The last time the Los Angeles Chargers franchise made the NFL Playoffs in consecutive seasons, Philip Rivers was still in his 20s, had just taken over QB1 duties from Drew Brees, and led the team, then still in San Diego, to the postseason four straight times from 2006 to 2009.
So, yeah, it's been a minute since the Bolts earned back-to-back playoff berths. But Jim Harbaugh & Co. are in prime position to make that happen this year, as they improved to 10-4 this past Sunday with a hard-fought 16-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, a victory that ensured their longtime rivals will miss the postseason for the first time since 2014.
While the Chargers failed to gain any ground in the AFC West with the Denver Broncos improving to 12-2 with a 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers, they did at least maintain their position as the top wild-card team in the AFC playoff picture, which shakes out like this heading into Week 16.
- Denver Broncos (12-2, 1st AFC West)
- New England Patriots (11-3, 1st AFC East)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4, 1st AFC South)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6, 1st AFC North)
- Los Angeles Chargers (10-4, 2nd AFC West)
- Buffalo Bills (10-4, 2nd AFC East)
- Houston Texans (9-5, 2nd AFC South)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-6, 3rd AFC South)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-7, 2nd AFC North)
As you can see, the Chargers in good shape heading into the final three weeks of the regular season, at least in the wild-card race. But the AFC West isn't out of the picture just yet, as the Bolts still have a second date with Denver in Week 18. Of course, the Broncos will need to lose by then, and that's simply not been a thing lately, as they've won 11 in a row. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
For now, let's have a quick look at the different ways Los Angeles could lock up at least a wild-card berth in Week 16.
A Chargers win and a loss from either the Texans or Colts gets the Bolts into the playoffs
Everything starts with the Chargers going into AT&T Stadium and getting a win over the Dallas Cowboys, who got themselves back into the NFC East race for a minute by winning three straight coming out of their Week 10 bye.
Since then, however, America's Team has dropped its last two, taking a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 14 and a 34-26 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings in primetime this past Sunday night. So, this is certainly a winnable game for the Bolts.
And if the Chargers indeed do get that victory in the early-afternoon slate on Sunday, they'll then sit back and hope for either the Houston Texans to lose to the Las Vegas Raiders in the late-afternoon portion of the Sunday schedule or Rivers and his Indianapolis Colts to lose to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.
Here's a look at every clinching scenario for the Chargers in Week 16.
- Chargers win vs. Cowboys + Texans lose/tie vs. Raiders
- Chargers win vs. Cowboys + Colts lose/tie vs. 49ers
- Chargers tie vs. Cowboys + Texans lose vs. Raiders + Colts tie vs. 49ers
- Chargers tie vs. Cowboys + Colts lose vs. 49ers
The last two seem unlikely, of course, even though the Cowboys did have that famous 40-40 tie with the Packers back in Week 4. But then a second tie with the Colts and 49ers in that third scenario there? Yeah, that's not happening.
It's also not very likely that the Texans are going to lose to the lowly Raiders, who haven't won since October 12. So, if the Chargers take care of their own business against Dallas, they then have to root against Rivers and the Colts to lose to the Niners. It's not ideal to root against a franchise legend, but business is business.