272 regular season games have gone by just like that in 18 weeks. With that, we have now found ourselves heading into the postseason with an NFL playoff picture that couldn’t have been drawn better. While fans of respective franchises are thinking about their team’s chances of reaching the Super Bowl, we have a question for LA. Both Los Angeles teams have managed to reach the playoffs from their respective divisions. Now, what if both the Rams and the Chargers reach the Conference Championship?
And that’s not the only question we have in our football-crazy minds. What happens if both of them have a home-field advantage? How come the NFL then schedule their games? Because the two of them share SoFi Stadium, respectively, on their given matchday. Will it not be a bit problematic if the Rams and the Chargers somehow reach NFC and AFC Conference Championship games? Well, let’s break down the permutations and combinations for this to happen.
See, the Lions have clinched the No.1 NFC seed, followed up by the Eagles, Bucs, and finally, the Rams at No.4. They would be coming up against the Minnesota Vikings. And let’s just say it won’t be an easy match-up at all for the Rams. However, it’s the NFL we are talking about, and anything could happen on a given day. For the Rams to host the Conference Championship, they’ll need more than just a win over the Vikings—they’ll need Detroit, Philly, and Tampa Bay to all take an unexpected tumble.
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USA Today via Reuters Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) runs the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
That’s the scenario of the Rams. Coming to the Chargers, their chances of playing at home look way more difficult than anybody could predict. The Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, and Texans all have to lose their clashes. And obviously, the Bolts need to win their game against Houston to clinch that home-field advantage. Let’s say this miracle does happen, and both the Rams and the Chargers go through with home-field advantages. Now, here’s the million-dollar question: What will the NFL do in such a scenario?
Well, they would probably follow the model of the 1985 season. At that time, the Giants and the Jets also faced a similar situation with their wild-card games. So, the NFL decided to move the Jets game to Saturday and the Giants on Sunday. And something similar is expected if this impossible scenario somehow plays out in the following weeks.
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Not only the Chargers and Rams have made LA proud of their respective achievements this season. They have now cemented their place in the NFL as a better city than New York, having dual teams in the playoffs.
Rams and Chargers keep LA dreamin’ of playoff magic
See, the G-Men and Gang Green have only qualified for the playoffs five times in the same year. Now, the Bolts and the Rams are on their to repeat that feat twice within the past seven years. And judging by their respective seasons, they thoroughly deserve their spots in the postseason.
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Both the teams from LA got mixed production from their offense. The Rams ranked 17th in yards per game while occupying 20th for points scored per game. Their QB, Matthew Stafford, has scored 20 TDs while passing for 3,762 yards. Elsewhere, the Bolts offense had a little over their cross-town rivals.
Led by Justin Herbert, the Chargers rank 12th in points scored per game. In their last few weeks, Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers scored 40 points against the Patriots and 34 against Denver. Now, Herbert has led superbly from the front, scoring 23 TDs and racking up 3,870 passing yards. So, it remains to be seen how these two teams from LA will perform once they come across each other. While the chances of it happening remain slim, in the NFL, ‘never say never’.