Saturday 11 November 2017 07:23, UK
In Week 10, Sky Sports presenter Laura Woods is the challenger taking on Richard Graves in our weekly NFL predictions...
Graves improved to 5-4 on the season after his 9-4 record from Week Nine earned him a divisional win over Sky Sports News colleague and rival, Jim White, who registered a respectable, but not quite good enough, 7-6 mark.
His opponent this week is Woods, who will be in Wolverhampton from Saturday, covering the Grand Slam of Darts with Sky Sports. But the Soccer AM and the Carling In off the Bar star also knows her NFL.
Have a look at her Week 10 predictions and see how they compare to those of Graves...
Graves: New Orleans are riding a six-game winning streak! Hard to believe this team started the season 0-2. Only two other teams in the Super Bowl era - the 2007 Giants and the 1992 Cowboys - have followed up two defeats with six wins, and both went on to win the Super Bowl!
On offense, only New England are better than this Saints outfit, while the defense is pretty good this season too. They're top 10 in scoring (19.4), 12th in passing defense and ninth in sacks, with 23.
But, before we get too carried away, the Saints' next opponents have been dominant at home this season. The Bills are 4-0 in Buffalo and boast the NFL's fifth-ranked scoring defense, giving up fewer than 19 points per game. They also lead the league with a +11 turnover differential.
PICK: BILLS
Woods: I may, or may not, have encouraged everyone I know to vote for this game to be Sky's live 6pm game... Good work all of you.
Keep an eye out for wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin making his Bills debut this week after being traded by Carolina. QB Tyrod Taylor also has the option of his tight end Charles Clay, who makes his return after three games out with injury.
The Bills have a streak of their own, with their unbeaten home record, but the Saints just seem unstoppable at the moment. Confidence will be sky high - they have rookie Alvin Kamara popping off, the experience of Drew Brees and cornerback Marshon Lattimore impressing - and I think they will just take this one and the streak will live on!
PICK: SAINTS
Graves: Three weeks ago, there were no questions of a Super Bowl hangover in Atlanta, while the Cowboys were facing serious questions about their offensive line, defense and had a losing record. Yet, here we are now, with Dallas having won three straight to improve to 5-3, Ezekiel Elliott is just seven yards away from being the league's leading rusher and the defensive line suddenly being talked about as one of the better units in football - only two teams have more than their 27 sacks.
By contrast, the Falcons have lost four of their last five, slipping to a 4-4 record, and their offense - the top scoring unit in the NFL last season - is now averaging 12 fewer points per game than in 2016. The defense is also giving up 114 yards per game against the run. On paper this doesn't look a good match-up for Atlanta.
PICK: COWBOYS
Woods: Dak and Zeek, Zeek and Dak. Elliott is one of the most exciting and dynamic young players in the league right now, while Dak Prescott continues to improve game on game. If Zeek plays, he'll be sure to do some damage.
The Falcons have been struggling offensively and the Cowboys defense has had seven turnovers in their last three games so, although my heart says Falcons (mainly because Julio Jones is in my fantasy team), my head says Cowboys will make this four wins in four.
PICK: COWBOYS
Graves: The Patriots are coming off a bye, while the Broncos are coming off of one of their heaviest defeats in years! The odds at this point appear to heavily favour New England.
Denver were gashed on the ground and in the air by Carson Wentz and the Eagles last week. Philadelphia hung 51 points up on their vaunted defense, which now comes up against New England's No 1 ranked offense. In comparison, Denver's attack is positively anaemic, averaging just 18.8 points per game, ranked 18th overall and sitting bottom of the AFC West with a 3-5 record.
There is a caveat of hope for Broncos fans though - Tom Brady is just 3-7 when playing in Denver. He has lost all three play-off games he has ever played there.
PICK: PATRIOTS
Woods: Brady never ceases to amaze me, ever. How long can he go on for, seriously?! The Patriots are strong on the road - they've won 11 straight away from New England, to be precise. They also come fresh off a bye week so, realistically, I don't think there's any way Denver - who have lost their last four games - beat out the No 1 offense in football. Pats all the way.
PICK: PATRIOTS
Graves: The Dolphins didn't look any worse for trading away running back Jay Ajayi last week. In fact, they turned in one of their most spirited performances of the season, albeit in defeat to the Raiders. To beat Carolina though, they have to establish the run and be prepared to stretch the field with Kenny Stills and Devante Parker. That won't be easy against a good Panthers defense.
Ultimately it's tough to see the Dolphins with their offense going into Carolina and getting a big win. The Panthers are sitting pretty at the top of the NFC South with a 6-3 record after back-to-back wins in Tampa and against the Falcons. Expect rookie RB Christian McCaffrey to be prominent again but, in truth, this team is on QB Cam Newton's shoulders.
PICK: PANTHERS
Woods: Miami's trade of Ajayi to Philadelphia for a fourth-round draft pick has been one of the biggest topics on conversation in the NFL over the last week or so - it seemed to work out for our London-born boy, scoring his first TD of the season on his debut on Sunday.
But back to this game - the Dolphins didn't seem too badly affected by the loss of Ajayi when they only narrowly lost to Oakland. I massively rate their receiver Jarvis Landry - he's absolutely mega! He'll be key to this match-up and, with Newton having thrown more interceptions than touchdowns for the Panthers this season, I'm actually going to go for the Dolphins to cause an upset.
PICK: DOLPHINS
Graves: The Seahawks are coming off a stunning upset at home to the injury-ravaged Redskins on Sunday - a defeat largely of their own making, with kicker Blair Walsh missing three field goal attempts and the team racking up 16 penalties for 138 yards.
As for Arizona, without QB Carson Palmer they rode their workhorse running back Adrian Peterson for a career-high 37 times, for 159 yards, on their way to victory in San Francisco. That will undoubtedly be their game plan again but the question is can the 32-year-old follow it up again just four days later?
PICK: SEAHAWKS
Woods: For me, this game is all about Peterson. Hard to believe he's 32 and yet still rocking it the way he is. The Cardinals will be hoping his body can withstand another heavy workload after his hefty outing against the 49ers last week. Seattle have been weak against the run, so Peterson is not only key to the Cardinals' success in Week 10, but their play-offs hopes too. A make or break week for this team, and I'm backing them for the win.
PICK: CARDINALS
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