Los Angeles Chargers: Who needs to lose to keep playoff hopes alive

Because of the crowded AFC playoff picture, the Los Angeles Chargers have a 4-7 record and somehow have not been eliminated from contention.

This year has been dreadful for the Los Angeles Chargers. The team has blown several games in the closing stages and very easily could be 7-4 instead of 4-7 if we changed one or two things about each game.

Not only have Charger fans had to watch their team blow games late, but they have also had to watch their quarterback. Philip Rivers, get worse and worse as father time approaches. Rivers’ performance in Mexico City against the Chiefs was especially bad and kickstarted the conversation that it is time for a new quarterback in LA.

The Chargers have lost every single game by one possession, so they are talented enough to stay in every game and beat every team, they just haven’t got the job done. Despite all of this, though, the team somehow is still in the playoff picture.

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Full disclosure: as a Charger fan myself I have very little faith that the Chargers make the playoffs. With eight teams ranging from 6-5 to 4-7, it is a crowded playoff picture that really is hard to predict.

The Chargers are going to have to win out. There is no way they make the playoffs with an 8-8 record, although a 9-7 record probably will be enough, depending on who else finishes 9-7. Asking the team to win out is already a tall order, but they also need certain teams to lose games as well.

Here are all of the games that impact the Chargers’ chances of making the playoffs, including which team you should be rooting for this week.

Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts: Root for the Colts

Both the Titans and Colts are 6-5 this season and one of them is going to move to 7-5, which if the Chargers win, will still put them two games behind what should be the second wild card team once the week is finished.

You could make the case for the Titans winning as they are more susceptible to a meltdown than the Colts and they do have a tough finish. There is a possibility that Tennessee wins and loses three of their last four to finish 8-8, which would be the absolute-best case-scenario.

However, I don’t want to bank on that being the case, especially with the Titans being red-hot. The case for rooting for the Colts is that the Chargers have the head-to-head tiebreaker over them, whereas the Titans have the tiebreaker against the Chargers.

The Colts’ last four is not overly difficult, but there are losable games against the Buccaneers, Saints, Panthers and Jaguars. The Los Angeles Chargers need them to go 2-2 in that final four to tie with them.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers: Root for the Browns

This is another game where both teams will impact the playoff hunt. The Browns have somehow gotten back into the picture and with an easy schedule from here on out, they could make a run and secure the second wild-card spot after a terrible start.

They have a lot of work to do, like the Chargers, but do have an extra leg up with a 5-6 record.

Despite that, we still should be rooting for the Browns as a Browns win puts both of the teams at 6-6 instead of having the Steelers at 7-5. From there, the Chargers would need the Browns to lose two games in the final four.

They play the Ravens, which is a losable game, and need to lose either against the Arizona Cardinals or once against the Bengals, which is a tall order. If it ends up being a three-way tie it goes to conference record. At 2-6 in the AFC, if that happens, the Chargers won’t make it, so they need the Browns to lose twice.

As for the Steelers, they play the Cardinals, Bills, Jets and Ravens. With two games against playoff teams, a loss against the Browns will likely lead to an 8-8 record.

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs: Root for the Chiefs

Yes, you should be rooting for the Chiefs. It hurts, I know. The Raiders actually helped keep the Chargers in it by losing against the New York Jets and if they lose this week they will be down to 6-6 on the year, which is perfect for the Chargers.

Like the Browns and Steelers, the Chargers would need the Raiders to go 2-2 in the final four. They play the Chargers once, and if LA is going to make the playoffs that has to be a win, so there is one loss.

They also play the Titans, Jaguars and Broncos. The best-case scenario would be them beating the Titans to really hurt their playoff seeding and then lose to either the Jaguars or Broncos, which certainly is not out of the realm of possibility.

New England Patriots at Houston Texans: Root for the Texans

This one is not as impactful but it could make a difference. If the Texans lose it will move them to 7-5, which will tie them with either the Colts or the Titans.

One of those teams has to win the division, but adding the Texans to the fold adds the possibility of them finishing 9-7 alongside the Colts or Titans. If they become a wild-card team and are 9-7 with the Chargers they would have the head-to-head tiebreaker.

As you can see, the Los Angeles Chargers need a lot to happen over the next five weeks and none of it matters if they cannot win out. If they lose this week none of this even matters.