NFL Week 7 Picks: 5 Teams That Should Be on Upset Alert

Upsets happen on a weekly basis in the NFL, so Week 7 of the 2011 season will certainly be no exception. While I fon't like to question the betting lines too often, I think that it's fair to say that some of the spreads are a bit questionable this week.

In a few cases, I believe that the "underdog" team should actually be favored or at least in a pick 'em game. Pretty much anything can happen in any given week, though, so it's conceivable that a different underdog could come from out of nowhere to win a game this weekend.

Here are five teams that should be on upset alert this weekend, as they stand a very good chance of being beaten outright.

Cleveland Browns

As the home team this Sunday, the 2-3 Cleveland Browns are three-point favorites over the 2-3 Seattle Seahawks. Neither team is particularly exciting and neither is particularly good either, but it figures to be a very tightly-contested game that could go either way.

The Seahawks are generally a far better team at home, but they upset the heavily-favored New York Giants on the road two weeks ago and have had an extra week to prepare for Cleveland. Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is questionable, but it wouldn't be much of a drop-off at all if Charlie Whitehurst started.

Cleveland could very well be without the services of running back Peyton Hills, who is nursing a hamstring injury. This certainly could make the Browns offense one-dimensional and allow Seattle to key on quarterback Colt McCoy and the running game. Regardless, I don't think this game will be decided by more than a field goal, so the Seahawks have a good chance at pulling the upset.

Miami Dolphins

Although it may not seem like much, most of the major betting outlets list the Miami Dolphins as 1.5-point favorites over the Denver Broncos at home this weekend. The Dolphins are winless, of course, so it seems quite curious to me that they would be favored regardless of where the game is being played.

It's true that Denver is only 1-4 and it traded Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Lloyd away at the deadline, but I expect the Broncos to be vastly improved moving forward. The main reason for that is because Tim Tebow is taking over as the starting quarterback in place of the ineffective Kyle Orton.

Tebow is unorthodox to be sure, but he seemed to spark the team against the San Diego Chargers two weeks ago. The Dolphins are truly a mess and couldn't do much with Matt Moore at quarterback against the New York Jets last Monday night, and I don't expect much to change. I think Denver wins this game and wins it big.

San Diego Chargers

The 4-1 San Diego Chargers started the week as three-point favorites on the road against the 3-3 New York Jets, but that line has come down to 2.5, so bettors are clearly starting to hit the Jets. While New York has been underwhelming thus far, that is a sentiment that I can get behind.

Prior to beating the Miami Dolphins last week, the Jets were on a three-game slide. They weren't overly impressive in defeating Miami, but they did what they had to do. Running back Shonn Greene and the running game began to get things going late in the game, so that could be a good omen for New York's offense moving forward.

San Diego has avoided the slow start that has plagued them for so long, but they have face inferior competition outside of the New England Patriots. The Jets will be their biggest challenge since losing to New England to be sure. The Chargers' strength is passing the ball, but quarterback Philip Rivers has been scuffling and may have trouble against New York's top-notch secondary, giving the Jets a big advantage.

Tennessee Titans

At 3-2, the Tennessee Titans currently sit atop the AFC South division, but that lead is a slim one, as the Houston Texans are just a half-game back at 3-3. The Titans and Texans will meet in Tennessee on Sunday to determine which team will have sole possession of the divisional lead for the time being.

Houston is on a two-game losing streak and will be without All-Pro wide receiver Andre Johnson, but I still consider them to be a better team than the Titans despite being three-point underdogs. The Titans received a wake-up call when they were thrashed by the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago, while the Texans beat that same Steelers team.

The Titans have lived off quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and the passing game, but that won't last forever. They will have to get running back Chris Johnson and the running game going eventually if they're going to be successful. I think Houston's underrated defense will hold strong and running back Arian Foster will give them everything they need on offense.

Detroit Lions

While the Detroit Lions are still one of the league's best teams at 5-1, they lost a little bit of their steam last week when they were upended by the upstart San Francisco 49ers. Despite that loss, the Lions are currently tabbed as 3.5-point favorites at home against the 3-3 Atlanta Falcons.

Prior to the season, most probably would have thought the Falcons would be 5-1 and the Lions would be 3-3, but Atlanta has really struggled to stop the pass on defense. The Falcons took strides last week, though, by holding the Carolina Panthers and quarterback Cam Newton in check en route to a victory.

The Falcons also seemed to recognize that their best chance to win is when running back Michael Turner is heavily involved. That will likely continue as the Lions defense hasn't been the best against the run this season. Detroit's passing game with quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson could give the Falcons fits, but if they can hold up like they did last week, an upset could be on the horizon.