NFL Week 15 2021: 3 teams on upset alert this week

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 12: Derrick Gore #40 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates his 51-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium on December 12, 2021 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

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DENVER, COLORADO – DECEMBER 12: Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the Denver Broncos throws a pass to Albert Okwuegbunam #85 during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at Empower Field At Mile High on December 12, 2021, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

2. NFL teams on upset alert in Week 15 – Denver Broncos

Let’s stick with the AFC West here as we take a look at the Denver Broncos, who find themselves in a tie for the last two AFC Wild Card spots yet sit 10th in the standings due to tiebreakers. Denver is fresh off of an emotional win on Sunday, beating up the short-handed Detroit Lions 38-10 in their first game since former Broncos’ receiver Demaryius Thomas’ tragic death at the age of 33.

It is tough to project how good Denver is since they have failed to maintain any sort of consistency all season long. A 3-0 start was followed by a four-game losing streak while the Broncos have managed to alternate wins and losses for their past five games.

Home-field seems to be a factor for FanDuel here as Denver has been set as a 1.5-point favorite as they welcome a fellow Wild Card contender to town in the Cincinnati Bengals. This contest is dangerous since Cincinnati is coming off a wild loss to the San Francisco 49ers and need to win to maintain their shot at an AFC North crown with a difficult schedule down the stretch.

The fact that Denver doesn’t have the traditional three-point home bump here indicates that the sportsbooks believe that the Bengals are a major threat to win this game. Cincinnati is more than capable of knocking off the Broncos if Denver puts forth a flat effort after last week’s emotionally fueled win.

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