NFL Week 10 Betting Takeaways for the Rest of the Season

The landscape of NFL betting is changing and if you haven’t updated your servers, it’s about time you do so, or else you will find yourself losing big in the remaining weeks of the season. Following a wild week 10, here are a number of betting takeaways you need to note keenly as you prepare to bet on NFL Week 11 and beyond.

NFL Week 10 Betting Takeaways for the Rest of the Season

Running through these records like @EzekielElliott #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/o03YEhTIDZ

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 15, 2016

Dallas Cowboys are the Best Team in the Nation

This is not to say that the New England Patriots are a bad team, or that the Seattle Seahawks aren’t looking silently dangerous, or that the AFC West trio of Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos has been playing badly. It is an admission that, through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Cowboys have consistently proven their unmatched mettle, culminating with the masterful 35-30 win at Pittsburgh in Week 10, a victory that surely rubberstamped Dallas as a legit Super Bowl 51 contender. And it isn’t just that the Cowboys have the best record in the nation right now at 8-1 to go with a league-best eight-game winning streak, it is the fact that they’ve reached here despite facing plenty of obstacles and a plethora of injury concerns. And yes, no team has ever won the Super Bowl with a rookie starting quarterback, but with Dak Prescott throwing like a veteran and rookie RB Ezekiel Elliot running his way into the history books, along with a steady diet of good and timely defending from Dallas’ D; we may just have a new history set in the Super Bowl this season. Oh, and Tony Romo is back and healthy, so the former Super Bowl winner could easily take over and do the rest in the same way Peyton Manning returned at the end of last season and led Denver to the Super Bowl 50 title.

ROY/ MVP Case for Prescott and Elliot?

At this point, one could easily make a case for both Prescott and Elliot for the Rookie of the Year (ROY) and/or the MVP award for their stellar performances this season. Prescott, despite being a fourth-round selection, has stepped into Romo’s shoes and played solid football, ranking 4th in NFL in RAT (106.2), thanks to his 14 passing TDs and 2,339 passing yards on 66.8 CMP% against just two interception. And for good measure, he’s added 125 rushing yards and 4 additional scores on the ground while offering calm leadership under the center even in the toughest of environments. This poise was clearly evident last week when he threw for 319 yards with two TDs and no picks in the come-from- behind win at Pittsburgh. Not to be outdone, Elliot has been just as superb whenever his number is called. Against the Steelers, he rushed for 114 yards and two scores, including the game-winning 32-yarder with nine seconds left, while adding a sensational 83-yard TD reception in the game as well. On the season so far, Elliot has now rushed for 9 TDs(second-most in the NFL) and a league-high 1,005 rushing yards, making him the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 1,000 yards through his first nine career games, joining the elite company of Eric Dickerson (1,096) and Adrian Peterson (1,081). There’s still a long way to go for these rookies, but from what we’ve seen from them so far, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they continue leading Dallas into higher heights while padding up their numbers in the quest for big individual and team honors at the end of the season.

Dolphins Are Stealthily Swimming Into Paydirt

Five games into their season, the Dolphins had shown flashes of brilliance, but were heavily troubled in the winning department with just one victory in five outings. Ten weeks into the season, the Dolphins are now 5-4 and are placed second in the AFC East, thanks to the four-game winning streak they bring with them into Week 11, including an exhilarating 31-24 victory at San Diego on Sunday. It’s a transformation not many people would have predicted, I included. And with winnable games against the likes of Rams, 49ers, Ravens, Cards, Jets and even the Bills, the silently improving QB Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins could very easily end up notching eight or even more wins as they seek to take their rebuilding agenda to the next level.

Watch Out for Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

From the time he was drafted and even when he struggled as a rookie with injuries and bad form, I always insisted that Mariota would be a big deal in the league, way bigger than Jameis Winston who was drafted ahead of him. Barely two seasons into their careers, Mariota is proving every bit of the talent we saw in him during his days with Oregon. On the season thus far, he’s done many good things, but none of them was probably as good as his stellar showcase against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, where he posted a Week 10-best total QBR of 95.8 after completing 19-of- 26 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. The sophomore’s development, combined with the emergence of a reliable running game spearheaded by DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, has allowed Tennessee to shine this season, especially in the offense. Defensively, the Titans are a work in progress, but ranking eighth in run defense and 10th on third down are numbers that show improvements and foretell a bright future. And with a 5-5 record yet we still have six games to go, you better be careful not to underestimate the breaking-out Mariota and Titans down the stretch of the season. Brady and Patriots are Human, Wilson and Seahawks are Superhuman Okay, I agree my sub headline here is an exaggeration, especially on the part of Russell Wilson and Seattle. It’s just that I couldn’t resist the temptation of taking a shot at Tom Brady and the Patriots while giving the heavily-critiqued Seahawks a bit of some props after Seattle delivered a spectacular win at New England on Sunday. Just a week ago, Brady and the Pats were flying so high that you’d think they were untouchable. In came Wilson and the Seahawks in Foxboro, and Brady forgot how to play almost immediately, failing to throw a TD and getting picked once by Seattle after he had thrown for 12 TDs and zero picks through his first four outings of the season since returning from suspension. And did I say that the Seahawks did all that damage in spite of having an injury-ravaged defense and a banged-up offense that barely had someone to run the ball (no offense meant to rookie C.J. Prosise who held his own decently)? Well, that’s just plain nasty…and almost superhuman of the Seahawks, if you ask me. In more serious matters, the Seahawks have lost by a combined total of just 11 points this season, so you better get off your high hating horse and start appreciating coach Pete Carroll, Wilson and the Seahawks defense for their consistency in leading the team. And with Seattle’s No.1 back Thomas Rawls set to return, opposing teams should be forewarned of the danger that is coming their way. As for the Patriots, fans shouldn’t overreact. Brady and Coach Bill Belichick will be back to big winning ways real soon, thanks to their soft remaining schedule that is filled with bottom-feeders like 49ers, Jets (twice), Rams and the shaky Ravens, with New England’s biggest remaining challenge being the trip to Denver three weeks before the end of the season.

G-Men… Just Win Baby!

I believe most—if not all– New York fans will agree with me when I say that the Giants have been one of the biggest causes for ulcers and high blood pressure problems in the Empire State due to their always-on- the-edge- of-your- seat games. I mean, since the start of the 2016 NFL season, the Giants have not claimed any of their six wins by more than a touchdown. And in their losses, the 24-10 defeat to the Vikings was the only game where they lost by 7-plus points. So, in short, the Giants have been competitive in virtually all their games this season, but so have been their opponents, who’ve all had a chance to possibly beat the G-Men. Essentially, that’s the reason the Giants are minus-8 on the season yet own a 6-3, as was interestingly highlighted by EPSN’s Jordan Raanan. Put into perspective, only the NY Jets (3-7) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2- 7) are worse. For the NFL betting public, I bet you now know better than to bet on NY for big wins or big losses down the stretch of the season, considering their questionable defense will continue to put them in losing positions while Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and the offense will keep on putting them in winning positions. But hey, if the Giants can continue to pile wins, it doesn’t matter how many fingers their fans will have to chew. Like Al Davis said, winning is sometimes all that matters, right? Just Win Baby!