The 6th seed and final AFC wildcard spot remains open going into Week 17. The San Diego Chargers are in the driver seat currently needing a win on the road at Kansas City. San Diego holds the tiebreaker via a week 13 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Luckily for the bolts they will be facing backup quarterback Chase Daniel as Alex Smith will sit the game with an injury. This by no means will be an easy game, as the Chiefs also have a slim chance at the postseason. Interestingly enough Daniel’s first career start came in week 17 of 2013 vs. San Diego. That game concluded with a 27-24 overtime defeat for Kansas City clinching a playoff spot for the Chargers. Daniel will now face a similar situation one year later.
Should the Chargers suffer a loss in Arrow Head Stadium, the Baltimore Ravens will have the fast track to the playoffs. The Ravens will play the Browns at home. Cleveland will start undrafted rookie from South Carolina Conner Shaw after Johnny football injured his hamstring last week. The Browns will also be missing Josh Gordon after being suspended by the team for missing Saturday’s walk-through. (Manziel was also absent from the walk-through and was fined by the team). The chance of a Browns upset looks pretty slim at this point but it’s the NFL you never know. The Ravens are looking to make the post season once again after missing out last season for the first time since 2008. The following is a simpler explanation of Sundays possible outcomes.
Each team clinches a playoff spot with:
Baltimore Ravens (vs. Cleveland):
1) Baltimore win AND San Diego loss or tie OR
2) Baltimore tie AND San Diego loss
San Diego Chargers (at Kansas City):
1) San Diego win OR
2) San Diego tie AND Baltimore loss or tie
Kansas City Chiefs (vs. San Diego)
1) Kansas City win AND Baltimore loss AND Houston loss or tie
Houston Texans (vs. Jacksonville)
1) Houston win And Baltimore loss AND San Diego loss
