NFL Picks Week 4: Pittsburgh Steelers and 4 Underdogs You Can Count On

Following a week in which the vast majority of underdogs either covered, pushed or won outright, many gamblers are looking for underdogs who can turn the trick in Week 4. The NFL season has been quite unpredictable to this point, so it seems like no line is safe.

With a number of marquee matchups on tap this weekend, there are quite a few solid teams in underdog roles. Generally, in games that are too close to call, it is a good bet to take the points and hedge your bets.

There are only a couple games on the schedule that I would expect to be blowouts (New Orleans over Jacksonville and Green Bay over Denver), so there is a wide pool to pick from if you fancy betting on a few underdogs.

Here are four underdogs who you can feel comfortable betting on in Week 4.

Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins (+7) at San Diego Chargers

At 0-3, the Miami Dolphins are significant underdogs as they head to San Diego to take on the Chargers. The 2-1 Chargers seem to have reaffirmed themselves as the class of the AFC West and certainly have the better all-around team.

The Chargers' lone loss came to the New England Patriots in Week 2, although they played them down to the wire. San Diego avoided disaster last week by outlasting the injury-riddled Kansas City Chiefs by three.

Miami had brutal matchups with New England and the Houston Texans in the season's first two weeks, but they played both teams tough. The Dolphins looked to be in line for their first win last week, but collapsed late against the Cleveland Browns.

Although I expect San Diego to win this game, the Chargers are notorious for losing to lesser teams early in the season before turning it on late. That almost happened last week against Kansas City, and I can certainly see it happening against Miami.

The Dolphins have some pretty good pieces on offense and can hang with the Chargers in a shootout. The increased role of rookie running back Daniel Thomas will be key as he is capable of grinding out tough yards and keeping the ball out of Philip Rivers' hands.

I think the Chargers will ultimately prevail, but only by a field goal, giving Miami the cover.

Prediction: Chargers 27, Dolphins 24

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts (+10) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The 0-3 Indianapolis Colts have looked completely lost without the services of quarterback Peyton Manning while the young Tampa Bay Bucs have picked up where they left off in 2010—with a 2-1 record after an impressive win over the Atlanta Falcons last weekend.

The Colts were beaten quite handily in their first two games of the season, but they gave the Pittsburgh Steelers a run for their money last Sunday night in a three-point loss. Quarterback Kerry Collins had to leave the game due to injury and Curtis Painter stepped in.

Painter is no Manning and he probably has no business being a starter in the league, but he led Indy on a scoring drive in relief of Collins and looks to be in line to start on Monday night against a very underrated Bucs team.

Tampa is clearly better, but the 10-point spread seems much too large. I think the Colts will be better off with Painter at quarterback, as wide receiver Reggie Wayne and the offense seem more confident in his ability than Collins' at this point.

The Bucs have played in three nail biters this season and they often had to pull games out in the final minutes last year, as well. With that in mind, the Colts should be able to hang tough all game long until Tampa Bay pulls out a victory in the latter stages.

Prediction: Buccaneers 17, Colts 16

New York Jets

New York Jets (+4) at Baltimore Ravens

After starting off 2-0, the New York Jets looked poised to roll past the Oakland Raiders last weekend. Things obviously didn't go according to plan as running back Darren McFadden and the Raider offense sped past the Jets 34-24.

The Baltimore Ravens atoned for a shocking Week 2 loss to the Tennessee Titans by thrashing the St. Louis Rams last week. Baltimore has looked unstoppable in two of their three games this season and it appears as though the Tennessee game was little more than a hiccup.

After New York's loss to Oakland, however, I feel like the team is being severely underrated. Baltimore's defense is excellent as always, but they have a vulnerability against the pass as Tennessee exposed. Mark Sanchez and the Jets have been a pass-first team this season, so they have a fighting chance.

It has been the Jets who have gone to the AFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons and not the Ravens, so New York knows how to win big games. Jets head coach Rex Ryan is very familiar with what the Ravens run, so this should a very close and physical affair.

The Ravens are bit more complete, so I think they'll win, but taking the points is the safe bet in this game.

Prediction: Ravens 20, Jets 17

Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers (+4) at Houston Texans

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have looked a little old and slow in their season-opening 35-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but they have bounced back with two consecutive wins and appear to be back on track.

The Houston Texans made a huge statement by dominating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, and were close to starting 3-0, but the New Orleans Saints proved to be a bit too much for the Texans offensively last week.

Houston is certainly an up-and-coming team, but the Steelers have been through the battles before and tend to rise up when the challenges are the greatest. The Texans' offense is explosive, but provided the Steelers can shut down the running game, they could give quarterback Matt Schaub problems.

Pittsburgh's pass rush tandem of James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley will work hard to get to Schaub and disrupt the offense's timing. Since Schaub is a fairly immobile signal caller, pressure within the pocket will force him to make rushed decisions and could very well lead to mistakes.

The Texans' defense looked much improved over the season's first two weeks, but neither the Colts or Miami Dolphins had much firepower to offer. The Saints exposed Houston's secondary last weekend, and Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger figures to do the game along with his speedy corps of receivers.

I think the Steelers will prove that they are still one of the AFC's elite teams by knocking the Texans down a notch.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Texans 20