NFL Week 18 2022: 3 teams on upset alert this weekend

QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs are among the NFL teams that find themselves on upset alert entering Week 18.

It may seem hard to focus on football in light of the Damar Hamlin situation, but the NFL appears set to press forward with its full Week 18 slate. It certainly won’t be easy for the league’s players to participate in games after seeing what happened on Monday night, but barring a reversal from the NFL the games will go on with a ton of stakes on the line in the regular season finale.

A few playoff spots are still on the line and seeding is up for grabs, making it imperative for teams to avoid upsets if they want to accomplish their goals. Let’s take a look at three NFL teams with something to play for that could be on upset alert in Week 18, beginning with the Kansas City Chiefs.

3. NFL Teams That Should Be On Upset Alert In Week 18 – Kansas City Chiefs

Things haven’t been pretty in Kansas City down the stretch but the Chiefs are still in the mix for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. A win on Saturday against the Las Vegas Raiders may be enough although Jarrett Stidham’s breakout performance could raise alarm bells with Kansas City’s defensive slump.

The Chiefs have been far from sharp on defense down the stretch, allowing Russell Wilson to look like his old self last week and letting mediocre teams hang around for a while. Patrick Mahomes has rescued the Chiefs on numerous occasions but playing that game, particularly on the road, is a dangerous way to live in the NFL.

Oddsmakers have set the Chiefs as 7.5-point road favorites against the Raiders, who are out of the playoff picture but would love nothing more than to spoil Kansas City’s homefield dreams. Kansas City will need to be much better defensively if they hope to avoid getting upset on Saturday.