Los Angeles Chargers bye week rooting guide in AFC West, AFC

Chris Roling | 3 Hours Ago

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In this story:

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers sit on bye in Week 5, yes.

Yet, Jim Harbaugh’s team has plenty to gain and lose based on the happenings elsewhere in the AFC West and the greater AFC as a whole.

So, while the Chargers sit out and rest up some of those key injuries, here is a quick rooting guide for fans featuring other teams involved in games that could say much about the final standings by the season’s end.

Cowboys at Steelers

The Steelers aren’t in the AFC West, of course. But if the divisional crown is out of the question because of the Kansas City Chiefs, it’s already high time to think about the other teams in the running for playoff spots. One of those is the Steelers, a team unexpectedly at 3-1 and with a top-three mark in the conference. Pittsburgh getting back closer to .500 and creating some jumbled-up chaos in the conference gives the Chargers some breathing room while they attempt to overcome injuries such as Justin Herbert’s ankle and better gel in Harbaugh’s systems.

Ravens at Bengals

More AFC North teams, though admittedly, this one is a 50-50 for Chargers fans. The Ravens putting the Bengals out of the picture completely by dropping them to 1-4 might be nice. But that would mean the Ravens go up to 3-2—and that Derrick Henry-led rushing attack is scary. So, in the name of chaos, it might be preferable for the Bengals to pull the upset at home.

Bills at Texans

A clash between two of the top four teams in the conference entering Sunday, the Texans and Bills sit at 3-1. From a Chargers’ perspective, things can’t really go wrong there. These two are in different divisions and, barring something really unexpected, both should run away with those. The Texans should be able to fend off teams like Indianapolis, while the Bills look like the best team in football and should be able to keep the Jets at bay. Perhaps the Bills losing to move to 3-2 would be better if the Chargers still hope to compete for a top-four spot?

Raiders at Broncos

Tough as it might be for Chargers fans, it’s probably better if the Raiders win this AFC West clash, right? They feel like far less of a threat this season than the Broncos and might be about to trade their best player away. The Broncos, potentially, could start figuring things out around a rookie passer and get hot. The Chargers already have a win over Las Vegas, too, so it’s not as threatening if the Raiders jump them in the standings momentarily at 3-2 because things figure to even out. Denver’s two-game streak coming to a halt after impressive wins over the Bucs and Jets would likely be ideal.

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