The Houston Texans defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 in Week 17. The former’s win clinched a playoff spot for itself — and clinched the AFC West for the Denver Broncos. That’s right, for the first time in 10 years, the Broncos are AFC West champions. That said, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of the Texans’ win. For all intents and purposes, it appears the Broncos have been gift-wrapped the No. 1 seed in the AFC Conference.
How the Texans’ Win Affects the AFC Conference
With a win over the Chargers, the Texans are now the No. 6 seed in the AFC — while the Chargers are the No. 7 seed. Because of their win in Week 17, the Texans can still win the AFC South — although the Jacksonville Jaguars, on a six-game winning streak, play the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans in the last two games of the season. The Chargers, meanwhile, are pigeonholed into a wildcard slot.
The question becomes, after losing in Week 17, will the Chargers rest their starters vs. the Broncos next week? The latter must win in Week 18 to lock up the No. 1 seed in the AFC Conference. The risk of injury may not be worth the reward of moving up one slot in seeding, though, for the Chargers. The New England Patriots or Buffalo Bills look certain to be the No. 5 seed. Even if the Bills lose to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17, the Bills’ conference record will remain 8-3.
So, theoretically, the Bills, if they lose, the Texans, and the Chargers will all be 11-5 heading into Week 18. The Bills, however, play the New York Jets in Week 18, the Texans play the now-eliminated Colts, and the Chargers, of course, play the Broncos. It’s hard to imagine the Bills and Texans losing in those scenarios, so it looks like the Chargers should simply rest their starters before the playoffs.
Then, to cover our bases, if the Bills beat the Eagles in Week 17, the Texans and Chargers would both be 11-5. And the Bills would be 12-4. So, the Chargers would need to win in Week 18 and have the Texans lose to go from the No. 7 seed to the No. 6 seed. But the Colts, the Texans’ Week 18 opponent, now have nothing to play for. So, the Chargers should choose rest next week. It appears the Broncos have been gift-wrapped the No. 1 seed in the AFC Conference.
