective for the Rams at running back, but with no viable receivers, St. Louis' offense is generally doomed for failure. The Colts are a difficult team to get a pulse on -- I actually think Andrew Luck has struggled in parts of games, and Trent Richardson has produced absolutely nothing since joining the team, yet Indianapolis owns wins over San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver this season. With that type of resume, you could almost say they are the team to beat. Colts 26, Rams 16

NFC Game of the Week: Right now, the Panthers are one of the most compelling teams in all of football for me. They rank 3rd in the NFL defensively and are 1st in the NFL when it comes to time of possession. That is a winning formula for holding off some good teams. This will actually be the 49ers' first true test since Week 3, but they can put a temporary stop to Cam Newton's hot stretch. 49ers 20, Panthers 17

AFC Game of the Week: I would be pretty livid if I was a Chargers fan right now, knowing that the reversal call on Danny Woodhead at the end of regulation could have cost the team the playoffs. With four games remaining against both the Broncos and the Chiefs, the Chargers need all the wins they can get. San Diego shut down the Colts earlier this year, then the Colts handed Denver their only loss, and now Denver faces San Diego. Fortunately for Denver, the transitive property doesn't apply in the NFL...but it still means San Diego poses a significant threat. The Broncos will have to work for this one, but they will prevail. Broncos 28, Chargers 21

Trivia Time: If you asked NFL fans to say or guess what the Arizona Cardinals' record is in the tough NFC West right now, how many people would correctly say, "4-4?" My guess is "not many." Sure, it hurts the Cardinals that they are 0-3 in their division, but they are only a game out of a wildcard spot. The Texans looked great to start last week's game against the Colts, but I think they'll continue their tailspin downward, this time offensively, without head coach Gary Kubiak. Cardinals 23, Texans 17

Sunday Night Football: Doesn't it seem like there is a Rob Ryan story every week? This time, he is facing the team he was formerly the defensive coordinator of. The Saints are 6-2, but with one loss, they could very well find themselves in a tie for the NFC South with the red-hot Panthers. The Cowboys rallied last week to move above .500 with Tony Romo, but can he do it again in prime time? If Colston and Sproles return this week, Romo won't be enough for Dallas. Saints 24, Cowboys 21

Upset of the Week: I'm going out on a limb and picking the winless Buccaneers to take out the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The Buccaneers have way too much talent defensively to stay winless for much longer, and this week is a perfect opportunity for them to feast: Miami is without two of their starting offensive linemen, and the team chemistry can't be all good due to the whole Martin-Incognito situation. Buccaneers 21, Dolphins 13