2021 NFL Week 10 Tips & Preview

2021 NFL Week 10 Tips & Preview

It was upsets galore last week in the NFL with almost every top Super Bowl contender suffering a loss.

The Bills can get back on track against the Jets on Monday, while the red-hot Titans host the Saints in a key cross-conference clash in the early window.

There will be no love lost between Seattle and Green Bay in the late time slot, followed by a key AFC West divisional game when the Chiefs head to Vegas to face the Raiders.

Nothing is a given at this stage of the season, so be sure to find out who we’re tipping in our NFL Week 10 Preview below!

Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins
Tip: Back the Ravens to Cover the Line (-7.5 Points) @ $1.90

The Ravens head to Miami as clear -7.5 point favourites on Friday to face the injury-ravaged Dolphins.

Miami snapped a seven-game losing streak last week with a win over the Texans, while the Ravens bounced back from the bye with a less-than-convincing win over Minnesota in overtime.

Tua Tagovailoa is still questionable to play with a finger injury, which robs us of a potentially exciting matchup between the lefty and Lamar Jackson.

I still have my doubts about Baltimore’s secondary, but I don’t think the Dolphins have enough on paper to really challenge the Ravens.

Miami is averaging just over 200 passing yards a game, and things are only going to get tougher if Davante Parker continues to miss time.

Running the ball has proven just as difficult, and it won’t be any easier this week against a Baltimore defence that has allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards in the league.

In case you need further convincing, the Ravens are 9-0 against the spread in their last nine meetings against Miami, so the current line is probably generous all things considered.

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
Tip: SGM: Back the Bills to Win & Over 47.5 Total Points @ $2.21

Tough to know what to make of the Bills right now.

A month ago, the Bills looked the team to beat in the AFC, but last week’s dismal 9-6 loss to Jacksonville has cast plenty of doubt over Sean McDermott’s side moving forward.

Aside from a complete lack of points, the biggest problem for Buffalo last week was third conversions and turnovers.

Fortunately, at least from a betting perspective, this scenario has been a very profitable one over the last few years.

Since 2018, Buffalo has gone 13-8 overall following a loss, and with Zach Wilson likely missing another game due to a knee injury, I think they’ll be adding to that record in comfortable fashion.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Washington Football Team
Tip: Back the Bucs to Cover the Line (-10 Points) @ $1.90

The Bucs have had an extra week to reflect on their loss to the Saints, a game that saw Tom Brady throw two crucial interceptions.

Rarely, if ever, does Brady lose back-to-back games, but this does shape as an interesting rematch of last year’s NFC Wild Card against a Washington side desperate to snap a four-game skid.

The Bucs were pushed to the brink back in January in what was arguably their toughest game of the entire postseason, but I think they’ll have a much easier time of it on Monday given the struggles Washington has had.

Ron Rivera’s side is averaging less than 20 points a game, which spells big trouble against a Bucs team that leads the league in the same category.

Atlanta Falcons @ Dallas Cowboys
Tip: Back the Cowboys to Cover the Line (-9 Points) @ $1.90

It looks as though the bookies are willing to forgive the Cowboys on last week’s uncharacteristic loss to the Broncos.

The league’s No. 1 offence was shutout for three quarters in the 30-16 loss, but this does look a nice little bounce-back spot for Dallas against a Falcons defence that is giving up close to 30 points a game.

Atlanta came from behind last week to defeat the Saints on a walk-off field goal, but you can’t read too much into that victory considering Trevor Siemian was under centre for New Orleans.

Atlanta’s inability to play a full four quarters has cost them on several occasions this year, and I can’t see Matt Ryan having an easy time with Calvin Ridley still on the sideline.

Before last week, the Cowboys had put up 35 points or more in each of their last eight home games, so all in all, I’m happy to give them a mulligan.

New Orleans Saints @ Tennessee Titans
Tip: Back the Titans to Cover the Line (-3 Points) @ 1.98

No team is hotter than the Titans right now.

Even with Derrick Henry on the sideline, Mike Vrabel’s side managed to extend its unbeaten streak to five last week with a stunning 28-16 win over a very good Rams team in Los Angeles.

The Titans are -3 point favourites at home this week, a generous line when you consider how poorly the Saints played on defence against Atlanta.

The secondary gave up a huge chunk of yards to Cordarrelle Patterson late in the game to set up the game-winning field goal, and the Saints aren’t going to find this week’s matchup any easier with Julio Jones and A.J. Brown lining up opposite.

Speaking of defence, Tennessee’s unit has really knuckled down of late.

The Titans ravaged Matt Stafford last week for five sacks, while they also finished with a couple of picks.

It’s hard to know if the defence is legit, but after just beating one of the top Super Bowl contenders, I can’t bet against Tennessee.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts
Tip: Back the Jaguars to Cover the Line (+10.5 Points) @ $1.87

The Colts will likely implement a similar strategy to the one that led to a 15-point win over the Jets last week.

Jonathan Taylor finished with 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns to his name against New York, and although Carson Wentz is really starting to settle in under centre, there’s no question Indianapolis will try and run it down Jacksonville’s throat given the opportunity.

By the same token, the Jags will try and do the same if James Robinson is deemed fit to play.

Jacksonville pulled off a huge 9-6 upset over the Bills last week, but the offence has looked very one-dimensional without their star running back.

If Robinson plays, I think the Jags can cover this double-digit line, but if he misses another game with a heel injury, I don’t think the Jags have enough firepower offensively to match Indy on the scoreboard.

Detroit Lions @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Tip: Back the Lions to Cover the Line (+9.5 Points) @ $1.90

The Steelers meet another NFC North opponent for the second week in a row after staving off the Bears last week in a thriller at Heinz Field.

Pittsburgh has now carved out a quiet four-game winning streak, and as the odds suggest, the Steelers should be able to add to that mark against the winless Lions this week.

To be fair, Detroit has played some good football at times this year – particularly against playoff-contending teams like Baltimore and Los Angeles.

That said, the Lions have failed to score more than 19 points in each of their last seven games, which doesn’t bode well against a Steelers defence that is averaging only 20 points to opponents.

Everything considered, Pittsburgh should be winning this game at home, but I still think the Lions are worth a play to cover.

Since 2015, Detroit has gone 5-1 against the spread following the bye, while the Lions are also 5-0 in their last five games after failing to cover the previous week.

If Jared Goff can challenge the secondary like Justin Fields did at times last Tuesday, I wouldn’t be surprised if Detroit makes a game of this.

Cleveland Browns @ New England Patriots
Tip: Back the Browns to Win @ $2.05

The Patriots are firmly in the AFC Wild Card picture following three consecutive wins, but they’re about to face a big test this week against a Browns team with similar aspirations.

Cleveland picked up a momentum building win last week over the rival Bengals, and they’ll now head to Foxboro with plenty of momentum in a similar underdog-type role.

The Patriots have held the Browns’ number over the last decade winning four of their last five meetings dating back to 2007, but I still Cleveland is the side to bet on if they can put some pressure on Mac Jones.

The Browns defence has been very tough to run and throw against this year, while the pass rush is also lethal.

Jones has been doing just enough to get by in recent weeks, but if the Browns can take away the short yardage throws and dial up plenty of blitzes, I think they’ll go a long way to picking up an important road win.

Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Chargers
Tip: Back the Vikings to Cover the Line (+3 Points) @ $1.94

The Chargers snapped their two-game losing streak last week with a walk-off win over the Eagles in Philly, but I’m having a hard time feeling confident in their defence right now.

Jalen Hurts tore through Los Angeles’ secondary late in the game, and I really think the Eagles would have won if he didn’t miss so many throws early on.

At the same time, it’s tough to feel confident in the Vikings right now.

Minnesota continues to invent new ways to lose, but overall, I still think the Vikings are a better team than their 3-5 record suggests.

The Vikings’ offence can hurt you in more ways than one, and I really think Dalvin Cook can put up some big numbers against the worst rush defence in the league this week.

Carolina Panthers @ Arizona Cardinals
Tip: Back the Cardinals to Cover the Line (-10.5 Points) @ $1.94

Tough to get a feel for this game with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins still on the injury report, but that hasn’t deterred the bookies from favouring the Cardinals by double digits against the spread.

Colt McCoy proved last week against San Francisco that the Cardinals are just as dangerous without their top two players, so even if Murray and Hopkins do sit, I feel pretty confident in backing Arizona to cover.

While the Panthers are one of the better defensive teams in the NFL, I just can’t get on board with what Sam Darnold is offering up right now.

The former Jet has completed less than 60% of his passes on the year, while the fact he’s thrown more interceptions than touchdown is an obvious cause for concern.

You mightn’t know it, but Arizona has been an extremely tough team to throw the ball against this year, averaging just under 210 yards per-game.

If Murray and Hopkins play, this task only gets harder.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Denver Broncos
Tip: Back the Broncos 1-13 @ $2.40

The Broncos will be hoping to feast on another NFC East opponent following their blowout win over the Cowboys last week.

At 5-4, Denver still has plenty left to play for, but I’m having a very tough time working out whether the Broncos are legit or just one big myth. 

It’s fair to say the defence, a unit that ranks bottom 10 in passing and rushing yards allowed, has carried the team this far.

On offence, the Broncos are averaging just over 20 points a game, so I think they need to avoid getting into a shootout with an Eagles offence that went toe-to-toe with Justin Herbert and the Chargers last week.

That said, Jalen Hurts looked awful in the first, and I don’t think he’ll be able to run the ball quite so freely against Denver’s pass rush.

Last but not least, but the Eagles haven’t won in Denver since 1989, so there’s plenty to suggest the Broncos are the team to bet on this week.

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers
Tip: Back the Packers to Cover the Line

The 7-2 Packers host the 3-5 Seahawks this week at Lambeau Field.

There’s no love lost between these two rivals, but this game is tough to analyse with the status of Aaron Rodgers still up in the air.

We saw enough from Jordan Love last week to suggest the Packers are in a bit of trouble if he starts under centre again, while the return of Russell Wilson from a dislocated finger couldn’t have come at a worse time.

There’s no market available at time of publish, but basically, it’s like this: if Rodgers plays, the Packers offence should have no trouble carving up Seattle’s leaky secondary, but if Love starts, the Seahawks’ well-rested pass rush might have a field day coming off the bye.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Las Vegas Raiders
Tip: Over 52 Total Points @ $1.90

It’s no surprise to find the Chiefs as the favourite this week ahead of their first meeting with the Raiders.

Kansas City has owned Vegas for the better part of the last five years, winning eight of their last 10 matchups whilst also playing to a 6-4 record against the spread.

With Aaron Rodgers absent, you could argue last week’s win over the Packers was cheap, but it’s also hard to feel confident in what the Raiders are offering up right now.

Derek Carr threw a pair of picks in the ugly loss to the Giants last week, and it was painfully clear that the passing game was sorely missing Henry Ruggs.

Like the odds suggest, this game could really swing either way, so I think the Over is the way to go.

The Raiders have added DeSean Jackson to their roster in an attempt to bolster the passing game, while I also have a big question mark on the Chiefs defence following a cruisy week against Jordan Love.

Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers
Tip: Back the Rams to Cover the Line (-4 Points) @ $1.90

The Rams suffered a shock defeat last week at the hands of the Titans, but you have to think they’ll bounce-back against a 49ers team that failed to capitalize on the absence of Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins in their loss to Arizona.

The biggest problem for Sean McVay’s side last week was the offensive line.

Matt Stafford suffered five sacks and threw two picks in the loss to Tennessee, but this looks a much easier challenge against a 49ers pass rush that really hasn’t lived up to expectations.

The 49ers have held the wood over LA recently, and while each of their last 10 meetings have turned out to be rather close, I just don’t think San Francisco has enough firepower on offence to match that of the Rams.

Kyle Shanahan’s side is allowing 26 points-per-game on average this season – a recipe for disaster against a hungry and talented Rams team hoping to bounce back.