After 16 weeks of battling and jockeying for position in the AFC, it comes down to this for the Chargers: Win on Sunday and they're in the playoffs.
It's as simple as that.
Key losses by the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs this weekend put the Bolts' postseason destiny in their own hands. Now it's just a matter of winning Sunday's game at the Chiefs and the Chargers take one of the two wild card spots, probably the No. 6 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Things shaped up nicely over the weekend. The New England Patriots have clinched one of the two first-round byes, and the Denver Broncos can do so with a win tonight.
The Indianapolis Colts have already clinched the AFC South. The winner of Sunday's Bengals-Steelers game will take the North division. The Chargers will play one of those three teams, assuming they win.
That's not easy assumption. The Bolts lost to the Chiefs at home earlier this season. They also had a similar situation last year, needing to beat Kansas City in the game's final week.
They pulled off a tense overtime victory in that game, going on to win at Cincinnati in the first round of the playoffs. Could this be a case of playoff deja vu? Bolts fans can only hope so.
