NFL teams on upset alert in Week 6

Which teams are on upset alert on the NFL‘s Week 6 slate?

Week 6 of the 2014 NFL season is heavy on divisional matchups, and as you probably know, these games are always extremely close and competitive.

That still didn’t stop me from picking two divisional games for my weekly round of upset picks, though.

What’d you think I was going to take the New York Jets over the Denver Broncos? I wouldn’t even take the Jets if they were hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Enough joking. Let’s get into this week’s upset picks.

*All spreads via Yahoo Sports

Cleveland Browns (-2.0) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Cleveland Browns are undoubtedly favored in Week 6 because of their improbable 21-point comeback win against the Tennessee Titans last week.

Yawn.

Let’s not forget that the Browns’ defense ranks 30th overall against the run, which doesn’t pan out well against a Pittsburgh Steelers team that features one of the best young running backs in the NFL in Le’Veon Bell.

Bell ranks second in rushing behind DeMarco Murray, putting up 460 yards on the ground, which averages out to 92 yards per game, while Cleveland surrenders more than 150 yards per game in the rushing department.

The NFL’s second-leading rusher ripped the Browns’ defense in Week 1–a 30-27 win for Pittsburgh–rushing for 109 yards and a TD to go with six receptions for 88 yards.

Still, that doesn’t mean the Steelers are taking Cleveland lightly this season.

The Steelers showed their defensive potential against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, and if they channel that intensity here in Week 6 vs. the rival Browns, I don’t think Pittsburgh will have an issue winning this one. The Steelers improve to 3-2 and assert themselves as contenders in the AFC North.

Philadelphia Eagles (-2.5) vs. New York Giants The Philadelphia Eagles may very well be 4-1, but they haven’t encountered an opponent like the New York Giants yet this season.

For all the preseason talk about the Eagles’ offense, they rank 9th in total offense, and a surprising 23rd in rushing yards, thanks to just 54.6 yards per game from LeSean McCoy. Nick Foles and the passing offense have had issues at times this year moving the ball down the field, which was especially evident in a 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago.

To boot, Philly’s defense ranks an ugly No. 29 in the league, which doesn’t bode well against a Giants team that has been playing extremely well of late.

Despite the loss of Rashad Jennings, New York’s offense–which has helped the Giants to a 3-2 record–has seen increased productivity via the passing game, with Eli Manning throwing for eight touchdowns and just one pick during the G-Men’s three game winning streak.

Also going against Philadelphia is the fact that Big Blue’s defense has been shutting down its offensive opponents of late, allowing just 17 points per game to the Houston Texans, Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons the last three weeks. There’s already been a ton of trash talking going on between the two teams, including the Eagles taking to their website to mock Manning (stay classy, Philadelphia), so there’s some extra spice for ya.

The Giants are putting up an average of 35 points per game and allowing only those 17 points per game during their three game winning streak–that’s a formula for success against the Eagles on Sunday night.

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