5 seed no matter what) and that will allow the Chargers to rest their players against the Broncos.

However, since the Ravens and Bengals play in the early window before the Chargers, there’s a chance that the Ravens lose (which means L.A. Michael: As of now, the only thing worth playing for is the chance to clinch the AFC’s No. MHR: Tied into that, what will the approach be to Sunday’s game be for LA? Is there anything for the team to play for? The trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd is one of, if not the best, in the NFL and I certainly don’t want that to be the first thing the Chargers see in the playoffs this year. I know I just touted the Chargers defense, but no one wants to try and face a passing attack with three bonafide receiving threats on the outside. Joe Burrow and the Bengals just sound like a nightmare in the first round, as well. It’s no surprise the team looked emotionally deflated after watching two of their best players get helped off the field and their play certainly reflected that throughout the rest of the game.īut with the defensive playing much, MUCH better in recent weeks, I’ll certainly take another shot at a young quarterback who hasn’t been all that tested in recent weeks. To heck with the 38-10 score of their first meeting in week three. But if I had to pick between Cincy and Jacksonville, I’d definitely take the rematch against the Jaguars. Michael: The best matchup possible would be the Titans, but that means they’d have to beat the Jaguars in week 18 which is.not likely, to say the least. MHR: What is the best matchup for the Chargers in the Wildcard round? It looks like LA could either go to Cincinnati or Jacksonville. If he can do that, then Chargers fans can truly start to get behind him as their leader into the future. The biggest thing for Staley now is simply to continue this success past this season. Coincidentally, Staley won nine games his first year, barely missing the postseason, and now has double-digit wins with a playoff spot clinched. But then the wheels came off as he stumbled to a 5-11 season and a 7-9 campaign before being fired. The following year, he went 12-4 and won a playoff game. In Anthony Lynn’s first two seasons with the Chargers, he won nine games his first year and barely missed the playoffs.

However, I do feel there is a bit of cautious optimism attached to this. So yes, Chargers fans are definitely excited to be back in the playoffs. Luckily for the Bolts, they haven’t lost in the wild card round since 2004 and currently have a 6-1 record in the opening round of the playoffs since the turn of the century. Michael: After winning the AFC West four-straight times from 2006-2009, the Chargers have only made the playoffs three times since then, and that includes this year’s trip. MHR: How excited are fans to have the Chargers back in the playoffs? To preview the game, we go behind enemy lines to get a feel for LA heading into the season finale and the best matchup in the playoffs with Michael Peterson from Bolts from the Blue. For what it’s worth, the under is 11-5 in Broncos games this season. Based on that, the under seems to be the smart play.

Again, this is all about the key players not playing for the Chargers. As for the total, that number sits at 40. Since it seems LA could sit its starters, this line makes total sense. As for the Denver Broncos, the game means absolutely nothing.ĭraftKings Sportsbook has the Broncos as slight -3-point favorites. If things go the Los Angeles Chargers’ way, Brandon Staley could sit his starters and wait for the start of the NFL playoffs.

Chargers vs broncos play by play