This week seems to lack the marquee match-ups of weeks prior. The headline game is clearly Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos playing the Indianapolis Colts in a homecoming of sorts on Sunday Night Football. Even if the Colts won over the Broncos it shouldn’t be considered that much of an upset, but it certainly would draw headlines to say that Andrew Luck beat Manning.
Some teams are in a position to be upset. Here is our list of teams on upset alert and why.
Cleveland Browns at Green Bay Packers
Going into Lambeau Field and getting a win certainly isn’t easy. If they had Brian Hoyer in at quarterback this might be a little bit more clear-cut than with Brandon Weeden under the center. Here is why I got the Green Bay Packers on upset alert.
First, The Browns have a Top 10 defense. They’re 8th against the pass allowing 214.3 yards per game, and they’re 8th against the run allowing 98.2 yards per game. Packers wide receiver James Jones isn’t at full strength and is questionable. It will be a touch match up, because the Packers’ offense is Top 5 in passing and defense, but it could happen. Two solid units going up against one another.
The other factor at play? The Packers’ pass defense. It is one of the worst in the league and ranks 28th in the NFL averaging 293.6 yards per game. That could help Brandon Weeden, if he doesn’t take forever to get through his reads and release the ball.
Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs
This one doesn’t make a whole lot of sense at the surface. The Houston Texans have been atrocious, the Chiefs defense has played lights out. They sacked Terrelle Pryor, a mobile quarterback, 10 times and hit him 14 times. That is bad news for whoever is under center for the Texans.
What goes unnoticed is that the Texans have one of the best pass defenses in the league. They’re only allowing an average of 131.3 yards per game. The Chiefs would be more than happy to run Jamaal Charles a lot and ride him to the win column. Running plays, however, means time coming off the clock and that means close games. Plus, you can expect the Texans’ offense to be run heavy as well. The Chiefs have the second ranked pass defense in the league, allowing an average of 190.3 yards per game.
Both teams run defenses rank in the mid-20s. The Texans have a better two-headed monster with Ben Tate and Arian Foster though. That duo they can outlast Charles trying to do it all on his own. Aside from Charles, their second leading rusher is quarterback Alex Smith.
The Texans are also putting in Case Keenum at quarterback. That means the Chiefs have no film on him, no idea what kind of plays they’ll call up for him. Lots of question marks.
What do you think and who do you think is on upset alert? Let us know in the comments below.