In NFL Week 10, a couple of usual suspects – the NY Jets and Cincinnati Bengals – are home dogs once again, while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans also find themselves getting points at home.
In addition, the Thursday Night Football matchup between the LA Chargers (4-5) and Oakland Raiders (4-4) has tipped over into home dog territory.
In this AFC West battle, the Raiders initially opened as a 2-point favorite on Sunday evening. Money trickled in on the Chargers at the start of the week. As of Thursday morning, however, the lines adjusted to see the Raiders as a +1.5 underdog.
NFL Week 10 Home Dogs Alert:
Pittsburgh Steelers +3.5
NY Jets +2.5
Tennessee Titans +6
Cincinnati Bengals +10
Oakland Raiders +1.5 (TNF)
The Cincinnatti Bengals (0-8) are the only winless team in the NFL, and are the biggest home dog on the board this week, getting 10 points.
The Jets are a home dog against the New York Giants in the NYC Futility Bowl. The LOLJets are fresh off their embarrassing loss to the tanking Miami Dolphins. The loser in this potentially unwatchable game will be skewered in the local tabloids, and on sports talk radio for the rest of the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers +3.5
If the Los Angeles Rams (5-3) were the Rams from last year, they’d probably be a touchdown favorite. The 2019 Rams no longer boast their high-volume offensive attack. Sean McVay better have his team prepared to play smash-mouth football, because that’s what the Steelers (4-4) are going to bring this Sunday in Pittsburgh.
The Rams are currently on the NFC playoff bubble. They can’t afford to lose any non-conference games if they want to win a wild-card berth.
The Rams still have the 8th best offense in the NFL, averaging 26.8 points per game, but they’ll face the Steelers #13-ranked defense in total points against. In terms of advanced metric DVOA, the Steelers are the fifth-best defense in the NFL. The Rams are ranked #4 in defensive DVOA. On paper, this game looks like it’s going to be a low-scoring, bare-knuckle brawl. The total is currently 43.5 o/u.
Tennessee Titans +6
Patrick Mahomes practiced this week, and he’s expected to start in Week 10. Of course, it’s sort of silly to risk Mahomes’ long-term health in order to win a non-divisional game against a 4-5 team. On the other hand, it’s nearly impossible to tell a pro football player of Mahomes’ caliber not to play if they want to put their body on the line. Mahomes is a gamer, which means he’ll play on Sunday.
Even with backup Ryan Tannehill providing a boost to the Tennessee offense after Mike Vrabel benched Marcus Mariota, the Titans are facing a Chiefs team that’s been a perfect 4-0 on the road this season.
NY Jets +2.5
What can we say about the New York Jets that hasn’t already been ranted and raved about? The Battle of New York football teams will take place at the Meadowlands in the swamps of Jersey (a.k.a, MetLife Stadium). Both teams are an utter joke with a 3-14 combined record. The Giants are riding a five-game skid, yet they get a pass once again because of the pathetic Jets.
The Giants are the away team, but they have the benefit of no travel, sleeping in their own beds, and familiarity with the facilities.
The Jets are coming off one of the worst losses in team history, which is saying a ton. Adam Gase is a dead man walking. It’s only a matter of time before he gets whacked in the Meadowlands and sleeps with the fishes. Leave the gun, take the cannoli. In this case, the cannoli represents Sam Darnold. Or, what’s left of him after being shell-shocked under Gase’s direction.
Cincinnati Bengals +10
Oh, the mighty Bungles. Things are so bad in the Queen City that first-year head coach, Zac Taylor, made a bodacious move and benched Andy Dalton. As the 30th-ranked QB in the league, it’s not like Dalton didn’t deserve it. Overall, the Bengals are the third-worst offense in the NFL, averaging 15.5 points per game.
Taylor is turning the offense over to an untested rookie, Ryan Finley, who has yet to take a snap in the NFL. Hey, this is modern NFL. Teams throw rookie quarterbacks into the fight, and it’s up to them to survive. Finley will get a baptism by fire.
The Bengals have plenty of problems, but it’s the running game that’s utterly atrocious. Between a banged-up O-line and subpar performances, the Bengals average a league-worst 59.5 yards per game.