two wins from four tips in the weekend's NFL action as we severely misjudged the hopelessness of the Oakland Raiders on Friday and were unlucky not to see Green Bay cover in a game that was close throughout against the Patriots. We were still able to find two winners, however, as the Saints/Rams game was a shootout as predicted and Tennessee proved to be too good for the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday morning.
Great slate of games to look forward to in Week 10 headlined by the big NFC East clash between the Cowboys and Eagles. We take a look at some of the key matchups and give our betting tips below.
NFL Week 10 Betting Tips
Carolina Panthers at Pittsburgh Steelers (Friday 12.20pm AEDT)
The Pittsburgh Steelers captured a fantastic away win over division rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 9 to move to top of the AFC North with a 5-2 record. For all the drama they have had surrounding the team, to be 5-2 is a testament to their dynamic offence, which was once again great on the weekend, led by QB Ben Roethlisberger, who had 270 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
The Panthers were big winners over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9. Carolina quarterback Cam Newton passed for 247 yards and two touchdowns in the win while running back Christian McCaffrey had a day out, rushing for 79 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers now sit 2nd in the NFC South division just one game behind New Orleans but look in the box seat to claim one of the wildcard playoff positions in the NFC.
Really tough game to call here. The Steelers haven't looked at their best in 2018 yet but are still 5-2 on the season so far. The Panthers hold a perfect 5-0 record at home this season but have struggled on the road, winning just one of their three road games. The Steelers don’t instill a lot of confidence but I like them at home as four-point favourites. Expect this line to come into 3 by game time at which point I’ll be all over it like a rash.
New Orleans Saints at Cincinnati Bengals (Monday 5am AEDT)
The New Orleans Saints became the first team in the NFL to defeat the Los Angeles Rams on the weekend in a fantastic performance. Led by running back Alvin Kamara, who had three touchdowns on the night, the Saints put up 45 points on the Rams, snapping their eight-game winning streak and maintaining their lead in the NFC South. Drew Brees was also fantastic, throwing for 346 yards and four touchdowns.
Cincinnati will be coming off their bye round so should be relatively fresh for the home clash against the Saints. The bye round couldn’t have come at a better time for the Bengals as their hot early season form looked like it was tapering away slightly after a 45-10 domination at the hands of the Chiefs followed by a lucky three-point win over the Buccaneers in Week 8.
The Saints are one week removed from the toughest game of their season to date while the Bengals will be at home coming off a bye week. The Saints might be favourites here but we feel like this has the makings of a home underdog win, or cover at least.
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (Monday 12.20pm AEDT)
Hard to find many positives in the Dallas Cowboys at the moment. They had a great opportunity to make a small statement on Tuesday against the Tennessee Titans at home but were comfortably beaten by a 28-14 score line. QB Dak Prescott continues to be an issue for the Cowboys as he threw yet another interception against the Titans and racked up just 243 yards. The Cowboys have now lost their last two games in a row and currently sit 3rd in the NFC East behind Washington and Philadlephia.
The Eagles will be on the back of a much-needed bye week when they host the Cowboys on Monday. As the host of Philadelphia players start to return from injury, the team is starting to resemble the one that won the Super Bowl last season. They captured a good 24-18 win over the Jaguars away from home in Week 8 and will be looking to win their third game in four weeks on Monday.
All signs point to a big Philadelphia win this weekend. Home field advantage, coming off the bye week and playing against a Dallas team that can only be described as a rabble at the moment. We have to think 5.5 points isn't enough for the Cowboys here.
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers (12.15pm AEDT)
If you’re a fan of high-quality football then you should probably think about staying away from this game. The Giants and 49ers will face off in what promises to be a lacklustre affair as the two sides boast just three wins combined so far in 2018. The 49ers were great last weekend against the Raiders, but it’s hard to take any stock from a game played against Oakland these days. San Francisco QB Nick Mullens did throw for 262 yards and three touchdowns in the win, filling in for an injured C.J Beathard and looks likely to retain the starters role moving forward.
New York have lost their last five games in a row after, albeit to some quality compeitionin the Saints, Panthers, Eagles, Falcons and Redskins. They have been competitive in some of the games, largely due to the outstanding play of rookie running back Saquon Barkley and minimally due to the ageing Eli Manning. At 1-7 on the year so far and hopes of playoffs dashed, the Giants could think about pushing the reset button on the season and benching Manning.
Whichever way the Giants choose to go, it looks likely that they will struggle for the remainder of the 2018-19 season. The 49ers, while losing six of their last seven games, have been able to put up a few quality defensive performances in that time and at home, we think they get the job done against a poor New York line-up.
