As the Los Angeles Chargers came into Week 16 trailing the Denver Broncos by two games in the AFC West, they knew they needed to take care of their own business against the Dallas Cowboys to avoid being officially eliminated from the division race.
And the Bolts, of course, did just that, earning an emphatic 34-17 victory over America's Team to improve to 11-4 on the season. Facing a Dallas defense that ranks dead last against the pass, Justin Herbert lit it up on Sunday, completing a season-high 79.3 percent of his passes for 300 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. This was also the first game all season in which he didn't take a sack.
The Los Angeles defense had a tough time containing Dak Prescott and the Cowboys' high-octane offense in the first half, but pitched a shutout over the final 30 minutes, which will do nothing but give Jesse Minter's unit even more confidence moving forward.
With their victory in hand, the Chargers then turned their attention toward the red-hot Broncos, who took their 11-game winning streak into a challenging matchup with the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars.
And the Bolts got exactly what they needed from the Jags, who went into Mile High and ended Denver's 12-game home winning streak with a dominant 34-20 victory behind a strong performance from Trevor Lawrence, who
With the loss, the Broncos dropped to 12-3, and the Chargers are now in control of their own fate in the division heading into the final two weeks of the season.
The Chargers win the AFC West if they win their final two games against the Texans and Broncos
With the way things stand, all Los Angeles needs to do to win the AFC West, which could perhaps also mean clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the conference, is to win its final two games.
And this is why.
Yes, Los Angeles still trails Denver by a game. But even if that remains the case if both win their respective Week 17 matchups, which will be a lot easier for the Broncos against the banged-up Kansas City Chiefs than it will for the Chargers against a Houston Texans team that has now won seven in a row, the Bolts and Broncos face another in Week 18.
So, if the Chargers win that regular-season finale, that would leave both teams sitting at 13-4. But since the Bolts will have completed the season sweep, that would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker and their first AFC West title since 2009.