The past week or so, for many fans of the Los Angeles Chargers, has represented a painful wait as they ruminate over the team's brutal loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11, awaiting their return to action against the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday.
Yet, although the Chargers weren't in action on Thanksgiving, the Kansas City Chief's brutal loss to the Dallas Cowboys, 31-28, represented a much-needed boost to their playoff hopes, making the path much, much tougher for one of the few teams that are in a position to threaten their Wild Card spot.
According to The Athletic playoff odds simulator, the Chargers now stand at a 62% chance to make the playoffs (as opposed to the 57% chance they would have had would the Chiefs had won the game). While this might seem like a small difference, any margin matters given the schedule Los Angeles has to face to end the season.
Chargers need all the help they can get in their pursuit of the playoffs
Both the Chiefs and the Chargers, coincidentally, are in strange positions regarding the playoffs. While Los Angeles is currently 7-4 and sit at the fifth seed in the AFC, the struggles of their offensive line will make it an exceedingly tall task for them to put together the wins they will need over their final six games.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, look, for the most part, like a better team than they were at this time last season, yet they have lost a number of close games that have left them with a 6-6 record. Given their losses to Jacksonville, Buffalo and the Chargers, it is likely that they will now need to win out to earn a Wild Card spot.
Their loss to the Cowboys, who are proving to be one of the NFL's hottest teams as of late, does not help their outlook in the slightest.
Yet, for the Chargers, it puts vital distance between them and their bitter rival. Through the rest of the season, Los Angeles will face the Raiders, Eagles, Cowboys, Texans and Broncos. They will likely need to win three of these games, finishing the season with a 10-7 record, to hold their spot in the Wild Card.
Yet, each of these teams poses their own challenges, and, given the way that the Chargers played in their last appearance, nothing on this slate is a given.
Their chances will rise to 67% if they are able to come away victorious against the Raiders this week, but it will be a huge development if the Chiefs (who, along with the Texans, Bills, Jaguars and Ravens, will be threatening Los Angeles's place in the standings) continue to play their way out of playoff contention.