Week 9 in the NFL brought us massive upsets, positive progressions for a few stragglers, and scary potential injuries for one major contender. As we enter the second half of the season, each divisional game and conference matchup becomes all that more important to teams in the hunt. Here are our top 3 2022 NFL games week 10.
Minnesota Vikings vs Buffalo Bills
The Bills suffered the scare of the week after their loss to the New York Jets. As if that wasn’t a bad enough loss to a division opponent, QB Josh Allen’s UCL in his throwing arm is a major concern. The Bills can’t afford to lose their star quarterback. Sure, they could maybe coast to a postseason appearance, but their Super Bowl hopes would be gone. That being said, they might be without Allen this week against the Vikings who are quietly gunning for the best record in the NFC. They are out to one of the best starts in franchise history with a first-year head coach and QB Kirk Cousins who is playing some of his best ball in recent memory. If Allen is a no-go in this game, it’s tough to bet against Minnesota who is finding ways to win, week in and week out. Prediction: Vikings 27 Bills 23
Dallas Cowboys vs Green Bay Packers
The big storyline in this game will be the return home for Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. He won a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2009 and was there for 13 seasons before he was fired in December 2018. His current team is playing much differently than his former who have lost five straight games. Aaron Rodgers seems like he is a game away from hanging it up each week and the team didn’t add any weapons before the trade deadline which makes it seem like they aren’t interested in upgrading key positions. The Cowboys are playing really well and are in the hunt for the NFC East division title if the Eagles stumble. This one should feature the Cowboys running backs having their way with Green Bay’s defense. On offense, I don’t trust the Packers enough until I see otherwise. Prediction: Cowboys 24 Packers 17
Los Angeles Chargers vs San Francisco 49ers
The Chargers are one more offensive injury away from crumbling at the seams, yet they are still in the hunt in the AFC West. They are just a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs and now have a critical matchup against a Niners team that was beatdown against KC a few weeks ago. QB Justin Herbert has been fantastic, even if the box score doesn’t share the whole story. The Niners are battling with Jimmy G and while their defense is one of the best in the league, they had to make a move for RB Christian McCaffrey to fill a major hole. The Chargers will likely struggle to score in this game as they have in recent weeks. I like the Niners to put up just a few more in a close, low-scoring game. Prediction: Chargers 20 49ers 22