NFL Picks Week 10: Underdogs That Will Score Outright Victories

With each passing week, it seems as though NFL betting lines get more and more accurate. This is likely because the linemakers are getting a better feel for the teams as the season rolls along.

Even so, there are bound to be some spreads that you can take advantage of.

Nearly every home team is favored this week in the NFL. While home-field advantage is important, not every home team is going to win.

Here are three underdogs that will not only cover this week, but will manage to win outright.

Detroit Lions

Despite the fact that the Detroit Lions are 6-2—and have already beaten the Chicago Bears this season—they will be three-point underdogs on Sunday. The Bears have been on a roll of late with three consecutive wins, including a triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

The Lions have the advantage of coming off a bye week, however, and already seem to have the formula for beating Chicago. One possible issue for Detroit may be the absence of running back Jahvid Best. Detroit cut up the Bears in their first meeting by using shotgun draws with Best.

Detroit should still have plenty of other weapons, though, including its pass rush. While Chicago's offensive line has improved in recent weeks, it will be hard pressed to stop the Lions' dominant pass rush.

The Bears haven't been particularly good against the pass either, so Lions' quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson should be able to exploit that.

St. Louis Rams

Picking a one-win team on the road certainly isn't for the faint of heart, but there is reason to believe that the St. Louis Rams will upend the Cleveland Browns in Week 10—despite their status as three-point underdogs.

While the Rams experienced a heart-breaking loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week in overtime, they have played much better in the past couple weeks. Two weeks ago, the Rams shocked the New Orleans Saints in front of a home crowd at St. Louis.

Running back Steven Jackson has been very effective lately and will have to have a big game for the Rams to pull off the upset. The Browns happen to have one of the league's weaker run defenses, so that shouldn't be a problem.

While St. Louis' defense has struggled this year, the Browns don't seem to have the weapons to make them pay.

New England Patriots

While they may only be one-point underdogs this week, it is still jarring to see another team favored over the New England Patriots.

The suddenly-struggling Patriots will go on the road to face their rivals, the New York Jets, a team that appears to be back on track following a three-game losing streak.

The Pats and Jets have split their pair of games against each other the past couple years, so it stands to reason the Jets would win this one after losing to New England earlier in the season.

There is something to be said for a desperate team, though, and after back-to-back losses, the Patriots will certainly be desperate for a win.

New York seems to have a good formula for at least slowing down quarterback Tom Brady, so New England's offensive line will need to come up huge.

In their first meeting, the Patriots ran the ball extremely effectively. If they can get that kind of production out of running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis again, then they stand a great chance of winning.