NFL picks, predictions, odds for Week 10: Germany gets a stinker

NFL Week 10 kicks off with a stirring Thursday Night Football matchup between AFC North-rival Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals are furiously chasing the Ravens in the division after their patented slow start, and now after both teams hung 41 on their opponents last week, this game should be a banger! So, with that, let’s get into the ClutchPoints NFL Week 10 picks, predictions, and odds column.

In honor of election week, let’s think back to when James Carville famously said, “It’s the economy, stupid.” That phrase now seems as prophetic in 2024 as it was in 1992 when first uttered. To give it a pro football tilt, remember that we’re watching Week 10 of the 2024 NFL, stupid.

The point is, trust your eyes and what you know. Over the last nine weeks, we’ve come to understand who the good teams are, who the bad teams are, and which teams can’t seem to get out of their own way. Don’t overthink it right now. Sure, the Carolina Panthers can pop up and upset a division rival and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can hang with the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime, but overall, there haven’t been a ton of major surprises the last few weeks.

After Thanksgiving, we can start talking about playoff pressure and look-ahead games, and teams tanking for draft position. Until then, just keep it between the navigational beacons, smarty!

In Week 10 we will welcome back the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers to the NFL fold and wave goodbye to the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks for the week.

On the NFL Week 10 docket fans will see a Thursday game, a horrific 9:30 a.m. matchup from Munich (sorry, Germany), seven 1 p.m. ET games, only three games in the late Sunday window, a Sunday nighter, and a standalone Monday night affair.

Our winning ways here in the NFL Week 10 picks, predictions, and odds column continued in Week 9 as we went 11-4 straight up and a solid 9-6 against the spread. This puts us at 80-58 straight up and 63-75 versus the number as we continue to hike to the summit of Mount .500-plus.

With that, let’s get right into the NFL Week 10 picks, predictions, and odds.

Previous Weeks: Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9

Courtesy of DraftKings, here are the NFL odds.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-6)

This should be the game of the week with two teams capable of going off for 40-plus, which probably means this game will end 9-6 one way or the other. If both high-powered offenses do show up, though, this could be a sight to see.

Ultimately, this is a division game, which means it could be closer than meets the eye, and wouldn’t it be so Joe Burrow and the Bengals to finally show up and look like contenders when the spotlight is brightest, despite sleepwalking through the first half of the season? We’ll still take the Ravens here but only by a Justin Tucker field goal.

Pick: Ravens 38-35

UPDATE: This game was a rollercoaster of emotions, but in the end, we nailed this almost exactly with the Ravens winning by the smallest of margins, 35-34.

New York Giants (-6.5) at Carolina Panthers

Both these teams are 2-7 on the season, so to think that one team — especially the road team — should be a near-two-field-goal favorite seems a little absurd. The Panthers are bad, despite their division win over the (also bad) Saints last week.

Anything can happen overseas, so this game is a toss-up. Ultimately, it’s just hard to see the Giants winning by more than a field goal, and if you’re going to take the underdog, why not take them to win straight up?

Pick: Panthers 16-14

New England Patriots at Chicago Bears (-6)

Just like the Germany game, this line is a little head-scratching. Are the Bears nearly a touchdown better than the Patriots? They both have rookie quarterbacks, while the Pats have a little less talented the Bears featured much worse coaching.

This will be billed as a battle between Drake Maye and Caleb Williams, but it’s really a team that has completely quit on its head coach against a team that is still playing hard. If you can take the more locked-in side of that matchup and get almost a touchdown as well, take it and run.

Pick: Patriots 21-20

Buffalo Bills (-3.5) at Indianapolis Colts

While the Joe Flacco/Anthony Richardson drama will be a bigger talking point this week, the real chance of the Colts winning this game comes from Jonathan Taylor. The Bills struggle against strong running backs, and this could be a big game for the Colts’ RB.

That said, the Bills got their monthly scare last week needing a 61-yard field goal at the death to beat a division rival. Against a conference foe indoors, Josh Allen and company should show off their varied offensive talents. Plus, Buffalo knows that Kansas City looms, so they will be revving up the offensive engine in this game.

Pick: Bills 30-20

Minnesota Vikings (-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

Look, the Vikings aren’t a great team. They came out of the gates like gangbusters but have trailed off recently with Sam Darnold at the helm. Minnesota simply isn’t on the level of the top teams in the NFC, although they are only a slight notch below. On the other hand, the Jaguars eeked out two wins after a slow start, but two straight losses in recent weeks show what they are.

This is one of those don’t overthink it games. The Vikings are the better team and even outside on the road, their defense will still be able to get after a banged-up and ineffective Trevor Lawrence. In the NFL Week 10 picks, predictions, and odds column, we’ll just go with the better squad.

Pick: Vikings 24-17

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-7.5)

The Chiefs will lose at some point. They almost did Monday night before pulling one off in overtime. However, that loss won’t come at the hands of the Broncos. That said, the Chiefs once again failed to cover, as the team worries about wins, not our wallets or the NFL Week 10 picks, predictions, and odds column (selfish!).

This feels like a similar game. The Broncos are frisky and a division opponent, and that’s a tough combination. While this seems like the outcome many expect, again, don’t overthink it this week. Chiefs to win, Broncos to cover.

Pick: Chiefs 26-23

Atlanta Falcons (-3.5) at New Orleans Saints

This is a tough one because on paper, the Saints are toast due to injury, ineffective quarterback play, and bad coaching. All that said, in the NFL Week 10 picks, predictions, and odds column, we firmly believe in the one-week new coach bump after a firing.

All this presents a tough decision here. Go with our gut? Or go with our system? Well, in this case, the team’s problem wasn't really coaching. It was injury and QB play. So, in this case, as dangerous a game as this is to play, the NFL Week 10 picks, predictions, and odds column will go with the Falcons to take care of business, despite the change in coach.

Pick: Falcons 20-12

San Francisco 49ers (-5.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

All credit to Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers, as despite their major injuries, they are still staying competitive and giving the class of the NFL all they could handle on Monday night. This team is the definition of frisky, and jumping up and biting a contender would surprise no one.

Still, the 49ers are a talented squad with a good coach coming off a bye, and they may even be getting Christian McCaffrey back. Pair that with the Bucs on a short week — a short overtime week — and it’s just hard to see Mayfield’s crew having enough to stagger another Super Bowl team.

Pick: 49ers 31-23

Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders (-2.5)

Back to the election, while there is still a lot of debate about whether the country trusts the Commander-In-Chief in Washington, we should all be putting faith in the Washington Commanders right now. Jayden Daniels is the real deal, and his team is legit as well.

While the Blue Wall didn’t hold up on Tuesday, the Black and Yellow Wall in Pennsylvania is still strong. Still, with Russell Wilson at the helm, the offense is still a question mark. That’s why, on Sunday, we’ll pull the lever for the Commanders.

Pick: Commanders 21-13

Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers (-7.5)

Here in the NFL Week 10 picks, predictions, and odds column, we still don’t fully trust the Chargers, but they’ve easily dispatched two bad teams in the last two weeks, earning double-digit victories over the Saints and Browns. With three cupcakes in a row, that streak should continue. This pick simply comes down to the talent on the field, and the Chargers have a ton more of it.

Pick: Chargers 27-9

New York Jets (-1.5) at Arizona Cardinals

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Why the Jets are favored against anyone these days is beyond me. Sure, they beat an underwhelming and injured Texans team last week, but that game was ugly on both sides. On the other hand, the Cardinals are playing well and taking care of business against most teams.

The fear here is that the like-clockwork Kyler Murray second-half falloff comes this week. However, until we see that happen, let’s keep riding the Cardinals, who Vegas obviously doesn’t believe in.

Pick: Cardinals 24-23

Philadelphia Eagles (-7) at Dallas Cowboys

No Dak, big problem for the Cowboys. Dallas was a dog team with a dog offense before Dak Prescott went on IR with an injury. Now they are that same team and unit with Cooper Rush. Does that inspire confidence?

In Philly, the Eagles have figured out that riding the incredible backward-hurdling Saquon Barkley is the easiest path to victory, and that will continue in Week 10.

Pick: Eagles 34-10

Detroit Lions (-3.5) at Houston Texans

Ten weeks ago, this game was circled on everyone’s schedule. In fact, it was a trendy hipster Super Bowl pick in some corners of the NFL world. Well, two and a half months later, the Lions are still the belles of the ball while the Texans have slumped back to reality.

Maybe when the Texans get Nico Collins back things will get better, but for now, the offensive line stinks, and C.J. Stroud can’t do it alone. Plus, the Lions love a good dome, even if it isn’t theirs.

Pick: Lions 35-25

Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Rams (-1)

The Dolphins played just about as well as they could have last week in Buffalo and they still lost on a last-second field goal. That was a division game, though, in which the underdog usually has the advantage. In a cross-conference game, the advantage goes to the better team.

On Monday night, the Rams are the much better team and are getting healthier by the week. In an NFC with only the Lions dominating right now, the Rams can make a case that they are the second-best team, or at least in the top three or four. This game will continue to make that case.

Pick: Rams 28-23

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