NFL Week 18 Overreactions
USAT’s Prince Grimes breaks down the NFL playoff picture after closing out the regular season.
Sports Seriously
Who would the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots play next in the NFL playoffs if they win their NFL playoff wild-card game on Jan. 11?
NFL coaches don’t like their teams to look ahead, but there’s nothing wrong with fans planning ahead in the NFL postseason.
When would the Patriots and Chargers play in the NFL divisional round? Where could they play? Who could they play?
Here’s what to know about the potential second-round game scenarios for the Chargers and Patriots, if they win their first-round game, which is being played at 6 p.m. MST on NBC on Sunday (stream with Peacock).
One of the teams could only play one team in the next round, while the other could end up playing several different opponents in the NFL playoff divisional round, depending on the results of the NFL postseason wild-card games.
NFL playoff schedule: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | Seahawks next game | Broncos next game | NFL playoff bracket | When is Super Bowl? | TV channels, streaming
Watch NFL playoff games on FUBO (free trial)
Who would New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Chargers winner play next?
New England Patriots NFL playoff scenarios:
The Patriots would play either the No. 5 Houston Texans, No. 4 Pittsburgh Steelers or No. 3 Jacksonville Jaguars in their second playoff game.
Here’s the NFL playoff scenarios for how they could face each of those teams in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs:
No. 5 Texans at No. 2 Patriots (if Patriots beat Chargers, Bills beat Jaguars, Texans beat Steelers)No. 4 Steelers at No. 2 Patriots (if Patriots beat Chargers, Bills beat Jaguars, Steelers beat Texans)No. 3 Jaguars at No. 2 Patriots (if Patriots beat Chargers, Jaguars beat Bills)
Los Angeles Chargers NFL playoff scenarios:
The Chargers would play the No. 1 Denver Broncos in their second playoff game.
Here’s the NFL playoff scenario for how they could face that team in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs:
No. 7 Chargers at No. 1 Broncos (if Chargers beat Patriots)
The Patriots couldn’t face the No. 6 Buffalo Bills or No. 1 Denver Broncos in the next round because of seeding.
The Chargers couldn’t face any other team besides the Broncos because they would be the highest seed remaining in the postseason.
NFL playoff picks: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | The Republic’s score predictions
When would the Los Angeles Chargers vs New England Patriots winner play next?
The winner of the Chargers at Patriots NFL postseason wild-card game will play in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday, Jan. 17, or Sunday, Jan. 18.
NFL playoff odds: Rams at Panthers | Packers at Bears | Bills at Jaguars | 49ers at Eagles | Chargers at Patriots | Texans at Steelers | Wild-card odds | Super Bowl odds
Where would the New England Patriots vs Los Angeles Chargers winner play next?
The Patriots are the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, while the Chargers are the No. 7 seed.
The Patriots would host the Texans, Steelers or Jaguars in the NFL divisional round at Gillette Stadium, if they beat the Chargers.
The Chargers would play at the Denver Broncos’ Empower Field at Mile High in the second round of the NFL playoffs, if they upset the Patriots.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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