Week 10 Sees The Niners Get A Test From The Seahawks, Plus Dallas And The Rams Try And Stay In The Hunt

Week 10 of the NFL season is upon us and for finally every team in the league, the second half of the season formally starts as everyone will finally be on their ninth game of the season. Six teams will be on their bye week, but there are three games that will merit some close attention for all NFL fans: Rams at Steelers, Vikings at Cowboys, and the blockbuster of week 10, Seattle at San Francisco.

Let’s take a closer look at all three and see where the value lies in each.

Los Angeles Rams (-195) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (+155), o/u 44 (-110)
The Rams are fresh off a bye and get to fly across country to face the Steelers in a pivotal November matchup for both teams. The Rams, winners of two in a row, have righted the ship after a slow start and sit at 5-2, while Pittsburgh themselves have almost shockingly gotten back to .500 after a very slow start of their own. The Steelers have won three in a row and are looking to get over .500 for the first time all season; they are definitely thinking wild card now and not 2020 draft pick. Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph has been serviceable if not spectacular in Big Ben’s absence, and oft-injured running back James Conner has been the workhorse--when he plays. All of that is fine and good but the story of this Steelers team is their defense. They’re top 5 in the NFL in sacks, interceptions, and turnover differential. The Rams have difference makers of their own on defense in Aaron Donald and Jaylen Ramsey, so we think this comes down to the better offense, and that would be the Rams. Head coach Sean McVay is 10-0 vs. the AFC (outside of last year’s Super Bowl) and look for that trend to continue. There isn’t much value in the moneyline, so we like ​Under 44 Total Points (-110). ​This one has a lot of “bend but don’t break” defensive battle written all over it.

Minnesota Vikings (+148) @ Dallas Cowboys (-182), o/u 48 (-110)
The Vikings go deep into the heart of Texas for a tough road test against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The Vikes are coming off a tough road loss at Kansas City while Dallas destroyed a terrible New York Giants team on Monday night. Minnesota finds themselves just one game behind Green Bay for first place in the NFC North, while Dallas holds a half game lead in the NFC East. Needless to say this is a huge game for both teams. Dallas has shown they can beat the teams they are supposed to beat, but haven’t fared as well against the better teams in the league. This is their chance to rectify that because Minnesota is a legitimately good team. The funny thing is, Minnesota can be accused of the same thing, as they have beaten up on the also-rans of the league, but not fared so well against the good teams minus a victory over Philadelphia. This game is about as even-matched as it gets. Both have solid defenses, and both have weapons on offense led by two very good running backs. The Cowboys seemingly always find a way to lose a game like this, so the value here is in the ​Vikings moneyline (+148).

Seattle Seahawks (+220) @ San Francisco 49ers (-278), o/u 46.5 (-110)
The biggest game of week 10 is this clash between division rivals, the 7-2 Seahawks and the last of the undefeated 8-0 49ers. They have had some classic matchups over the years and this one should be no different as they face off in what will be the best Monday night matchup so far this season. Seattle is led by 2019 MVP-frontrunner Russell Wilson, who is having arguably his greatest season to this point, throwing for over 2500 yards and 22 touchdowns to one interception. He needs to be this good because the days of the “Legion of Boom” are no longer. The Seahawks have a middling defense at best, and Wilson has had to pull them from the jaws of defeat more than once this season. They are nowhere near 7-2 without him. The undefeated 49ers have been a revelation this season. Nobody saw this coming, not even them. They have a great offense, but their defense is what sets them apart. Their young defensive line, led by rookie Nick Bosa, is scary good, fast and ferocious. Russell Wilson will be running all night trying to avoid it, and that plays to his strength, but how much is too much? The 49ers at home on a Monday night and undefeated...that’s a lot to deal with as the visiting team. It’s tempting to take that huge +220 moneyline for a 7-2 team, but the Niners being heavily favored is warranted. The value play here is ​Niners -6.5 (-110). Even more value can be found at Home Team moneyline and Over 46.5 Total Points (+160). ​The Niners have too much going their way here for them to drop this game.

So those are the three big games for week 10 of the NFL season. Enjoy watching, and good luck!

*Credit to the main photo of this article belongs to Richard Scuteri/Associated Press