Another week, another win for our NFL survivor pool pick. Truth be told, after a flurry of Week 1 upsets, the unthinkable has not happened as routinely as it has in previous years. In a league famous for being unpredictable, the “any given Sunday” mantra has not been used with much regularity through Week 9. The most shocking result last weekend wasn’t a major upset, it was the 38-3 beatdown the New Orleans Saints handed the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sunday night. The Pittsburgh Steelers had their supporters wondering where their fingernails had gone, but ultimately prevailed 24-19 over the Dallas Cowboys.
With seven weeks left, let’s look at the upcoming slate and try to avoid the upset bug.
Here are my NFL survivor pool picks for Week 10:
Games to consider
Baltimore Ravens (-7) over New England Patriots
My goodness. The Patriots, at home, as viable play-against candidates for survivor contests? The Ravens haven’t been as unstoppable as they were a year ago, but it’s hard to envision the Patriots having enough offensive explosiveness to pull this one out. Still, it’s on the road and it’s against Bill Belichick, so out of respect we will look elsewhere.
New Orleans Saints (-10) over San Francisco 49ers
Another unusual candidate, considering the 49ers were not only in the Super Bowl last season, they had a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and the ball in the game. For anyone who had the misfortune of watching them play Thursday night against the Packers, however, this pick is appealing. San Francisco is decimated at every position, seemingly, and is a shell of the team we saw in February. Probably safe to bank on the Saints, but a more secure option is out there.
The Pick
Green Bay Packers (-15) over Jacksonville Jaguars
This is justifiably one of the highest point spreads we will see this season. Let’s put the Jaguars into perspective. They had a league-low win total of 4.5 heading into the season, won their first game and here in Week 10 still are a mortal lock to cash the Under. Last week they faced a 1-5 Texans team and were underdogs by near a touchdown. The worst news is that they likely aren’t even bad enough to net Trevor Lawrence next spring. Needless to say, this is a total mismatch. The Packers are 6-2, will have extra rest and are fighting for the top spot in the NFC, which carries extra importance now that only one bye is awarded. Hope you saved the Packers, because this week is a great time to use them.