With less than a month left in the regular season, the Chargers are one of several teams fighting for playoff spots in the AFC.
After missing the postseason last year, Los Angeles entered Week 15 at 8-5 in Jim Harbaugh's first season and is in prime position to make it back this season. However, Los Angeles dropped Sunday's game to the Buccaneers 40-17, meaning the team is now 8-6 with just three games left.
in Week 14, the Chargers went to Kansas City to try and make a dent in the Chiefs' AFC West lead, but Los Angeles couldn't come out on top, with the Chiefs winning on a walk-off field goal to clinch the AFC West for the ninth consecutive season.
Entering the home stretch of the 2024 NFL season, here's a look at where the Chargers stand in the playoff picture.
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Chargers playoff picture
AFC Standings
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1. | Kansas City Chiefs* | 13-1 |
| 2. | Buffalo Bills* | 11-3 |
| 3. | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10-4 |
| 4. | Houston Texans* | 9-5 |
| 5. | Baltimore Ravens | 9-5 |
| 6. | Denver Broncos | 9-5 |
| 7. | Los Angeles Chargers | 8-6 |
| 8. | Indianapolis Colts | 6-8 |
| 9. | Miami Dolphins | 6-8 |
| 10. | Cincinnati Bengals | 6-8 |
| 11. | New York Jets | 4-10 |
| 12. | Cleveland Browns | 3-11 |
| 13. | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-11 |
| 14. | Tennessee Titans | 3-11 |
| 15. | New England Patriots | 3-11 |
| 16. | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-11 |
*Clinched division
The Chiefs clinched the AFC West with their win over the Chargers in Week 14, meaning Los Angeles can't get higher than the No. 5 seed in the AFC. Had Los Angeles been able to pull off the upset in Kansas City, the Chargers would have been two games back of the Chiefs with four games to play.
Despite that loss, the Chargers are still in good shape in the wild-card race, allowing them to control their own destiny. However, with the loss to the Buccaneers, the Broncos have jumped the Chargers in the standings, dropping Los Angeles to the final playoff seed.
While Denver is 9-5, Los Angeles won the only game the teams have played against each other so far this season. As for the Chargers' battle with the 9-5 Ravens, Baltimore owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after beating Los Angeles in late November.
MORE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 15
Chargers remaining 2024 schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time |
| Dec. 19 | vs. Denver Broncos | 8:15 p.m. ET |
| Dec. 29 | @ New England Patriots | TBD |
| Jan. 5 | @ Las Vegas Raiders | TBD |
The biggest game left on the Chargers' schedule is in Week 16 when they host the Broncos on "Thursday Night Football." As those two represent the last two wild-card slots as of now, the winner of that game should essentially seal a spot in the playoffs.
Even so, Los Angeles ends the season with a soft landing, as the Chargers play the worst two teams in the AFC to close out the year vs. the Patriots and Raiders.
Updated Chargers playoff chances
ESPN's Football Power Index has the Chargers with an 88.5% chance to make the playoffs after Week 15, but Los Angeles falls behind the Broncos, who won their game vs. the Colts.
