The San Diego Chargers and Steelers have had everything play out so far on Sunday in Week 17 the way they need to and now the Kansas City Chiefs are playing the Chargers and if San Diego wins they are in the playoffs and Pitt will be in if SD loses and there is a five way tie in the AFC and the game on Sunday is at Qualcomm Stadium and is on CBS for the TV coverage.
The Chargers are in position to make the playoffs and they have been much better this season under new head coach Mike McCoy and Philip Rivers has had himself a great season and they come in ranked fourth in the league in passing yards per game and he has over 4,200 yards passing this season and San Diego comes into the games after winning over the Oakland Raiders and the team is 8-7 coming in and having Ryan Mathews healthy all season was huge and he had over 1,100 yards this year and rookie Keenan Allen stepped up big one offense with a number of injuries, going up to near 1,000 yards and he could end up with more than that with a nice game against the Chiefs, who are resting their main players in Alex Smith and Jamaal Charles, as they are locked into the number five seed no matter what happens in the AFC in the playoffs. The Chargers could be one of a number of teams that gets into the playoffs after changing coaches last season and the Chiefs are going to play hard against the Chargers and in the top of the AFC, the Broncos are looking to get the number one seed in the playoffs.
Check here for the Chiefs and Chargers live coverage.
Here is a fun look back on the Chargers from earlier looking towards the 2013 season and it's a good time to look back as the playoffs are coming and the Chargers are right on the cusp and they have a chance to make it into the postseason. The San Diego Chargers got throttled at home in the opening preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, but while the score was 31-10, there was a lot to be happy about from the perspective of head coach Mike McCoy, as the first strong offense looked very strong during the game.
McCoy comes over from the Denver Broncos and replaces Norv Turner after a number of years and as the window starts closing on Philip Rivers, the team is looking to get back into the playoffs for a Super Bowl run. Between Rivers, Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, he is the only one without a Super Bowl ring or an appearance and as he gets older, more pressure will be placed on his shoulders to lead the team there.
The Chargers have gone through a complete overhaul and McCoy is trying to get things more consistent on both sides of the ball, especially on offense, as the running game was basically nonexistent last season. The team is hoping that Ryan Mathews can finally stay healthy this year and with the addition of DJ Fluker and Max Starks on the offensive line, McCoy is hoping for more consistency there as well along with more protection for Rivers.
The Chargers had a rough year in 2012 and now have some hope despite the week 1 loss, as the team looked good after the first while up 3-0 nothing and Rivers was sharp while missing on one of his six passes and bringing the team on a scoring drive. Injuries will be an issue after losing Danario Alexander and Keenen Allen will need to step up as a rookie along with veteran Malcom Floyd. Dwight Freeney and Manti Te'o looked good in the game on defense, but the rookie linebacker was injured and that could knock him out for some time, as he is in a boot after injuring his foot.
Backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst threw two interceptions and third stringer Brad Sorensen, was solid going s 7-for-10 and connected with tight end Ladarius Green on a 31-yard touchdown. Green is an interesting player for the Chargers, as he could be the perfect young compliment for an aging Antonio Gates.
Green is much younger after being taken in the fourth round last season and while Gates is the starter, he is 33-years-old and his time in the league is numbered after putting up some of the best stats of any tight end in the NFL over his career. Green scored the only touchdown against the Seahawks in Week 1.
"He's done a nice job of just getting into the flow of the game," San Diego coach Mike McCoy said. "He's a young football player with a good future in front of him and it's just a matter of buying in and learning the system ... He has improved his blocking and is a threat in the passing game. He's getting better every day."