Cohen's Week 10 Selections

Now that the second half of the 2008 NFL season has offically kicked off, with Denver's stunning comeback against the Browns, Thursday; it is now time for all 32 teams to start to position themselves for that second half run.

There are a lot of races that could come down to the final weeks this year. The AFC East is as tightly contested as ever. The Patriots, Bills, and Jets are tied for first, with the surging Dolphins just a game out. In the AFC North, the Ravens are starting to show signs of life and could challenge for one of the two wild card slots. Meanwhile in the AFC West, A.K.A. the division that no one wants to win, the Broncos are slightly ahead of the struggling Chargers. The question here is can Denver get out of its own way to get to the postseason.

Meanwhile in the NFC, everything is wide open. The Giants seem to be running away with the conference, but with so many teams over .500, a stumble here and there could put the Giants season in dire straits.

Now some picks:

RAMS (2-6) @ JETS (5-3): The ulitmate trap game for the Jets. New York will have only three days rest after this one to get ready for a huge game in Foxboro, and it would not be suprising if New York looks ahead in this one. They better not. The Rams did beat up the Redskins and Cowboys this year and gave the Patriots all they could handle. The Jets will have to be protective of the football ... a conservative approach might be the best formula for success this week against a hungry Rams team. PICK: JETS 35, RAMS 21.

BILLS (5-3) @ PATRIOTS (5-3): Big game for both teams as the winner takes the lead in the AFC East. The Bills had the lead for most of the season, but recent struggles have allowed New England and the Jets to get back in the race. The Bills have not been playing well lately; they struggle to run the ball, and Trent Edwards is making high risk throws when under pressure. As for New England, Matt Cassell continues to struggle, but the Patriots still find ways to stay in games. The Patriots should win this game and will be in for dogfight on Thursday night against the Jets. PICK: PATRIOTS 34, BILLS 14.

SAINTS (4-4) @ FALCONS (5-3): Yes, yes. The Falcons have been a great story. Quarterback Matt Ryan has exceeded expectations and running back Michael Turner is lighting it up, but does anyone really believe Atlanta can hang around and make the playoffs? I find it hard to believe; eventually, reallity will set in and the Falcons will finish 8-8 or 9-7. Not bad for a team that has had to live with the Michael Vick disaster for the past 15 months.

As for New Orleans, they are desperate. They need a divisional win in order to get back into the race. Anything else and they are cooked. The Saints put up a lot of points, and Drew Brees could be having the best season of his career, but the fact remains that this club doesn't play any defense. PICK: SAINTS 38, FALCONS 31.

TITANS (8-0) @ BEARS (5-3): It is all set up for the Titans first loss of the season. They are walking into the Windy City to meet a team that is almost their equal on defense and offense. The Titans have not seen a lot of good defenses this year, given that have not put up a lot of points. If Kerry Collins has to win this game with his arm, the Bears are sure to win. Expect Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton to do just enough to get the Bears to victory. But the story of the day will be the Bears defense. PICK: BEARS 20, TITANS 17.

GIANTS (7-1) @ EAGLES (5-3): You want smash mouth? You want to see heads roll? You want to see blood and guts all over the gridiron? This is the game for you. No, it's not the latest ultra violent video game; it's Giants versus the Eagles, and it is yours Sunday night. The Giants are coming in as kings of NFC; they have met every test this year and passed with flying colors. What else do you expect from world champions. Justin Tuck and company have really picked up for the loss of Osi Umenyoria and Michael Strahan, as they continue to torture opposing quarterbacks.

As for the Eagles, they have really been flying under the radar. Donovan McNabb is having a Pro Bowl caliber season, and he is doing it with a bunch of unknown quanities at wide receiver. Finally, some quiet receivers in Philly for McNabb to whom to throw. The interesting test in this game will be how McNabb avoids pressure. In their first meeting last year, the Giants mauled McNabb as Umenyoria had six sacks by himself on the quarterback. McNabb doesn't have to worry about Umenyoria this time around, but he will have to avoid Tuck who has 8.5 sacks this season.

On the other side of the ball, the fun will be seeing how Brandon Jacobs matches up against that stout and phyiscal Eagles defense. Expect to see a lot of incredible blows between Jacobs and Eagles saftey Brian Dawkins in this one. This should be fun. PICK: EAGLES 19, GIANTS 16.