The NFL does its best to provide interesting matchups late in the season. It’s not always easy.

Teams are hit by injuries, some teams win early and others are eliminated before Christmas. The league has to get creative sometimes. This year, five matchups have been set, three of which could be moved to Saturday for a tripleheader. The NFL announced its Week 17 games for Saturday last week. All three have some impact on the playoffs.

All three games will be broadcast on NFL+ and NFL Network.

Here are the main storylines for each of Saturday’s three games:

Chargers at Patriots: Los Angeles can win

Getting into the playoffs is not entirely new for the Los Angeles Chargers. But given the talent on the roster, they likely have more on their resume than a playoff berth since 2018, known for one of the greatest collapses in NFL history. The Jacksonville Jaguars rallied from a 27-point deficit to defeat the Chargers in a 2022 wild-card round game. This is Los Angeles’ only playoff appearance in the last five seasons.

The Chargers will clinch another playoff spot if they beat the New England Patriots in Game 1 on Saturday. The Chargers also win with a Dolphins loss or tie combined with a Colts loss or tie, but it would be more satisfying to get into the game with a win.

The Patriots are 3-12 and perhaps playing on a national stage Saturday will motivate them. New England gave the Buffalo Bills a scare last week with a 24-21 loss, so the Patriots are still playing hard. They get solid play from rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The best the NFL can hope for is for a team with three wins to keep the first game of a tripleheader interesting.

Broncos at Bengals: Cincinnati tries to get into the postseason

The Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff hopes aren’t dead, but they aren’t looking good either. The only thing Cincinnati can do is win and hope, and that starts Saturday afternoon against the Denver Broncos.

The Bengals’ season story is unusual. It’s rare to get MVP level from a quarterback and still have a losing record. Joe Burrow was great, leading the NFL with 4,229 yards and 39 passing touchdowns, and the Bengals still have a 7-8 record with little chance of reaching the postseason. The Bengals defense has let the team down many times this season.

The Broncos also had an unexpected season, but with positive results. Bo Nix was the sixth quarterback selected in the NFL Draft, but he had a very strong rookie season and the Broncos are 9-6. With a win or draw on Saturday they will secure a place in the playoffs. This would be the team’s first playoff appearance since the end of the 2015 season, when Peyton Manning started his final game and the Broncos won Super Bowl 50. A fantastic one-on-one matchup to watch is Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate, against Bengals star receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who is up for the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Cardinals at Rams: Rams can lock up NFC West

This game would have been much more exciting if the Arizona Cardinals hadn’t been eliminated from the playoffs with a loss last week. Still, the Rams have a lot to offer.

The Rams had a chance to clinch the NFC West title earlier this week, but won’t be able to clinch it on Saturday night due to Seattle’s win on Thursday. But they can come very close. The Rams can edge out the Cardinals with a win this week and secure the strength of the regular-season tiebreaker against Seattle, which the NFL says would require more than 3.5 wins between the Vikings, Bills, 49ers, Commanders, Bengals and Browns. Even if the Rams beat the Cardinals, that wouldn’t be decided until Sunday. But if the Rams win, the Seahawks would need a lot of help to capture the division. However, if the Rams lose on Saturday evening, the Rams vs. Seahawks will decide the division champion in Week 18.

Whatever the case, it’s a surprise that the Rams are even capable of winning the NFC West. They started the season 1-4 and there was a lot of speculation that they might trade Matthew Stafford or Cooper Kupp. The Rams enter Saturday’s game with a record of 9-6. The 49ers were disappointing due to multiple injuries, the Seahawks were inconsistent all season, and the Cardinals experienced a late season slump. That gave the Rams, who were without Puka Nacua and Kupp at the start of the season, a chance to win the division.

The Cardinals are trying to gain some momentum heading into next season, if possible, after losing four of five to fall out of the playoff race. Last but not least, Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. can use the last two games to establish a better connection, which has been a problem for the Cardinals this season.

But the Rams are the story on Saturday night. Sean McVay has already established himself as one of the best coaches in the NFL. A division title after four of five losses to start the season would only enhance its reputation.