The Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in the final game of the regular season on Sunday, 35-32, in overtime to earn their first playoff berth since 2016, and the Pittsburgh Steelers received a wild-card berth, as well, thanks to the result.
The Raiders, seeded fifth in the AFC, will open the playoffs on Saturday at the No. 4 Cincinnati Bengals at 4:30 p.m. ET. The seventh-seeded Steelers will face the No. 2 Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Looking for a victory to punch their postseason ticket, interim head coach Rich Bisaccia’s Raiders got their fourth in a row. In the process, the Raiders (10-7) eliminated the rival Chargers (9-8) from postseason contention.
It was a history-making victory for Bisaccia, who became the first interim coach to lead a team to the playoffs in the Super Bowl era. The Raiders are 6-5 since Bisaccia took over following the resignation of Jon Gruden.
Las Vegas was 6-7 following a 48-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14 that was its fifth defeat in six games. But the Raiders have regrouped in stunning fashion, winning a string of nail-biters to stay in playoff contention.
As for the Steelers (9-7-1), they defeated the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the day and were ushered in by the Chargers’ win and the Indianapolis Colts’ loss. After the Colts’ loss, Pittsburgh’s win clinched a postseason spot as long as the Chargers-Raiders game didn’t end in a tie.
San Francisco is returning to the postseason by virtue of the Niners’ thrilling 27-24 overtime win Sunday against the rival Los Angeles Rams. It was the 49ers’ sixth straight win over the rival Rams.
San Francisco (10-7) is the third NFC West team to qualify for the playoffs following the Rams and Arizona Cardinals. Sunday was not all bad for L.A., however, as the Rams clinched the NFC West thanks to the Cardinals’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams (12-5) drop to the No. 4 seed with the loss and will host the Cardinals next week during Super Wild Card Weekend. The 49ers will face the No. 3 seeded Dallas Cowboys.
Kyle Shanahan’s squad finished 6-10 in 2020 after advancing to the Super Bowl the season prior. With a talent-laden 2021 roster, hopes were high for the Niners again, but a 3-5 start tempered those hopes. However, now the 49ers have won seven of their last nine to stride into the postseason.
Under head coach Sean McVay, the Rams have advanced to the playoffs in four of five seasons. The Rams advanced to the NFC Divisional Round last season, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers.
 drop to the No. 4 seed with the loss and will host the Cardinals next week during Super Wild Card Weekend. The 49ers will face the No. 3 seeded Dallas Cowboys){kind=link}