NFL Week 17 2022: 3 teams on upset alert this Sunday

TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars are among the NFL teams that should be on upset alert entering Week 17.

Just two weeks remain in a wild NFL season that has been far from predictable since things kicked off in September. 24 of the league’s 32 teams are mathematically alive for a playoff spot as we flip the calendar to 2023, meaning we could be in for a chaotic final two weeks of football.

Any upset at this point of the year can be extremely damaging to a team’s postseason hopes, a fact the Detroit Lions learned the hard way after getting tripped up in Carolina on Christmas Eve. Let’s take a look at three more teams who may be in store for an upset if they aren’t careful in Week 17, beginning with the San Francisco 49ers.

3. NFL Teams That Should Be On Upset Alert In Week 17 – San Francisco 49ers

One team that knows it is going to the playoffs is San Francisco, which wrapped up the NFC West title with a win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. The 49ers built on their momentum on Saturday with a convincing win over the Washington Commanders to maintain a slim shot at the top seed in the NFC.

The odds of seeing either Philadelphia or Minnesota trip up enough to open up a path to home field for the 49ers are long so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kyle Shanahan begin to prioritize some rest for his banged-up team. While this is a logical move, it could leave San Francisco vulnerable to an upset on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

San Francisco is favored by five on the road and Las Vegas has been a feisty team at home, going 4-2 there as opposed to 2-7 on the road. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the 49ers come out a bit flat for this game as the Raiders grab a much-needed victory.