Thursday night’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans opened Week 10 of the 2020 NFL regular season. I have to admit, I expected the Titans to run the ball all over the Colts and for Philip Rivers to make one or two of those crippling mistakes in the form of interceptions that doom his team. This week, though, it was the Colts who dominated. The Indy defense stood tall against the Tennessee running attack and harassed Ryan Tannehill in the pocket. Special teams loomed large, as the Titans missed a field goal (giving Stephen Gostkowski a career-high eight misses on the season) and had a punt blocked for a touchdown (and shanked another punt, giving the Colts a short field).
Going into the weekend, what are your best NFL betting choices? Check out our thoughts here.
NFL News: Top Betting Games for Week 10
Houston Texans (+3) at Cleveland Browns (1:00 pm ET)
Cleveland sputtered into their bye, losing at home to Las Vegas, 16-6, on a cold, rainy day that saw almost zero offense. The Raiders ran down the play clock as far as they could on each snap from the early going, understanding that the conditions would make time of possession crucial. The Browns only had the ball six times in the game, the lowest number for any team since 1960. They’ve had two weeks to get ready for the Texans — and to figure out how to move the ball without Odell Beckham Jr, who tore his ACL and is done for the season. They did get Nick Chubb back for the first time since the win at Dallas. In their win over the Cowboys, the Browns got more than 100 yards on the ground from both Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Could they do that to the Texans?
It’s certainly possible. Houston has struggled on defense, permitting over 30 points and 416 yards per game. The team leader with picks has only one, and the Texans are not generating turnovers. The two Houston wins have both come against Jacksonville, which is not exactly saying much. I think Houston will be able to move the ball against Cleveland, but I also think the Browns will chew up so much clock that Houston won’t be able to keep up. Browns to win and cover.
Buffalo Bills (+2) at Arizona Cardinals (4:05 pm ET)
The Buffalo Bills answered some questions last Sunday when they welcomed the Seattle Seahawks to town and delivered a 44-34 win that really wasn’t that close, as the Seahawks put up some points in garbage time. Buffalo unleashed their pass rush on Russell Wilson, and even the mobile Wilson could not deal with waves of pass rushers, taking sacks and making mistakes. This week, Buffalo faces another mobile quarterback in Kyler Murray. Murray leads the Cardinals in rushing and is quicker than Wilson. However, in the pocket, Murray is even more likely to make mistakes under duress than was Wilson, and the Bills could feast as a result.
Buffalo had had a number of injuries in their back seven, with linebackers, corners and safeties rotating in and out, but they are largely healthy now, and that showed against Seattle. They’ll need all of their starters as DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk are an elite receiving unit. The Bills also will need to keep an eye on Murray, who has run for 543 yards this season. The Arizona defense is stout at times, permitting just 22.5 points per game, but they also got rolled by Miami (and a rookie quarterback) last week. So there is room for the Bills to put up more big numbers in the passing game. I like the Cardinals to get their share of points and big plays, but when the chips are down, Buffalo has shown that they can take care of business, even in the face of adversity. Give me Buffalo to cover.
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