After taking an abysmal 35-6 defeat at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of their long-awaited bye week, the Los Angeles Chargers returned to action on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium against the Las Vegas Raiders and took an easy 31-14 victory, thus completing the season sweep of their longtime rivals.
The win didn't come without its worries, however, as Justin Herbert broke a bone in his non-throwing hand during the Bolts' first offensive series, but played through the pain after covering it with a hard cast and glove, ultimately completing 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Herbert is set to undergo surgery on Monday and could very well miss the Chargers' Week 14 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles next Monday night.
With Herbert not throwing the ball nearly as much as he normally would, Los Angeles turned to Kimani Vidal, and the second-year back delivered with a career-high 126 yards, a large chunk of which came on a 59-yard touchdown run early in the second half that broke a 7-7 tie and gave the Bolts a lead they never relinquished.
With the win, the Chargers improved to 8-4 on the season. And while they couldn't gain any ground in the AFC West, as the Denver Broncos improved to 10-2 with a wild overtime win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football, they did maintain their position in the top wild-card slot.
Chargers win a three-team tiebreaker to maintain the No. 5 slot in the AFC standings
Here's a look at the AFC playoff picture as is stands following Sunday's Week 13 action.
It needs to be noted, of course, that the New England Patriots have yet to play, as they're set for a Monday Night Football matchup with the New York Giants. As such, the Broncos, who now own the same 10-2 record as the Pats, currently own the No. 1 seed due to having a better record against common opponents. If the Patriots win, of course, they'll slide back into the top spot, with Denver dropping down to No. 2.
We've also only included 14 of the 16 AFC teams here, as the Raiders (2-10) and the Tennessee Titans have officially been eliminated from postseason contention.
Updated AFC playoff picture
- Denver Broncos (10-2, 1st AFC West)
- New England Patriots (10-2, 1st AFC East)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4, 1st AFC South)
- Baltimore Ravens (6-6, 1st AFC North)
- Los Angeles Chargers (8-4, 2nd AFC West)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-4, 2nd AFC South)
- Buffalo Bills (8-4, 2nd AFC East)
- Houston Texans (7-5, 3rd AFC South)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6, 2nd AFC North)
- Kansas City Chiefs (6-6, 3rd AFC West)
- Miami Dolphins (5-7, 3rd AFC East)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-8, 3rd AFC North)
- New York Jets (3-9, 4th AFC East)
- Cleveland Browns (3-9, 4th AFC North)
As you can see, the Chargers own the same 8-4 record as the sixth-seeded Indianapolis Colts, who fell to second place in the AFC South with a loss to the Houston Texans, and the Buffalo Bills, who knocked off the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The reason the Bolts win the three-way tiebreaker is that they have the best record among the three in games within the conference. Los Angeles has gone 7-2 against the AFC thus far, with Indianapolis going 6-3 and Buffalo going 5-3.
The Bolts want no part of any head-to-head tiebreaker with the Colts down the line, as they took that 38-24 loss to Indy back in Week 7. For those wondering, the reason the Colts fell to second in their division is that the Jaguars, who own the same 8-4 record, have a better winning percentage against common opponents.
Los Angeles would also obviously lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with Jacksonville due to that loss two weeks ago. The Colts and Jags play the first of their two matchups this Sunday, with the second set for Week 17, so the Chargers will undoubtedly be paying attention to how those play out.
As mentioned, the Bolts will next take the field on Monday Night Football to close out Week 14 against the defending champion Eagles. Now we just wait to see if Herbert is under center or if Trey Lance will be tasked with getting Los Angeles a much-needed win to keep pace in this wild AFC playoff picture.