NFL Picks Week 4: Your 3 Upset Specials

Picking NFL games with the spread points is like flipping a coin, since the spread theoretically makes either pick a fair bet.

Picking favorites without regard to the spread is too easy.

Picking underdogs without regard to the spread is very hard, as I demonstrated last week. But as a former boss of mine used to tell me, "If it were easy, they wouldn't need us to get things done."

So with that in mind, here are my three upset specials for  NFL week 4. I am selecting these three underdogs to win the game without any consideration of the spread points.

St. Louis Rams over Washington Redskins

As I wrote in my must-win article, this week is a must win for the St. Louis Rams. Their opponents, the Washington Redskins, played on Monday night and must go on the road again. This is never an easy chore. Now add in Steven Jackson's return to action, and this should lead to a Rams victory.

Game MVP: Steven Jackson, 85 yards and one touchdown.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers over Houston Texans

The Houston Texans' running tandem of Ben Tate and Arian Foster should do a good job of controlling the ball and minimizing the time the Pittsburgh Steelers have it. But when the Steelers do get the ball, it won't take them long to find Mike Wallace streaking down the field in the open.

Game MVP:  Mike Wallace, 125 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Tennessee Titans over Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are the weakest team with two wins. The Tennessee Titans just lost their best wide receiver Kenny Britt. So how will this tie be broken?  Chris Johnson will be finally be able to return to last year's form and become a game breaker with a few long runs.

Game MVP: Chris Johnson, 101 yards, five first downs, and two touchdowns.