Getty Gallery: 3/6
No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs
There was a serious debate about bumping up the Kansas City Chiefs. If Andy Reid's team had rolled past the Baltimore Ravens, it would have been an easy call. But it took a wild overtime game for them to pick up that win, and while the Ravens are a good team, it wasn't quite enough to push them up.
The Patrick Mahomes-Tyreek Hill connection only continues to get better, and the electrifying receiver even played through a foot injury as well. One key play stood for the Chiefs involving these two in the Week 14 win, and it came on a 4th and 9 that saved their chance of a comeback. Hill spoke about that crucial play to ESPN's Adam Teicher.
"I kind of feel like we've been practicing that sometimes," said Hill, who made the catch despite a noticeable limp because of a foot injury he played through for most of the second half. "Coach [Andy] Reid, he puts us in these same moments in training camp against our own defense. It gets us ready."
Kansas City just continues to find ways to win, even when they don't play their best game. That's an impressive trait for any team, but even more impressive against a defense like Baltimore's.
The Chiefs have locked up a playoff berth, but have a bit more work to do when it comes to the No. 1 seed. They have a two-game edge on the New England Patriots (who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker) and Houston Texans. Even beyond that, Mahomes and company still have to hold off the Los Angeles Chargers for the AFC West crown.
No. 4 Los Angeles Chargers
Speaking of the Los Angeles Chargers, they are primed to potentially catch a huge break in Week 15 on a short week. As they prepare to head to Kansas City for a chance to tie the Chiefs atop the AFC West, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport provided a positive outlook on running back Melvin Gordon.
Although the team's top running back missed the last two games with an MCL sprain, Rapoport reported Gordon could return for the Thursday Night Football matchup just days away. Considering that backup Austin Ekeler aggravated his neck injury (per ESPN), Gordon's return for a game with massive playoff implications could be key.
Regardless, it's hard to ignore what the Chargers have done as of late, winning nine of their last 10 games. Although they manage to find themselves in tight finishes a fair amount, Philip Rivers and company continue to gut out key wins.
And speaking of Rivers, the veteran has been exceptional this season while throwing for 3,638 yards and 29 touchdowns. arguably the most impressive part is that he's not turning the ball over, having thrown just six interceptions to this point.
Even following the Week 15 date against the Chiefs, it's a tough two-week stretch to wrap the year for the Chargers. They play a Saturday night game against Lamar Jackson and a Baltimore Ravens team pushing to hold their playoff spot, and then the Denver Broncos who are also still in the mix.