Playoffs? Yes, we still have to talk about Playoffs

That was a painful loss, and we will take time to look back on it and why it happened over the next few days, but we also, unfortunately, have to continue to talk about the playoffs.

The Chargers have not been eliminated yet, but they far from control their own destiny at this point.

The Direct Route - Chargers win the AFC West

The most direct route would require the Chargers winning out, and the Chiefs losing out. If, somehow, the Chiefs manage to drop games to the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos, and the Chargers win out, the Chargers would be at 9-7 and the Chiefs would be at 8-8, Chargers win the AFC West.

The Indirect Route - Wildcard

This one requires a lot more help. Chargers need to win out. The Baltimore Ravens or Tennessee Titans need to win out, securing the 5 seed, then the other of those 2 teams needs to lose out, meaning they would be at 8-8 and not included in a tie breaker scenario. The Buffalo Bills would need to drop one of their final two games vs either the New England Patriots or Miami Dolphins. This would create a 2 way tie for the 6th seed, meaning the Chargers head to head win vs the Bills would be the tie breaker and give the Chargers the 6th seed.

That’s pretty much it. From everything I can see, those are the only 2 scenarios that get the Chargers into the post-season. They aren’t easy, they aren’t ideal, but they exist. They are only possible if the Chargers win out however. There is no scenario available that the Chargers get in at 8-8.