Final week showdown against Denver dictates Chargers' playoff seeding. Their road to the Super Bowl hinges on clinching the 5, 6, or 7 seed.
The NFL playoffs are around the corner, and the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) are looking to make a coveted Super Bowl run this postseason. Where they will play is still up in the air.
The Chargers are set to face the Denver Broncos, who are looking to secure a No. 1 seed this weekend with a win. Los Angeles is simply looking to get back to health before the playoff run.
With the postseason nearing, some are discussing where teams will finish in the playoff standings. One outlet cleared up where the Chargers are set to play in the playoffs.
It appears the Chargers are in play for the No. 5, No. 6 or No. 7 seed. Jeremy Cluff of the "Arizona Republic" shares where the Chargers could end up landing in the postseason picture.
"The Chargers would be the No. 5 seed with a win or Texans loss or a win and a Texans win, Jaguars loss and Bills win, provided it takes the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Bills and Jaguars. No. 6 seed possibilities for Los Angeles include a loss and a Bills loss or a win and a Texans win and Jaguars win or a win, a Texans win, a Jaguars loss, and a Bills win should it lose the strength of victory tiebreaker to the Jaguars and the common games win percentage tiebreaker against the Bills. The Chargers would be the No. 7 seed with a loss and a Bills win."
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is tripped up by Houston Texans safety K'Von Wallace (38) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn ImagesIn other words, not much is settled in the postseason picture for Los Angeles and a handful of other teams. That said, it appears that their Week 18 opponent might have more to gain in Sunday's game. Cluff shared what would happen if the Broncos were unable to win on Sunday.
"The Broncos would be No. 2 in the AFC with a loss and a Jaguars loss and a Patriots win or with a loss and a Jaguars win and a Patriots loss. The No. 3 seed would be Denver's with a loss and a Jaguars win and a Patriots win."
In a sense, the Chargers could spoil the Broncos' ideal playoff seeding, but with perhaps minimal gain. The likelihood in Los Angeles will be playing on the road anyway to start the postseason.
There's plenty that will unravel over the last week of the NFL season. We'll keep an eye on where the Chargers land when it all unfolds.