NFL Picks Week 10: Best Favorites to Bet Before Odds Change

The Chicago Bears won as favorites on Thursday, but barely. The Carolina Panthers and rookie quarterback Bryce Young marched into Chicago territory near the end of regulation and down three points

Panthers coach Frank Reich opted for a 59-yard field goal instead of a 4th-and-10 attempt but was unsuccessful.

The Bears hung on to win, but they failed to cover. Chicago probably won't be the last favorite to cut things close in Week 10, but here, we'll examine three favorites we do like based on the early weekend odds.

Check the latest lines at DraftKings.

Picking the Cincinnati Bengals to win by a touchdown may seem like s risky proposition. Cincinnati is unlikely to have wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is already playing like an upper-echelon quarterback.

However, Joe Burrow is healthy, and the Texans, aside from Stroud, largely are not. Houston had as many as 23 players on the injury report during the week, and it may be without key contributors like Will Anderson Jr. Dameon Pierce and Nico Collins.

Expect the Texans to still put up a fight.

"Whoever is available, we're going to have our best guys out there and we're going to play the Texan brand of football," Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said, per NFL.com's Grant Gordon.

The reality, though, is that the Bengals are too tough for a banged-up team like the Texans to handle as long as Burrow is healthy. Coming out of its bye week, Cincinnati beat the San Francisco 49ers by double digits and then edged out a six-point victory over the Buffalo Bills.

This should be a fun one, but the Bengals should cover.

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't have an above-average quarterback like Chase or Stroud. They've been saddled by mediocre play from Kenny Pickett, unimaginative play calling by Matt Canada, an inconsistent ground game and sporadic offensive-line play.

What Pittsburgh does have is an aggressive defense and a masterful head coach in Mike Tomlin. Tomlin implemented a few changes in Week 9—moving Canada from the coach's box to the sideline and inserting Broderick Jones into the starting lineup—that boosted the offense against the Tennessee Titans.

Najee Harris and the Pittsburgh rushing attack played better against Tennessee than they have most of the season. That could be an issue for the Green Bay Packers, who have allowed 4.0 yards per carry this season.

T.J. Watt and the Steelers defense will be a problem for Packers QB Jordan Love, who avoided a turnover in Week 9 but who has five interceptions over the last month.

The Steelers keep finding ways to win in 2023, and they'll do it again against an inconsistent Green Bay squad in Pittsburgh.

An already large line has moved further in the Dallas Cowboys' favor throughout the week. It's now at three scores, and it still isn't large enough.

The New York Giants have all but given up on the 2023 season, as evidenced by their trade of star defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Starting quarterback Daniel Jones is out for the year with a torn ACL, and backup Tyrod Taylor is on injured reserve with a rib injury.

This means Tommy DeVito will get the start against Micah Parsons and an aggressive Cowboys defense. The potential for another shutout—Dallas beat New York 40-0 in Week 1—is very real. Only an otherworldly game by Squon Barkley could possibly allow the Giants to keep things close.

We don't see it happening. The New York defense has been far too up and down this season and ranks 29th in yards per rush allowed, 23rd in net yards per pass attempt allowed and 24th in points allowed.

The Cowboys will be motivated to make a statement after falling short against the rival Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. Expect Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard to all have big games as the Cowboys rout the Giants for the second time this season.

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