NFL Picks Week 4: 3 Underdogs Sure to Pull Stunners

Due to injuries, lackluster Week 3 performances, and the quality of their opposition, I'm expecting Week 4 favorites Philadelphia, New England, and Dallas to be upset on Sunday.

In the parity-riddled NFL, no favorite is ever safe and that will be proven yet again in Week 4.

49ers over Eagles

The Philly-hype machine rolls into this week's game with bruised egos and a battered quarterback.

Michael Vick has been tossed around like a rag doll in consecutive weeks, suffering a concussion and a phantom broken hand. Personally I think the Eagles would be wise to rest Vick for a week, but he insists that he will play against San Fransisco.

This Sunday he will have the honor of being chased around by 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis, who is just down right terrifying.

The Niners also have the league's 3rd best run defense, allowing just 62.7 rushing yards per game. Of course, their offense is dreadful, but if their defense continues to play at a high level they won't need a ton of points.

Look for Vick to get beat up some more and the 49ers to win in an ugly game.

Raiders over Patriots

After a decade of ineptitude, it appears the Raiders have finally turned things around. I'm expecting them to ride the momentum from last week's win over the Jets and pull off another upset against New England.

The Patriots were upset by 3-0 Buffalo last week after Tom Brady threw four interceptions, matching his total for all of last season.

Look for the Raiders to rely heavily on Darren McFadden, who ran for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns last week, on just 19 carries.

Lions over Dallas

This one wouldn't exactly be a shocker, since the upstart Lions are one of the few remaining undefeated teams.

But they're two and a half point underdogs in Dallas this week, facing a team that has won back to back games.

In a battle between two high powered passing attacks, I expect the Lions to prevail.

Matthew Stafford has shown great poise thus far and his job is made a hell of a lot easier by Calvin Johnson, who is the toughest matchup in the league.

Also, Tony Romo's ailing ribs will be tested by Ndamakung Suh and that brutal Lions defensive line.

I'm predicting Detroit to win 31-24.