With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, the Chargers had a chance to secure No. 5 seed with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders, which offers a more desirable path through the AFC playoff picture.
Did they get the win? Who are they going to play in the Wild Card Round?
What Are the Los Angeles Chargers Going to Play in the Wild Card Round?
Entering Week 18, the Chargers were the No. 6 seed in the AFC, tied at 10-6 with the Steelers.
The Baltimore Ravens clinched the AFC North and the No. 3 seed after beating the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. Then, the Steelers lost to the Bengals. The Chargers defeated the Raiders to clinch the No. 5 seed and get their 11th win on the year.
Why was the fifth seed so important? They now get to play the Texans instead of the red-hot Ravens.
Before we talk about the impact of the weather conditions and the cold, let’s focus on the opponents. The Ravens are second in PFN’s PR+ rankings, while the Texans are 17th — and the Chargers are 12th.
Even on the road, the Chargers project as slight favorites over the Texans according to our metrics. However, in Baltimore, they would have been underdogs.
When you factor in the weather, a trip to Houston becomes much more desirable. The game in Houston will be played in a stadium with a retractable roof compared to a game that may be impacted by weather in Baltimore. As a warm-weather-based team that plays in a covered stadium, those conditions in Houston are significantly better for the Chargers.
The Chargers are 4-2 this season when playing outdoors on the road, but those wins came against Cleveland, New England, Carolina, and Denver, compared to losses at Kansas City and Pittsburgh.
The current forecast in Baltimore for Wild Card Weekend is temperatures around 30 degrees Fahrenheit. In Houston, they are looking at temperatures just below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The benefits of facing the Texans in Houston over facing Baltimore on the road are clear.
To simulate the postseason, head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to see how each team can continue onto their path to the Super Bowl.