Chargers stun the Chiefs 41-38, move into a six-way tie for the final Wild Card spot
On a day when Antonio Gates became the quickest tight end to reach 9,000 receiving yards, the Chargers moved back into playoff relevancy thanks to a perfectly placed pass to the less-heralded Seyi Ajirotutu with 26 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. Combined with losses by the Jets and Dolphins, the Chargers move into a six-way tie for the final AFC Wild Card spot.
If the season ended today, the Tennessee Titans would receive the sixth and final AFC playoff spot and play the Indianapolis Colts. After the Titans, the pecking order for the final AFC Wild Card is as follows: Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Diego, New York, Miami.
For the Chargers, the win snapped a 3-game losing streak. The Chiefs, on the other hand, dropped a second straight game after beginning the season 9-0. To make matters worse, Kansas City has to face the Denver Broncos next week and may be playing without their top two pass rushers Tamba Hali and Justin Houston.
The Chargers’ road to the playoffs will not be easy. Despite having 4 of their final 5 games at home, 3 of those 5 games are against playoff-bound teams in the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, and a rematch with the Chiefs. The other two games are at home against the New York Giants and Oakland Raiders, whom the Chargers already lost to once this season.
According to playoffstatus.com, the Chargers are the least likely of those teams to make the playoff, with only a 10% chance. The Pittsburg Steelers are the most likely (at 32%) followed by the Baltimore Ravens (at 20%).
However, as Chargers fans know, Philip Rivers tends to play his best football in the final stretch of the season. The Chargers also may be getting healthy in the final weeks of the season as OLB Jarrett Johnson, LT King Dunlap, and maybe even OLB Melvin Ingram look to step back onto the field.
