I went with the chatter, the "flow" but now I have looked things over.
When you get to the 11-12-13th game, teams that have pulled ahead tend to slow down. They have it made. Playoffs are what count.
The shill announcers start saying they are playing for home field advantage, blah blah.
Players do not think that way. They are thinking well we are 11-2 we only need to win one more. Sure when you get to the final game a team like this will get motivated for a bye.
So NO, KC, Rams, and yes even the Chargers were in that category, as was NE even though they did not have as good a record they were a shoo in for their lousy AFCE Division. ATS these teams did not finish very well, did they, last 4-5 games. Some teams still play a little harder than others but you get the point (eg, if New Orleans was desperate that game @ Carolina against an injured Newton, they would have won by 30+)
I look for them to play at full speed now, including the Chargers. They dominated and then took their foot off the gas a bit. Now they are very healthy, have a top 3 NFL passing QB with a well rounded defense and a solid defense that is as good as the Raven's, though the chatter is all about the Ravens. Some of that is that the Ravens run the ball so their D is off the field (see: Army) and their defense is not as good as advertised. The Ravens struggled to get in, were very fortunate to get a win against lil Cleveland to squeeze in the last day of the season, and are overrated.
A college style QB will not cut it in the NFL playoffs. A pro style always prevails, and Phillips has a top RB and healthy diverse WRs. One poster keeps pointing to the Balty games vs KC and the Chargers (I had Balty + the points both games) but those games are not completely valid lab studies.
SO I do not like that it might be a little chilly, and the 3 hour game time, but I am on the Chargers ML and alternate lines minus a few points.
GL!
(Jackson: put on your calendars in mid 2020 season, he will be a permanent back up some where, even if he does not blow out his ACL sooner than that as I expect)