Five NFL teams on upset alert in Week 3By Jesse Reed | 9/25/15 
Aaron Rodgers and company may be riding high, but the Packers better be wary of a Chiefs team that may have a Lambeau Field upset in mind. Benny Sieu-USA TODAY SportsThe NFL is always unpredictable. Teams that dominate one weekend oftentimes look completely clueless a week later.With 15 more games left on the schedule following Thursday night’s ugly contest featuring the New York Giants taking down divisional rival Washington, we’re targeting five teams that are in danger of getting taken down by underdogs.The following are the teams on upset alert in Week 3.Houston TexansThe Texans host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday and are considered four-point favorites to win (per oddsshark.com as of Friday morning). And, while it would be logical to assume J.J. Watt and company will dominate Tampa Bay’s porous offensive line and force rookie quarterback Jameis Winston into some mistakes, don’t count the young passer out in this one.Lord knows, he’s not intimidated by the challenge of facing Watt.Winton started to come into his own last weekend. He got into a rhythm, made a few big-boy throws over the middle and connected with his big-play receivers for three passes of 21 yards or longer. Furthermore, second-year receiver Mike Evans, who was limited last Sunday, is finally healthy and should be a big contributor going forward.Conversely, Houston’s offense has no momentum. Both Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer have been unimpressive, and the running game averages just 3.6 yards per attempt and 79.5 yards per game. This matchup has upset written all over it.Indianapolis ColtsThe Colts are hosting the Tennessee Titans in this AFC South battle and are favored to win by five.While it would be easy to assume Andrew Luck will finally bounce back after two miserable outings to open the season, the Titans are actually quite formidable against the pass. Under new defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, Tennessee has allowed just 339 yards through two games while racking up six sacks and two interceptions.On the other side, rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota leads the NFL in passer rating and set a new record with six touchdown passes in his first two games. Furthermore, Indianapolis’ defensive secondary is ailing to the point where head coach Chuck Pagano says he’s “never been in a situation quite like this” in his 30-plus years of coaching.This is a recipe for disaster for the Colts, who are staring an 0-3 start in the face.Arizona CardinalsArizona hosts NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and is a six-point favorite to win at home.Carson Palmer has been red hot to open the season, throwing seven touchdowns and one interception, and the 49ers were just scorched by Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh last weekend to the tune of 369 yards and three touchdowns.This appears to be a situation where things could spiral quickly out of control for the 49ers, just like they did in Week 2. However, don’t discount San Francisco’s surging offense, led by Colin Kaepernick, who is quietly on fire himself, completing 69.4 percent of his passes for 500 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.The 49ers also feature the league’s leading rusher in Carlos Hyde, who missed more than a full half of play last weekend. Offensive coordinator Geep Chryst has his unit running smoothly, and if the 49ers defense can avoid giving up too many big plays then San Francisco most certainly can win this one on the road.Denver BroncosThe Broncos are on the road this week, heading to Detroit to face the Lions with their backs against the wall. Denver is favored to win by 2.5 points.Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was beat up pretty badly last weekend against the Minnesota Vikings, to the point where he needed x-rays on his chest and ribs. He has been practicing in full this week, however, and isn’t in any danger of missing this game. Finally at home after a couple of rough road losses, Stafford will come alive in front of the raucous crowd at Ford Field, as will receiver Calvin Johnson, who has been fairly quiet so far.Peyton Manning and the Broncos haven’t been offensively potent this year so far, and the aging passer is certainly not able to push the ball downfield like he was able to do in the past. If the Lions can continue to fluster him in the pocket as we’ve seen other teams do the past year, then perhaps Darius Slay will get his wish to ask Manning to sign a ball he intercepted.The Lions will win this game at home. Mark it down.Green Bay PackersThe Packers host the Kansas City Chiefs on "Monday Night Football," and this one should be a doozy. Green Bay is favored to win by 6.5 points, but nobody should be surprised to see the road team pull out the upset here.Green Bay’s defense has been less than impressive, allowing 20 points per game, and more importantly for this contest, 154 rushing yards per game, which is the second-worst mark in the league through two weeks.Kansas City will ride Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis in this one, allowing quarterback Alex Smith to make hay in the play-action passing game.On the other side, perhaps no defensive front can give quarterback Aaron Rodgers trouble like the one the Chiefs feature. With explosive pass-rushers Justin Houston, Tamba Hali and second-year man Dee Ford bursting off the edge against Green Bay’s depleted offensive line, Rodgers could be running for his life most of the night.And, given the impressive play of rookie cornerback Marcus Peters, who already has two interceptions, perhaps Rodgers will finally throw an interception at home — something he hasn’t done since late in the 2012 season.link
