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New England Patriots: What to root for in Week 16

By Patrick Morgan

<> at New Era Field on October 29, 2018 in Buffalo, New York.
<> at New Era Field on October 29, 2018 in Buffalo, New York. /
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5. Baltimore winning over the Chargers would drop L.A. to 11-4.

BALTIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 1: Running back Justin Forsett #29 of the Baltimore Ravens is tackled by defensive tackle Ryan Carrethers #92 of the San Diego Chargers in the fourth quarter of a game at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 1: Running back Justin Forsett #29 of the Baltimore Ravens is tackled by defensive tackle Ryan Carrethers #92 of the San Diego Chargers in the fourth quarter of a game at M&T Bank Stadium on November 1, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Matt Hazlett/Getty Images) /

Let’s just start by acknowledging what a long-shot this particular scenario is.

The Baltimore Ravens head west to take on the mighty Los Angeles Chargers, the team that just shocked No. 1 seed Kansas City… in Kansas City.

Make no mistake, the Chargers could very well end up as one of the strongest wild card teams in recent memory. They are very, very good, and will be a hard out for any team this season, whether the game is played in L.A. or not.

Somewhat surprisingly, Baltimore is just a four-point road underdog in this contest. The Ravens have been coming on strong of late, but they’re still vastly inferior to the Chargers on paper, and probably will be on the field tonight too.

If John Harbaugh, recipient of a nice new contract extension, can squeeze out a win over Philip Rivers and company, it will drop the Chargers to 11-4 on the season. They would then travel to Denver in Week 17 to finish up their season.

Lose there, and the Bolts are suddenly 11-5… potentially the same record as the Patriots, assuming New England beats Buffalo and New York to close the season.

It might be highly unlikely, but it’s possible the No. 1 seed would then come down to Los Angeles and New England, and if it did, the Patriots would own all the right tiebreakers to jump the Chargers for the top seed.

Of course, they’d also need another AFC heavyweight to lose their last two, which brings us to…

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