Eleven NFL teams have clinched a postseason berth. Another 14 clubs have already been eliminated. Miraculously, the Las Vegas Raiders fail to appear on either list.
Derek Carr & Co. are somehow still alive in their quest for the playoffs and simply need to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers in the season finale to lock up a spot. The same goes for the Chargers. But there’s an even more fun scenario still out there. A scenario fans of NFL chaos should be fully rooting for—if not betting on.
Here are the possible clinching situations heading into Week 18:
- The Indianapolis Colts beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18 and the Raiders and Chargers play each other in a de facto playoff game with the winner clinching a postseason berth.
- The Indianapolis Colts clinch with losses by the Ravens, Chargers and Steelers. If the Steelers lose on Monday night to the Cleveland Browns, Indy would also get in with a Chargers loss, a Dolphins win and another Pittsburgh loss in Week 18.
- The Jaguars beat the Colts in Week 18, the Raiders and Chargers tie and both make the playoffs.
There is no question that last scenario would create one of the most surreal games in NFL history, as Pro Football Network’s Adam Beasley elegantly explained:
Here's something totally bonkers: If the Colts lose to the Jaguars Sunday, the Raiders and Chargers would both get in with a tie. Literally, there would be no motivation for either team to do anything other than kneel it out 15 times each.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) January 3, 2022
The Colts play at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. The Chargers and Raiders don’t kickoff until 7:20 p.m., meaning if the Jags win there’s no reason L.A. and Vegas to do anything but play Duck, Duck, Goose at midfield for four quarters in primetime. Maybe the teams play for bragging rights in the AFC West, but at the risk of missing out on additional paychecks in playoffs? You can’t pay bills with pride.
For this to even become a more serious conversation, Jacksonville needs to pull off the upset. The Jags are +15.5 underdogs at home (+750 on the moneyline) at Tipico Sportsbook and just gave up 50 points to the New England Patriots. They are most likely not up to task against a Colts team fighting for its life. But if you were already planning to bet on Jacksonville bouncing back in the season finale, there’s no reason not to sprinkle a little extra on a Jags ML + Chargers-Raiders Tie parlay (+12000 at Tipico).
In a season full of chaos across the league, it almost feels wrong to bet against even more. This Sunday, root for a tie.