After an abysmal 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, the Los Angeles Chargers sat back on their much-needed bye in Week 12 and actually watched themselves move up a spot in the overall AFC standings, jumping from the No. 6 slot up to the top wild-card slot at No. 5 with the way things played out.
The Bolts then got a little more help in the standings on Thanksgiving Day to kick off Week 13, as the Kansas City Chiefs dropped to 6-6 with a 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday afternoon, with the Baltimore Ravens also falling to 6-6 with a 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night.
With that pair of results, here's a quick look at the updated playoff picture ahead of the remaining 12 games on the Week 13 schedule.
- New England Patriots (10-2, 1st AFC East)
- Denver Broncos (9-2, 1st AFC West)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-3, 1st AFC South)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5, 1st AFC North)
- Los Angeles Chargers (7-4, 2nd AFC West)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (7-4, 2nd AFC South)
- Buffalo Bills (7-4, 2nd AFC East)
- Houston Texans (6-5, 3rd AFC South)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-6, 3rd AFC West)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-6, 2nd AFC North)
- Miami Dolphins (4-7, 3rd AFC East)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-8, 3rd AFC North)
- Cleveland Browns (3-8, 4th AFC North)
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-9, 4th AFC West)
- New York Jets (2-9, 4th AFC East)
- Tennessee Titans (1-10, 4th AFC South)
The Chargers, of course, have their own game to worry about on Sunday, as they resume play against the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, who took an embarrassing 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns last week.
But the Bolts will undoubtedly also be keeping an eye on several other contests that could affect their playoff position, so let's have a quick look at the remaining Week 13 games they need to be watching.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
For those wondering why the Chargers currently sit ahead of the Jaguars in the standings even though Jacksonville won the head-to-head matchup two weeks ago, the reason is that since the Bills are also 7-4, a three-way tiebreaker is in play. And because the Bolts have the best record of the three in games within the conference, they sit at No. 5.
The Chargers obviously want no part of a direct head-to-head tiebreaker with the Jaguars down the line, so they'll certainly be hoping the one-win Titans can pull off an upset here.
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
This is a matchup that could actually benefit the Bolts no matter what the outcome is. As the Chargers still have a shot to win the AFC West, they could hope for the Colts to lose here, as they might be battling Indianapolis for seeding among the top four.
On the flip side, however, as the Texans are hanging around in the wild-card race at 6-5, it might serve Los Angeles best if Houston takes a loss, as having one less team to worry about down the stretch would be beneficial. The Chargers will meet the Texans in Week 17, so it'll be interesting to see what that game means when the time comes.
Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers
With the Bills sitting at 7-4, the easy thing to say here is that the Chargers should be rooting for the Steelers. And that is sound logic, as having a better record than a team you're fighting for a playoff spot or seeding is obviously a good thing.
That said, however, if the Chargers beat the Raiders and the Jags take down the Titans, a Buffalo loss would knock the Bolts out of the No. 5 slot, as the three-way tiebreaker goes out the window and that head-to-head tiebreaker with Jacksonville comes into play.
That said, Pittsburgh could obviously end up down in the wild-card race, as they're battling Baltimore for the AFC North crown, so perhaps them dropping down to 6-6 isn't the worst thing in the world.
Denver Broncos at Washington Commanders
This is obviously a no-brainer, as the Chargers will be pulling hard for the Commanders to pull off a primetime upset over the AFC West-leading Broncos on Sunday Night Football.
New York Giants at New England Patriots
This isn't an overly important matchup, but again, if the Chargers end up in the top four as a division winner, they could fight the AFC East-leading Patriots for seeding, so seeing New England lose would be the preferred outcome here.