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Coach Jim Harbaugh will lead the Chargers into the playoffs against the Ravens, Steelers or Texans but first the season finale comes at the Las Vegas Raiders. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Jim Harbaugh doesn’t care for complicated playoff scenarios. With teams still vying for divisional titles and playoff seeding, the Chargers coach, whose team clinched its first postseason berth since 2022 on Saturday, maintains a simple goal for a Week 18 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“My plan is to win,” Harbaugh said Monday. “That’s been our mindset from the very beginning: win the next game.”
A road win in the Chargers’ regular-season finale against the Raiders (4-12) is necessary for the Chargers (10-6) to move up in the AFC playoff picture. They can claim the No. 5 seed — setting up a favorable matchup against the No. 4 Houston Texans in the wild-card round — with a win over the Raiders and a Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers (10-6) own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Chargers. Pittsburgh plays Cincinnati (8-8) at 5 p.m. PST on Saturday. The Chargers will know the stakes of their game before they go to sleep Saturday.
When asked of the possibility of resting starters if the Chargers’ playoff seeding already is determined before the team’s 1:25 p.m. kickoff in Las Vegas, Harbaugh declined to entertain hypotheticals.
“We’re going to take it one day at a time,” Harbaugh said. “We’ll do what’s best for the team.”
Read more: Division battles, a record chase and a grand finale: Inside the NFL’s Week 18 schedule tweaks
If the Chargers remain in the No. 6 spot, they will play their wild-card game at the AFC North champion. Baltimore (11-5) can clinch the division with a win over the Cleveland Browns at 1:30 p.m. PST on Saturday. The Steelers need a Baltimore loss and a win over the Bengals to claim the division and the coveted home playoff game.
The Chargers have a chance to reach 11 wins for the first time since…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/chargers-might-know-playoff-opponent-234616345.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-12-30 23:46:00
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