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CNN
 — 

With the playoffs rapidly approaching, almost every NFL game assumes an added significance at this time of year.

And on Saturday, there were three games that helped shape the playoff picture as the Los Angeles Chargers secured their spot in the postseason while the Cincinnati Bengals kept their season alive with a wild overtime victory and the Los Angeles Rams inched closer to their own playoff spot.

The Los Angeles Chargers utterly dominated the New England Patriots, coasting to a 40-7 road win and clinching their playoff berth in the process.

They dominated from start to finish on both sides of the ball, racking up almost 250 more total yards than the Patriots and allowing just 11 first downs.

The connection between quarterback Justin Herbert and rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey was central to the dominant offensive showing as they combined for 94 yards and two touchdowns on eight completions, with both setting records in the process.

With his 281-yard outing, Herbert eclipsed Peyton Manning’s record for most passing yards in the first five years of a career while McConkey set new Chargers rookie season records for receptions and yards Saturday.

“It’s a testament to all the hard work we put in this offseason,” Herbert said afterwards, per the franchise’s website. “The way things have gone, it’s been an honor to play alongside this team. We had a huge opportunity today and we went out and took it.”

Reaching the playoffs confirms the Chargers’ turnaround under Jim Harbaugh, who has transformed a franchise that won just five games last season.

For the Patriots, meanwhile, a crushing defeat at home only compounded their woes and they were booed off the field by their fans.

With just over a minute of overtime left and the score tied, it seemed as if the Bengals’ slim playoff hopes were ebbing away.

They had to win against the Denver Broncos on Saturday to keep any hope of reaching the postseason alive – a tough ask against a team who could punch their own playoff ticket with a win too.

But after a wild fourth quarter and OT period, quarterback Joe Burrow drove the Bengals 63 yards upfield, completing the play with a three-yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins to secure a 30-24 victory.

“This (game) is one of the crazier ones that I’ve been a part of in the NFL,” Burrow said afterwards, per NFL.com. “Feels like we’ve had a couple of those this year. Nice to come out on top in one.”

He threw 39-of-49 for 412 yards and three touchdowns, guiding the Bengals to their fourth straight victory as they continue a late run for the playoffs.

The game was tied at 10 after three quarters, but that’s when things got crazy. The Bengals scored on a 10-yard TD pass from Burrow to Higgins, but the Broncos answered back with a spectacular 51-yard TD pass from Bo Nix to Marvin Mims Jr.

With just 89 seconds left in the game, Burrow ran a QB sneak one yard for a go-ahead TD to put Cincinnati ahead 24-17. But the Broncos answered again with another incredible TD connection from Nix to Mims, this time from 25 yards to tie the game at 24, prompting jubilant celebrations.

After the teams traded punts in overtime, the Bengals had a chance to win the game with a 33-yard field goal from Cade York, but his attempt doinked and missed, and possession went back to the Broncos.

A tie would have suited Denver and doomed the Bengals’ dreams, but the Broncos went three-and-out while taking only 23 seconds off the clock.

Burrow would not leave the game up to the kicker this time, and his connection with Higgins kept the Cincinnati’s season alive. It also provided a fairytale end to what could have been Higgins’ final home game at Paycor Stadium as he goes into this offseason as a free agent.

“Just walking into the stadium that’s what I was thinking,” Higgins said, per NFL.com. “It’s a possibility. You never know what happens in the future, but I was just able to – if it is – go out with a bang.”

The Bengals’ chances of making the playoffs still depend on other results – they need to win next week and hope the Broncos lose as well as hope that the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins lose at least one of their next two games.

The Los Angeles Rams inched closer to a playoff spot on Saturday, outlasting the Arizona Cardinals 13-9 after a last minute Akhello Witherspoon interception on Kyler Murray secured the win.

With less than a minute remaining, the Rams were up 13-9 but defending on their own 5-yard line. Arizona quarterback Murray, under pressure, threw towards the end zone but his deflected pass ended up in the arms of a diving Witherspoon who clung to the ball to ensure the Rams’ win.

“It was just a friendly reminder that the game’s never over,” Witherspoon said afterwards, per NFL.com.

It is LA’s fifth straight win, and they were led by Matthew Stafford’s 189 yards as well as Puka Nacua’s 129 receiving yards. Kyren Williams contributed 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

The Rams’ playoff hopes are slowly getting bigger and bigger as they host division rivals Seattle Seahawks next week to round out the regular season. However, they could wrap up the NFC West division before that if the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers secure three wins or two wins and a tie between them, per ESPN.