In arguably the most attractive game of the week, the Chargers fell to the Chiefs in overtime on Thursday night by the score of 34-28.
Had Los Angeles taken care of business, they would have completed the sweep over Kansas City, sat in first place in the AFC West, and been able to control its destiny the remainder of the season.
Now, 8-6 on the season and currently still with the fifth seed, the Bolts are not in as comfortable of a position as they would have been if they won.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Chargers now have a 72.4% chance of making the playoffs and a 6% chance of still winning the division.
For Los Angeles to be crowned AFC West champs, they would have to win the three remaining games on the schedule and need Kansas City to lose two, including the Week 18 matchup against the Broncos.
At 11-6 apiece, the Bolts would win the tiebreaker over the Chiefs based on the best win percentage in conference games.
Given the fact that Los Angeles has the second-easiest remaining schedule, with games against the Texans, Broncos, and Raiders on the docket and Kansas City has the ninth-most difficult (Steelers, Bengals, and Broncos), it’s certainly possible.
