NFL Week 3 Picks: Five Underdogs That Could Pull Off an Upset This Sunday
Another week of the NFL is under wraps and one of the best games, if not the best game of the weekend, took place on Monday Night Football between the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers.
Although Houston and Washington might disagree with that.
Week 2 brought us some surprises such as a couple of playoff teams from a year ago in Dallas and Minnesota, starting off the season 0-2.
Both had Super Bowl or bust expectations this season. An 0-2 start is tough to recover from, but not insurmountable.
So what will Week 3 bring us?
Let's find out and take a look at five games where we could see an upset.
Detroit Lions
1 of 5
The Lions have been the Minnesota Vikings whipping boy over the past decade. Since 2001, Detroit is 2-16 against the Vikings and have lost five straight to the purple.
Both teams are 0-2 and Minnesota is at home, so how do the Lions have a shot you may be wondering.
Well, Detroit was a stupid rule from a win over the Chicago Bears and turned in a solid game against the Philadelphia Eagles, despite losing.
While Minnesota has mustered only 19 points through the first two games and look like a team that is ready to implode.
Brett Favre seems disinterested, the offensive line looked terrible against Miami, and the receiving corps is so bad they make the St. Louis Rams' receivers look semi-decent.
Add in the fun fact that the Lions two wins in the past 18 games against Minnesota were on the road and you have a potential upset.
Shaun Hill is a steady quarterback that has weapons at his disposal. Keep an eye on this game come on Sunday because the Vikes are on upset alert.
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 5
Atlanta is a very good team that has a little bit of everything. They aren't particularly great in one area, but solid all around.
That will pose trouble for the New Orleans Saints; a team that is coming off a thrilling victory on Monday Night Field.
The Saints didn't play that good of a football game against the Niners or even the Vikings. It took four turnovers and a gift-wrapped safety for New Orleans to squeak out a win to stay unbeaten.
Michael Turner is expected to play Sunday and even if he isn't at full strength, Jason Snelling showed that he can step in with no problem.
New Orleans will have a tough turnaround because of the short week and will have to adjust to not having Reggie Bush on the field this weekend.
Look for the Saints to have a letdown game against a very good Falcon team.
Carolina Panthers
3 of 5
The Panthers are changing quarterbacks and giving Jimmy Clausen a chance to spark an anemic offense. Matt Moore was as bad as it gets at the QB position through two games.
After dropping a disappointing home opener to Tampa Bay, while falling to 0-2, Carolina will welcome the Cincinnati Bengals into Bank of America Stadium Sunday.
Carson Palmer was unable to lead the Bengals' offense into the end zone against Baltimore, yet they were able to win 15-10.
It's been an early struggle for the once highly-touted QB and now many are questioning how good he really is.
Cedric Benson has been unable to find running lanes in the first two games and will likely struggle again against Carolina.
The Panthers held the New York Giants running game in check in Week 1 and followed it up by holding Carnell Williams to 51 yards on 27 carries.
It's been the Panthers' pass rush and secondary that has let them down this season. Something is going to give in this game whether it be Palmer struggling again or the secondary for the Panthers.
Cincy is too inconsistent to trust in this situation. Coming off a big win over the Ravens they are clearly capable of laying an egg in Carolina.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4 of 5
A surprising 2-0 start has Bucs fans excited. What they should be more excited about is the maturation of quarterback Josh Freeman.
Freeman has made great strides so far in Year 2 and against Carolina showed great poise in the pocket.
Now they will face a Pittsburgh Steeler defense that sent Vince Young to the bench, while forcing seven turnovers.
The good news for Tampa Bay is that they are at home and will be facing the Steelers' third-string QB. It will either be Byron Leftwich or Charlie Batch behind center, neither of which make defensive coordinators squirm.
Playing in the heat against a Buccaneer team exuding with confidence could spell trouble for Pittsburgh.
This looks like a blowout on paper, but look closer and you will see that this has all the signs that signal a close hard fought game.
Oakland Raiders
5 of 5Tom Cable is refusing to announce who will start for the Raiders against the Arizona Cardinals. After benching Jason Campbell in favor of Bruce Gradkowski for the second half against the Rams, Cable has created a QB controversy.
Gradkowski led Oakland back from a 7-3 deficit at halftime to win 16-14. His numbers weren't spectacular, but he got the job done when it counted.
The Raiders will now travel to play the Cardinals who are coming off a blowout loss to the Falcons. Derek Anderson hasn't looked good through the team's first two games and the defense has been equally disappointing.
Darren McFadden is finally showing signs of living up to his potential. The third-year back has taken advantage of Michael Bush's injury and has made the most out of the increase in carries.
McFadden never was given the opportunity to be the team's No. 1 back in his first two seasons. It looks like maybe they should have.
This looks like a good spot for the Raiders to pull off the upset and for McFadden to further his status as Oakland's top back.
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