NFL Picks Week 6: Cowboys, Texans and Road Teams Sure To Score an Upset

It's never easy to defeat an opponent that's better than you, but it's even more difficult when you have to do it on the road.

This weekend of NFL action features several strong home teams on upset alert, including Tom Brady's New England Patriots (4-1), who will host the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.

The Andre Johnson-less Houston Texans look to avoid .500 on the road at Baltimore (3-1) this weekend as well.

But although the odds are against these road underdogs, a win wouldn't be out of the question.

Dallas Cowboys (2-2) +7 Over the New England Patriots (4-1)

The Pats are favored here and for good reason, they have been the better team to this point in the season even if their pass defense is ranked last in the entire league.

Tony Romo has plenty to prove at Foxborough however, after throwing three crucial interceptions against the Detroit Lions two weeks ago, look for him to play well against a flawed secondary, as already mentioned.

Houston Texans (3-2) +8 Over the Baltimore Ravens (3-1)

The Texans are in real danger of dropping two-straight games and falling behind the Tennessee Titans for the AFC South lead.

Matt Schaub will again be without superstar wide receiver Andre Johnson on Sunday, and to add insult to injury, Houston is taking on one of the NFL's best defenses in the Baltimore Ravens.

However Joe Flacco and the Ravens' offense has a history of getting in its own way sometimes, and if Houston wants to get to the next level, they have to beat teams at the next level.

Minnesota Vikings (1-4) +3 Over the Chicago Bears (2-3)

The Vikings scored their first win of the season over the lowly Arizona Cardinals last week, and might be on to something now.

The Bears are coming off a Monday night loss at Detroit and are in danger of, along with Minnesota, becoming non-competitive in the rough and tumble NFC North.

With Adrian Peterson running against one of the league's worst rushing defenses, Chicago allows more than five yards per carry this season. Expect the Vikings to make a statement on Sunday night.

Buffalo Bills (4-1) +3 Over the New York Giants (3-2)

I'm not sure the Giants are better than the Bills this season, but nevertheless a road win over Big Blue is still impressive.

New York is favored in this game, even after coming off a terrible home loss to Seattle last Sunday.

The Bills sent Philadelphia to 1-4 a week ago, and look for them to send New York back to .500 in Week 6.

San Francisco 49ers (4-1) +5 Over the Detroit Lions (5-0)

The Niners will have plenty of ground strength with Frank Gore running the ball on Sunday, and they will surely need it going up against arguably the best defensive line in football.

Detroit is riding a wave of momentum dating back to the last four weeks of 2010, and will likely greet San Francisco with a heavy dose of Calvin Johnson, or "Megatron" over the top.

Still, the Lions have been slow to start off games this season, while the 49ers are coming off one of the least talked about blowouts of the young season over Tampa Bay last week.

Look for San Francisco to shock Detroit in their own building Sunday.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter @_Pat_Clarke