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The Denver Broncos picked up a pretty shocking win in Week 14 when they beat the Houston Texans.
That victory gave them their second win in a row, and moved their record to 5-8.
However, Denver has another tall task in Week 15, as they face off with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs are 9-4 and atop the AFC West, the same division that the Broncos are in. Kansas City also handled Denver pretty easily in their first meeting of the season, winning 30-6.
Why could this time be different though? Here are four reasons the Broncos could upset the Chiefs in Week 15.
Health of Patrick Mahomes
There really is no argument anymore. Pat Mahomes is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The Kansas City quarterback consistently puts up mammoth numbers and helps lead his team to a ton of wins.
However, Mahomes has been dealing with some injuries this year. And it appears he is not 100% at the moment. In fact, he might not even be available to play in Week 15.
If that's the case, things are changed quite a bit. Matt Moore has been in the NFL for a long time, but he's not a quarterback the caliber of Mahomes.
This gives the Broncos a much bigger chance of pulling off the upset. Suddenly, the Chiefs don't have their leader. They don't have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL with a cannon for an arm that can get the ball to Tyreek Hill (or whoever ran deep).
If Mahomes is out, the Chiefs should still be considered a pretty dangerous team. However, they aren't nearly as scary. They would definitely be a team Denver could take advantage of.
Even if he does play, it's clear Mahomes is not completely healthy. Maybe that makes him not as effective.
Drew Lock
Drew Lock was expected to be selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Instead, he had to wait for the second round, when the Broncos took the quarterback with the 42nd overall pick.
Lock did not get a chance to start immediately though. Joe Flacco had that job, besides, Lock was injured anyways.
It seemed like Lock would not play at all in year one. That changed in Week 13 though. The rookie was named the quarterback of a 3-8 Denver team.
In his first game, Lock was nothing spectacular, but he showed some great signs. Lock went 18-for-28 (64.3%) and threw two touchdowns compared to one interceptions. However, he also only managed 134 yards in the air.
The big thing was the win though. Lock led Denver to just their fourth win of the season. Against a divisional opponent in the Los Angeles Chargers no less.
Then in Week 14, Lock made his second career start, and showed major improvements.
The rookie went 22-for-27 (81.5%) for three touchdowns and just one interception. This time, he threw for 309 yards.
Once again, his performance helped lead the Broncos to a win. This time it was a shocking upset of the Texans.
If Lock can keep up this play, the Broncos could play spoilers a few more times this season, maybe they do just that against the Chiefs in Week 15.
Momentum
This is kind of mixed in with Lock, but the Broncos have all types of momentum right now. They have a rookie quarterback who is playing great, and are on their second two-game winning streak of the season.
In the last two weeks, Denver has beaten a division rival in the Chargers, and upset a playoff team in the Texans.
Sure, the Chiefs are on a streak of their own, three game winning streak to be exact. However, this is nothing new for Kansas City. They are used to dominating over the last few years.
Meanwhile, this is uncharted territory for the Broncos. They got the chance to spoil a team last week, can they do the same again this week?
The momentum is on their side right now. They have things to get excited about and players shining when given the opportunity. Signs are starting to point in the direction of Denver.
Lock has revitalized the team, and the momentum has come with him.
Clinched
The Chiefs have clinched the division. Even if they lose out, they will be 9-7. The only other team in the AFC West that can get to 9-7 are the Oakland Raiders. The issue is, the Chiefs already own the tie-breaker over them.
Yes, Kansas City is still fighting for playoff seeding, and even has an outside chance at home field advantage. They are still in the thick of things for a first-round bye as well.
They are dealing with some issues though. Mahomes is not 100%. Do you risk putting him out there when you already have a postseason spot locked up? Or do you let him get completely healthy?
Even if you do put him out there, do you let him play out the game? Or at the first sign of trouble do you take him out?
The Chiefs definitely won't be mailing it in the rest of the year. They might not be going 100% either. That bodes extremely well for Denver as they look to make it three straight wins for the first time all season.
Maybe the Broncos walk out of Week 15 with yet another victory as the Lock era continues to be off to a phenomenal start.
