Chargers can't afford another weird flop based on playoff chances at stake vs Raiders

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It’s hard to exaggerate just how important the Week 13 encounter with the Las Vegas Raiders is for the Los Angeles Chargers. 

At face value, the Chargers simply cannot afford to fall to 7-5 by stumbling out of the bye, further falling in a messy AFC.

But some of the numbers behind the upcoming matchup are pretty wild. 

Chief among those is the playoff percentages outlooks provided by multiple outlets. According to The Athletic’s model, the Chargers’ chances of making the playoffs if they beat the Raiders are 60 percent. 

But if the Chargers lose to the Raiders, their playoff chances dip to 38 percent. 

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

RELATED: Chargers didn't get much help on bye Sunday that could have helped playoff seeding

That’s a huge swing, yet an understandable one. Entering Week 13, even the 10th-seeded Kansas City Chiefs are 6-5. Another shuffling of the conference, paired with a Chargers loss, could be a recipe for disaster. 

On paper, the Chargers need to find three more wins to reach the playoffs. The Raiders are by far the easiest matchup left of the season. The other opponents are Philadelphia, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston and Denver. 

Not only that, the 2-9 Raiders just had head coach Pete Carroll fire coordinators, so the Chargers should be catching them at a good time, right? 

RELATED: In-demand free agent rejects Chargers' offer in favor of division rival Chiefs

Unfortunately, nothing has been that simple for the Chargers this year. In fact, after going 3-0 against the AFC West to start the year, they’ve suffered shocking blowout losses to New York, Washington and Jacksonville. 

All of this is moot if the Chargers take care of business after the bye. But doing that in winnable games has been an issue for Jim Harbaugh’s team.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Chargers from Los Angeles Chargers on SI —

Sign Up For the Chargers Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Los Angeles Chargers Newsletter

More Los Angeles Chargers News:

Ranking Los Angeles Chargers' remaining games by difficulty

Chargers bye: Player jokes leaving San Diego was mistake, Herbert-Beer and more

NFL fans have fun with Justin Herbert, Madison Beer's latest viral outing