In addition to needing to beat the Cleveland Browns this coming Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers will also need three other teams to lose if they are to make the playoffs as the final AFC Wild Card team. One of those teams that must lose is the San Diego Chargers, who will play the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that has nothing to play for because they cannot improve their playoff seeding. After the Sunday loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he’s still not sure as to whether or not he will rest his starters against the Chargers.
“I haven’t even gotten that far. I wasn’t anticipating this right here, so I’ll look at that. I’m not going to say anything now on that, but yeah, I’ll evaluate what we do, as we go forward,” said Reid.
The Chiefs have lost four of their six games with the two wins coming against the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders. In addition, they haven’t beaten a team with a winning record since they took care of a then-3-1 Tennessee Titans way back in Week 5.
As for a few of the Chiefs starters, it sounds like they want to play against the Chargers.
“The Chargers won’t play like it’s an exhibition game,” said guard Geoff Schwartz, according to the Kansas City Star. “I promise you we’ll be ready to play.”
Quarterback Alex Smith, who had a horrible game against the Colts on Sunday, shares Schwartz’s sentiments.
“You want to have some good rhythm, a good taste in your mouth headed into the playoffs,” Smith said. “I’d like to get this taste out of our mouth.”
The Chargers-Chiefs game won’t get under way next Sunday until 4:25 EST and by that time the Steelers might already be eliminated from the playoffs if either the Baltimore Ravens or the Miami Dolphins win in early games. However, should the Steelers beat the Browns and the other two games go their way, the late game will determine whether or not the Steelers or the Chargers get the final playoff spot in the AFC.
In case you are curious, both the odds makers and the betting public think the Chiefs will roll over pretty easily as the Chargers are currently 10 point home favorites on several of the main boards.
