The rules of making Week 10 Game picks:
a) Make them before having two frozen strawberry margaritas at a Mexican joint with a colleague.
b) Do them after Friday's injury report, not in the early morning on Thursday, when I'm doing them.
c) About item "a" ... some picks might come after.
d) Never trust a Cutler. (I kid, I kid.)
e) Trust in DeMarco overseas, man.
Dallas beats Jacksonville. That pick is below. What about the Niners in New Orleans?
Yep. Great points all around. First off, "Under a Blood Red Sky" will always be their coolest album. Secondly ... that defense is absolutely looking better these days. Kudos to the much-maligned Rob Ryan.
Alright, as for the rest, take a gander. And as always, feel free to share your take ... @HarrisonNFL is the place.
Now, let's get to it!
Elliot Harrison went 8-5 on his predictions for Week 9, giving him a record of 84-49-1 so far this season. How will he fare in Week 10? His picks are below.
He's not the best researcher for nothing, folks. The score might look a little high, considering both defenses have been balling. But the return of Calvin Johnson will present a matchup difficulty unlike anything the Dolphins have faced this season. With Megatron making trouble and Golden Tate likely drawing more iso coverage, there should be an opportunity for this oft-sputtering Lions offense to get going in Detroit. Tate, by the way, is just the second player in team history to have 50 or more catches through eight games, joining ... hit me up with your answers @HarrisonNFL.
Miami could try to slow the Lions down with the run game ... problem is, Lamar Miller, as effective as he's been, isn't 100 percent, and Detroit has yielded just 593 rushing yards in eight games, the fewest allowed by the franchise since 1940. #MIAvsDET
*Trending* has become the new buzzword in sports, and it appears
Blake Bortles is finally trending upward. Not throwing the football to the other guys in ways that set them up to then sprint toward your own goal line sure helps. Jacksonville is the worst in the NFL at protecting its quarterback
(35 sacks allowed) and is scoring 15.7 points per game. That is not a typo.
#DALvsJAX
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New Orleans, meanwhile, looks hot. The offense is going, and while the Niners' defense will be an extremely tough matchup for Saints running back Mark Ingram, can San Francisco stop Drew Brees? Not to mention (but we'll mention) the fact that New Orleans has won 20 consecutive home matchups home under Sean Payton, including a playoff win over the Lions in 2011. This might be Week 10's premier contest. #SFvsNO
As for the home team, Mike Glennon hasn't taken a step forward this season, as his passer rating, completion percentage, and touchdown-to-interception ratio are all slightly down -- as in, not improving. That's why the Bucs' choice is Josh McCown. Incidentally, I expect him to play relatively well. Give McCown 17 of 24 for 260 yards, two touchdowns, an interception and maybe a fumble. Oh, and Atlanta wins. #ATLvsTB
The question here is this: Can St. Louis push it offensively and crack the 200-yard mark in the desert? Last week's total of 193 yards marked the lowest output by a winning team this year. All we're asking is that Austin Davis fling it all over the park and really go wild for a crazy total of, like, 250. Don't put the defense in a position where it has to play like the '85 Bears again. #STLvsAZ
Interesting side note: Beckham's distributor, Eli Manning, has thrown 13 touchdown passes and one interception over the past six contests -- and yet, the Giants are 3-3 over that stretch. Now, the Seahawks' pass defense has been fantastic over the past three weeks, allowing 179.3 passing yards per game. Then again, that was against Derek "Inexperienced Rookie Who Also Plays for the Raiders" Carr, Cam "I Throw Rocketballs on Back-shoulder Fades" Newton and Austin "Even *I'm* Shocked I'm Playing" Davis (love Davis, though). #NYGvsSEA
ALREADY COMPLETED:
Cleveland's defense has improved lately -- facing Derek Carr and Mike Glennon will do that for you. But A.J. Green will present problems in Cincy. By the way, Brian Hoyer is the first Browns quarterback with 200 yards in each of his first eight games since Brian Sipe in 1983. Let's hope Hoyer doesn't continue to follow in Sipe's footsteps and sign with the USFL. That would be bad. #CLEvsCIN
Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter @HarrisonNFL.