Chiefs Playoffs Hopes: Key NFL Afternoon Games Affecting KC
By Ben Nielsen
Nov 23, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) pumps his fist after the Chargers beat the St. Louis Rams 27-24 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS AT BALTIMORE RAVENS
Time: Noon
Line: Ravens, -6.5
Chiefs Impact: High
San Diego is in the middle a brutal finishing schedule that includes today’s road game against the Ravens, home to New England next week, and a finishing stretch of Denver, San Francisco, and Kansas City. Yikes, that is brutal. And frankly, if the Chargers come out of that alive then they deserve to be in the playoffs. The likelihood of them surviving, however, is pretty low.
KC holds the advantage over SD in that they already have one head-to-head win plus they get them at home to end the season. The Chiefs control their own destiny when it comes to the Chargers should they end up with the same record heading into week 17. And given SD’s schedule, that seems unlikely.
This is why rooting for the Chargers probably favors the Chiefs this week. Baltimore is part of the cluster of 7-4 teams that are on the Chiefs’ heels for a wild card spot. And the Ravens remaining schedule is soft enough that a 10-6 finish or better seems likely. Whatever losses they can pick up would probably be more favorable to the Chiefs than a San Diego loss since KC doesn’t get the opportunity to hand Baltimore a loss the same way they do against SD.
Rooting of the Chargers is tough but it is probably the right thing to do in this scenario.
Verdict: Root for San Diego