Getty Gallery: 5/6
No. 7 Los Angeles Chargers
If any team has room to complain after the playoff matchups were revealed, it is the Chargers. L.A. finished 12-4 which is a better record than the Texans, Patriots and Ravens. However, the Chargers are seeded No. 5 in the AFC behind all three teams. The reason is the Chargers did not win the AFC West, and the division winners are automatically given the first four seeds in each conference.
The Chargers even have the same record as the Chiefs, who are the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC. The teams split their two matchups this season, but the Chargers lost the division to the Chargers based on tiebreakers.
To make matters worse, the Chargers now have to go on the road to face a Ravens team that had their number just two weeks ago. The Chargers' offense has slowed down over the last few weeks, but Philip Rivers still believes the team has what it takes to have postseason success.
"It's not as good as we want to play," Rivers explained to ESPN. "But I don't see any pattern. It hasn't been as good, but I think if you look at our collective body of work this year, it's been good enough to win 12 games."
We will see if the Chargers can overcome unfavorable seeding to make a postseason run.
No. 8 Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck and company took care of business when it mattered most. The Colts headed into their Sunday Night Football matchup against the Titans needing a victory to make the playoffs. Indianapolis blew things open in the fourth quarter thanks to a few defensive stands to seal their postseason fate.
The Colts now face a Texans team they defeated a few weeks ago. Indianapolis started the season 1-5 and now are in the playoffs. Colts head coach Frank Reich discussed how the team was able to turn things around.
“To do what we just did is a pretty good feeling, pretty good feeling,” Reich told Colts.com. “To be 1-5 and to do something that only two teams have done in the history of this league, to make the playoffs after a 1-5 start is quite an accomplishment. It’s a real credit to the guys...We talked about there’s three things: there’s trust, there’s toughness, and there’s team. That’s what the foundation is, that’s what the culture is, that’s what the belief is, and those aren’t just words. We lived that this year. We lived it, and we’re not done yet. We’re in the hunt. This is where we wanted to go, but we’ve got another mountain to climb."
Luck looks similar to the quarterback we were used to seeing before he battled recent injuries. The Colts quarterback noted the team has been in playoff mode for some time.
“We’ve been in playoff mode for a long time now," Luck explained to Colts.com. "We really have. I honestly think that helps. It helps us when we’re in a quote-unquote ‘win and in’ situation. Things don’t change this weekend now. It’s the same. So, excited, very happy, and certainly proud to be a Colt.”
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