Week 15 of the NFL betting lines 2011 – 12 season has provided a clarity to fans and handicappers alike, that has been missing all season long. Depending on who you talk too, this has been both the best and the worst season of football. On the one hand, we’ve seen everything, from one team flirting with an undefeated streak, to one establishing the second longest losing streak in the last four years. Conversely, teams that shouldn’t have been in the playoff conversation have hung around the price per head playoff picture for far too long. Today we’ll recap why week 15 has become the most rational of any week in the NFL season. The Denver Broncos proved to everyone, that they have been the beneficiaries of an easy schedule, on this Tim Tebow led climb to the top of the AFC West division. Entering last night’s game against the New England Patriots, the Broncos were seven and one in the eight games started by Tebow. However, facing one of the top offenses in the entire league, the Broncos defense was no match for Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. On the Broncos offensive side of things, Tebow was unable to take advantage of the Patriots 30th ranked defense. Instead, the Patriots defense rose to the occasion and were able to contain the greatest story of the bookie software season. Denver and New England’s game was significant in the overall standings, as thanks to losses by Oakland and the New York Jets, both Denver and New England stayed atop the AFC Divisional standings. In fact, New England clinched the AFC East for the ninth time in a row, and now has the opportunity to clinch one of the first round byes, thanks to Houston’s loss to Carolina. Denver on the contrary, only stayed atop the division, because the Oakland Raiders continued their annual choke job, by losing late to the Detroit Lions. As we noted earlier, the New York Jets lost, which allowed the Patriots to clinch the division. However, it should also be noted, that the Jets loss, the Tennessee Titans upset loss to the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals win over the Rams all played huge roles in the AFC playoff picture. Thanks to the two losses and Bengals victory, the Bengals are once again tied with the Jets for the final wild card spot. In theory, the Bengals have to win out for the rest of the season, while the Jets must lose at least one game. Looking at the final two games for both the Jets and Bengals, the schedule seems to be tough for both teams. The Bengals have a very winnable game against the Arizona Cardinals next weekend, while the Jets face the daunting task of defeating the New York Giants. Then, Cincinnati closes against the Baltimore Ravens, while the Jets face the Miami Dolphins. In theory, since the Ravens clinched the AFC North title, they may rest their starters in week 17, while the Dolphins may look to play spoiler against the Jets.
