Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers are 10-4 on the season. In back-to-back years since becoming the new leader of this clubhouse, Harbaugh has coached his team to two 10+ win seasons.
Last Sunday, the Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 16-13, to eliminate them from playoff contention. Nobody imagined the Chiefs not making the playoffs with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and Andy Reid as head coach. The playoffs will look different without games almost automatically going through Chiefs Kingdom. With Mahomes now confirmed to have a torn ACL, the future of the Chiefs is unknown.
The Bolts have not secured a playoff spot just yet. With the Indianapolis Colts owning the tiebreaker over the Chargers, they are still in the hunt. However, it would take the Colts winning at least two games to make it. They face the San Francisco 49ers this Monday, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. All three of those teams should be in the playoffs.
Three games remain for the Chargers against the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos. The Colts' best shot is for the Chargers to collapse and lose all three games. Even then, it is still a tough task for Indy to win 2/3 of the remaining games.
The Chargers are taking on a Cowboys team on Sunday that is also still eyeing the postseason. A loss should eliminate them, so the Chargers are going to get a team playing with the last bit of hope they got. A win for the Chargers secures a playoff spot.
There is a slight chance that the Chargers can still win the AFC West. LA is two games back of the Broncos, but has that win from Week 3 that still looms to this day. If the Chargers enter Week 18 one game back of the Broncos, they have a chance to win the division with a win to end the season. This would require the Jaguars and or Chiefs beating the Broncos in the next two weeks. It's unlikely, but the scenario is on the table.
The Bolts do have a dream playoff scenario. If the playoff picture ends how it currently looks, then the Chargers would travel to either Pittsburgh or Baltimore for the Wild Card round.
Let's break down why it would be a dream scenario. Many possible situations can happen with three weeks remaining.
Chargers Dream Playoff Scenario
The Chargers are looking for their first playoff win in the Justin Herbert-Jim Harbaugh era. They may have to do so on the road, which is not a problem for this franchise. The benefit of having the 5-seed in the playoffs is that you take on the worst division winner, and most of the time, the 5-seed is the better team.
The AFC North has not been good this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently 8-6 and have shown strides as of late to take the lead in the division. The Steelers and Baltimore Ravens will play in Week 18, which could determine the winner of the division. The Chargers already have a big win over the Steelers this season, but they did not play the Ravens.
In order for these matchups to happen, the Chargers must finish the season strong. The Buffalo Bills are going to be right behind them and have a chance to finish the season 13-4. LA may need to match that to keep the 5-seed. The Bolts would have a great opportunity to make a postseason run as the 5-seed.
With how even the AFC is right now, there could be many upsets. The Bills and Texans may even be the two best teams in the AFC right now, and they are the 6th and 7th seeds. You just don't know what can happen when the playoffs begin. With the Chiefs not in it, the conference is up for grabs.
The Chargers do not want to travel to Jacksonville. That would be the worst-case scenario, as the Jags have had the Chargers' number in their last three matchups.
