Kansas City Chiefs vs San Diego Chargers: NFL football preview

Philip RiversReuters

The San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs will face off in a crucial meeting in the hopes of booking at ticket to the playoffs come Sunday.

Of the two however, the Chargers seem to have the simpler route should they come out on top. A win by San Diego can easily clinch a spot in the playoffs with a victory.

However, the same cannot be said for the Chiefs who will need to wait and see on a couple of other matches to determine their fate. This includes hoping that the Baltimore loses to Cleveland and Jacksonville defeats Houston.

Hence, the tiff is something to watch and will be something that Kansas City needs more if they want to miraculously get in the playoff picture. Though the odds seem to be stacked against them, a victory is the first thing that the Chiefs must target and then worry about the results of the other matches.

"We don't necessarily control our own destiny, and the whole 'what-ifs' and 'what do we need to have happen,' it's easy to get distracted," quarterback Alex Smith said, according to CBS Sports. "The thing will be to focus in on the Chargers, a division game, them coming in, and we need to take care of our business."

One thing that go in favor of the Chiefs is Philip Rivers' state of health. Rivers is dealing with a couple of injuries (back and ribs) but still managed to churn out a credible performance against San Francisco.

Rivers has sat out two practices last week and his status going into Sunday's game is still up in the air.

The Chargers are hoping to end the season on a bright note, shade of their campaign in 2013. And with the confidence and momentum of their 38-35 comeback win over San Francisco still fresh, such could spell more trouble for the Chiefs' playoff aspirations.

 The Chargers and the Chiefs get it on this Sunday, 10:00 a.m. PST (1:00 pm ET). The game with the game being broadcast on TV on CBS. The game can also be watched online via live stream by clicking here.