For this bizarre NFL scenario to unfold, only one thing needs to happen and that one thing is the Jaguars beating the Colts.
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When the NFL decided to move the Chargers-Raiders game to Sunday night in Week 18, the league did it to add as much drama as possible to the final game of the 2021 season. However, there is one bizarre scenario that could take all the drama out of the Sunday night game and that scenario would also be the league’s worst nightmare.
It’s simple, win and you’re in the playoffs‼️#LACvsLV | @chargers | @Raiders pic.twitter.com/HmbOBkwT5y
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) January 5, 2022
For this bizarre scenario to unfold, only one thing needs to happen and that one thing is the Jaguars beating the Colts.
If Jacksonville pulls off the monstrous upset, that will open the door for the Raiders and Chargers to make the playoffs. The NFL is hoping the game in Las Vegas will be winner-take-all, but with a Colts loss, the game wouldn’t necessarily be a winner-take-all and that’s because A TIE would get both teams into the postseason (while either team winning would still mean a playoff berth, with the losing team eliminated from contention).
If that option is even on the table, that would be a nightmare for the NFL, because it means the best option for both teams would be to kneel the ball on every play to ensure a tie. If a tie actually happened on purpose, it would be even crazier, because the game is being played in the gambling capital of the world and you have to think there would be a lot of unhappy gamblers if the game ended in a 0-0 tie.
Although it’s unlikely the two teams would end up taking a knee the entire game, it’s not crazy to think they could still play for a tie. Both teams could quietly agree to just run up the middle on every play until the clock runs out.
For whatever reason, the Jags always play the Colts tough at home. There’s a good chance everyone at NFL headquarters will be hoping the Colts win so they can avoid the potential catastrophe of playing a Sunday night game where the best outcome for both teams is to tie.
The idea of the Raiders and Chargers trying to play for a tie might seem preposterous, but something similar has actually happened before. In the 1982 World Cup, West Germany and Austria knew a 1-0 win by the Germans would allow both teams to advance to the knock-out round and that’s exactly what happened. The West Germans scored in the first 10 minutes and then everyone pretty much stood around for the rest of the game.
