Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is not downplaying the significance of his team’s Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He knows what’s on the line and is very much looking forward to game day.
Philip Rivers on Saturday's divisional matchup with the Chiefs: "These are the games you dream about playing in. This doesn't win the division, but it certainly helps."
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 13, 2017
Rivers has a similar attitude that Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has about his team’s Week 15 game against the New England Patriots.
Certainly, this isn’t a game that Los Angeles can lose if it’s planning on winning the division.
The Chiefs already have a head-to-head victory over the Chargers this year. So, should Kansas City win, it would not only be up a game on Los Angeles with only two to play, but it would also have the tiebreaker.
A win from the Chargers, meanwhile, would put them a game ahead. It would even not only the head-to-record, but also the division record, which is the next tiebreaker. So, the Chiefs would effectively be in a position where they’d have to run the table to win the division.
Rivers is right in that we won’t know who the AFC West champion is after Saturday’s game. But the stakes will most definitely be high.