Apparently I missed the memo.
I put too much faith on the tanking Colts, was a 2 point conversion away from being right about the Browns, overestimated the ability of Washington against the Rams, and reached too deep on the Arizona Cardinals when Sam Darnold was reported out for the Seattle Seahawks.
11-4 isn't bad, but when you compare it to the four people who went a perfect 15 for 15, and the fact that my 11 wins was only good for 32nd place, it shows I apparently need to study better and reach a little less when it comes to making picks.
Now, before I move onto Week 10, let's do some housekeeping. We had four people tied with 15 correct picks. Which meant the decision on who wins the $50 in food and drink to Uncle Mario's Garage on Route 9 in Queensbury then had to be settled by way of the official platform's tiebreaker - the Monday Night Football score. The score is determined by how many points you are off from the final score of the game. Normally that breaks all ties and we have a clear winner to announce on Tuesday.
Only that didn't happen this time. Two people had a tiebreaker score of 77. Which per the rules means the winner is determined by a random draw between those who are still tied after the score tiebreaker. For transparency, the video for the coin flip can be viewed on our Facebook page.
After the coin came up heads, BOB OLCOTT of Glens Falls was deemed your Week 9 winner.
Onward to Week 10.
Thursday Night Football
Washington at NY Giants - The last time these two teams met, they tied in Washington. Not going to rehash that game, we all remember the zaniness that came at the end of that. There are questions for the Giants leading up to tonight's tilt, like will J.J. McCarthy be ready after sustaining the odd injury he sustained last Sunday, but has been cleared to play. Cam Skattebo is reported cleared to play as well. The question mainly is -- are they fully healthy? The Giants would like to keep the distinction of being the clear NFC East leaders, with several dangerous games on their upcoming schedule like Jacksonville, San Francisco and Seattle. Pick: NY Giants
Sunday Games
New England vs. Detroit, at Munich, Germany - The Green Bay Packers sliced and diced their way through the New England defense, and now that defense has to figure out how they're going to defend one of the best running backs in the NFL in Jaymir Gibbs. A.J. Brown could be back, but the running game is still without TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield. The Pats could make things a shootout with that Detroit secondary, but I don't think it's enough after watching them get humbled by Green Bay with Tom Brady in the press box. Pick: Detroit
Kansas City at Atlanta - So at 3-6, the Atlanta Falcons are just a half game from the NFC South lead. This is the division that is truly going to change how sports handle home field and division winners ... not just in football, but all sports, isn't it? Kansas City has flaws, but I don't see the Falcons being the team to expose them. Pick: Kansas City
Houston at Cleveland - Deshawn Watson faces his old team. And while the Texans have a tough start to their season, C.J. Stroud looked like he was starting to regain his flow in Sunday's win. Granted, it was against the Los Angeles Chargers, but still... Stroud looked even above the form he showcased last year. Do I think Houston's got enough to win the AFC South? Not with what Jacksonville picked up at the trade deadline, so at this point the Texans are fighting to put themselves in the wild card window. A win over the Browns could help that cause, especially since there is extra meaning behind the game with the Watson angle. Pick: Houston
Minnesota at Green Bay - Green Bay looked rather scary in their win at New England last week, while Minnesota looked like a mess against the Buffalo Bills with Carson Wentz under center. It was so disastrous that the Vikings at the deadline traded to bring back Kirk Cousins from Las Vegas. There will be familiarity with Cousins, so it's not like he's going to have to learn a fresh new system and play book. But I don't think he's the band aid to save the Vikings from losing three straight, not the way Green Bay has been playing of late. Pick: Green Bay
Miami at Indianapolis - Tank bowl! Here's the thing .. Indianapolis gains nothing from tanking because their first round pick belongs to the New York Jets. So do they want to help the team they're directly opposite on the sidelines, or do they want to help the team who is in the same division with said team on the sidelines. The big surprise is that Jonathan Taylor didn't go at the trade deadline, because Indy sold off other key attributes. Miami is going to win another game this season, and it very well could be this one. Pick: Miami
Carolina at New Orleans - Divisional tank bowl! Though these are two teams that have talent. But Bryce Young has not looked quite as good the last few weeks, and this didn't help Chubba Hubbard have top numbers against Denver. New Orleans got away with a win because Cleveland went for it in overtime, but had Cleveland not go for it, it would of been likely a tie with how much time was left on the clock. Not to say New Orleans didn't deserve the win, but they got away with the win as much as the Giants got away with the tie against Washington weeks back. I think Carolina gets back on track some here, but that division still is a mess. Pick: Carolina
Buffalo at NY Jets - Buffalo didn't look complete in that Monday Night Football win over Minnesota. In fact, they didn't look complete for the past two weeks. But they did bolster their defense by bringing in Hooker from Tennessee, and that could be a big help for creating possessions and opportunities for the Bills down the road. The Jets ... well, they're the Jets. While they are usually good for sneaking in a win against the Bills, I don't see that happening here. Pick: Buffalo
Jacksonville at Tennessee - Jacksonville acquired talent at the deadline. Tennessee sold off assets. I think there's a clear choice which team is building up for a win here in Nashville on Sunday. Pick: Jacksonville
LA Rams at Arizona - Arizona won the first meeting, but there's several differences between that squad and the team that will be hosting the Rams. Miles Garrett returned to the Rams last week and made an instant impact. Matthew Stafford still isn't looking solid, and he's going to have to do it on Sunday without Pacu Nakua, who is out with turf toe and a MCL tear, but I like him over what Arizona is trotting out. Pick: LA Rams
Seattle at Las Vegas - At 3-0, the Raiders seemed exciting and interesting. Now, they're interesting, but more for the fact that Mendoza will be making his first start after Kirk Cousins was dealt to Minnesota. And having to deal with a scary Seattle defense, what a way to be broken into the league. JSN still is JSN, he'll be making plays left and right as Seattle tries to remain relevant in the NFC playoff race. Pick: Seattle
San Francisco at Dallas - I don't know what to make of the Dallas Cowboys. But contenders against the San Francisco 49'ers is unlikely the case. Not with San Francisco looking like the team to beat in the NFC through the first half of the season. And now they're starting to get some key players back, and that's scary. Pick: San Francisco
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati - Maybe 6 weeks ago I would have picked Pittsburgh for this game, but you have to respect how much Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have surpassed expectations. A lot of it is thanks to a strengthened defense, but also because you have Joe Burrow, Ja'mar Chase and Tee Higgins all healthy. And they're working magic. Aaron Rodgers may be an accomplished quarterback, but he won't be able to keep up with what the Bengals will be able to do on Sunday Night.
Monday Night Football
LA Chargers at Baltimore - The Chargers have to win one sometime this season. But will it be against a Baltimore squad who will be trotting out a traded quarterback from the Arizona Cardinals? It's almost like facing a divisional foe, in that hopefully the defensive coordinators know what to expect from Brisett. I feel like this could be the best possible time for the Chargers to get their first. Pick: LA Chargers
Make sure you get your picks in for Football Picks with Rockin' Rick for your chance to win $50 in food and drink to Uncle Mario's Garage, Route 9 in Queensbury with Classic Hits Q101.7!
