Initial odds for week 15 have been released and the New England Patriots are considered slight 3-point favorites over the Denver Broncos. The game will take place at Mile High, which has been a House of Horrors for New England in recent years.
The Broncos are coming off an ugly 13-10 loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans, which sank Denver to 8-5 and on the fringe of the playoffs. The Titans scored 10 points on their first two drives and led an incredible 19-play, 8-minute drive before the half that resulted in what would be the game-winning field goal.
Denver failed to score until just 10 minutes remained in the game, and were trying to mount a final comeback drive when former Patriots tight end, and now Broncos TE A.J. Derby fumbled the ball with 1 minute left, icing the game for the Titans.
A Patriots victory over the Broncos in week 15 would guarantee that New England wouldn’t have to travel to Denver in the playoffs, and it would throw the Broncos’ playoff chances into jeopardy.
The Broncos are tied with the Dolphins at 8-5, but Miami just lost QB Ryan Tannehill for the season. Now that the Titans hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Broncos, there’s a real chance Tennessee could knock Denver out of the playoffs.
The Broncos have to face the Patriots, travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs, and then host the Raiders. The most likely scenario for Denver is to finish 1-2, although 0-3 isn’t out of the question. The Titans have to travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs, but then they get the Jaguars and Texans to finish the season. It’s very possible for the Titans to finish 2-1 with the same record as the Broncos, giving Tennessee the final playoff spot.
Add in some extra confusion with the Ravens and Steelers possibly finishing 2-1 or 3-0 with a head-to-head and then games against the Eagles (Ravens), Browns (Steelers), and Bengals, and the Broncos could quickly be on the outside looking in.