There it is: If the Chargers win on Monday night in Indianapolis, they’ll punch their ticket to the postseason for the first time since 2018 — and the NFL will finally get Justin Herbert in the postseason.
Raiders at Chargers Week 1:
-Derek Carr vs. Justin Herbert
-Davante Adams vs. JC Jackson
-Chandler Jones vs. Rashawn Slater
-Khalil Mack Bolts debut against his former team
Picking up where last season ended, only in L.A.
.
@DerwinJames
received the most Pro Bowl fan votes at AFC free safety (165,153), per the NFL. Rosters will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. Pacific on
@nflnetwork
.
4-1 Chargers at 4-1 Ravens on Sunday: Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson will meet in Baltimore, each coming off career-high passing performances — and thrilling victories.
Steve Young on Monday Night Countdown talking Chargers QB Justin Herbert: “Quarterbacks, we know it. … We got Aaron Rodgers, we got Tom Brady and Russell [Wilson], and then we got this guy. This guy is by far the best of his generation right now other than Patrick Mahomes.”
Bringing this SB matchup back to the Chargers: Take away the Week 17 win, LA lead KC nearly wire to wire in Week 2. They had a 17-point lead over Brady and the Bucs in Week 4.
Those were Justin Herbert’s first and third NFL starts, respectively.
Bolts are close. 2021 is bright.
Kyzir White needs four total tackles Sunday to join Derwin James Jr. with 100.
They’d be the first Chargers teammates with 100 in the same season since Hall of Fame LB Junior Seau and All-Pro S Rodney Harrison in 2000. That’s elite company.
Mack is ridiculous here, but this play illustrates the value of Derwin James. In the first quarter he’s rushing and sacking Carr lined up alongside Mack, and to close the game, he’s 1-on-1 with Davante Adams.♟
If Chargers RB Austin Ekeler scores two TDs tonight, he’ll end the regular season with 20 total. Only HOF RB LaDainian Tomlinson would have more in a single season in franchise history.
Postgame with Khalil Mack on
@sportscentralla
after the Chargers beat the Raiders 22-10 at SoFi Stadium. Mack had 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery against his former team.
I’m a healthy scratch today. Our girls made an early arrival this morning:
Isla Pearl Hayre
Ava Margo Hayre
MVP: Mom — she’s doing amazing.
First football Sunday with Dad.
Jim Harbaugh is a culture builder, brings toughness, and has elevated the quarterback position wherever he’s gone. The Chargers are in need of all three. It’s a new day in the AFC.
The Chargers are seeking their sixth straight win in the division this Sunday, dating back to last season. Justin Herbert has 15 total TDs and zero turnovers in his last five AFC West contests.
Drew Brees on Chargers QB Justin Herbert tonight on NBC: “I think he is extremely impressive. They don’t make many athletes like him. Maybe him and [Buffalo’s] Josh Allen with the size, the strength, the speed, the arm strength.”
-The first-ever Chargers-Raiders matchup in Vegas ended in a 30-27 OT win for LA.
-The second will be for an AFC wild card spot in the first-ever Week 18.
-These teams have met in the playoffs once (1981). Next Sunday will be the biggest game in this rivalry in over 40 years.
After yesterday:
✅ Mike Williams - 6 receiving TDs (tops in NFL)
✅ Austin Ekeler - 7 total TDs (T-1 in the NFL)
✅ Justin Herbert - 3 game-winning drives (tops in NFL)
This Chargers-Steelers primetime game is chock full of storylines:
-Rivers vs. Big Ben (Class of 2004)
-Pouncey Bros (Mike vs. Maurkice)
-Watt Bros (Derek vs. T.J.)
-1994 AFC Championship rematch
-AFC positioning
A homecoming for Chargers LB Drue Tranquill, who led the team with 11 tackles tonight in his home state of Indiana.
Tranquill says the key to the defense’s dominance in December: “Player accountability.”
Chargers rookie OT Rashawn Slater will line up against Joey Bosa during camp, and then Nick Bosa during joint practices with the 49ers, to prepare for a third Buckeye — Chase Young — and the WFT D-line in Week 1.
That’s pretty good practice for the regular season.
DB Elijah Molden, who’s been with the Chargers for around two weeks, got a game ball today. So did a pair of players from last year’s draft class: WR Quentin Johnston and LB Daiyan Henley.
Day 2 of Chargers minicamp. Drew Brees is here. OC Joe Lombardi was his QBs coach in New Orleans. Chase Daniel also spent time in the Saints’ QB room with Brees.
Chargers HC Anthony Lynn said DT Linval Joseph spoke to the team and gave the example of the 2011 New York Giants - they lost four straight during the season, but ended up 9-7 and won the Super Bowl. A lot of football left.
How good has
@Keenan13Allen
been since 2017?
303 receptions (3rd among WRs) 3,788 yards (4th among WRs)
444 targets (5th among WRs)
While playing in all 48 regular season games. Elite.
How about this per
@dannymarkino
: The Chargers were 14-of-19 on third down today. That’s the most third-down conversions by any NFL team since 2011. A decade.
Incredible, especially on the road against that caliber of defense.
Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes combined for 639 yards, 8 TDs and 0 INTs in Week 1.
In their three career matchups, two games went to overtime and the other was tied until :32 remained in the fourth quarter.
Per Chargers Communications: “Justin Herbert now has the most total touchdowns (passing and rushing scores) by any player through their first two seasons in NFL history (71).”
Through Week 3, Keenan Allen is the NFL’s leader in targets (42), receptions (29), and receiving yards (404). He has 13 more targets, three more receptions, and 93 more receiving yards than the second-ranked player in those categories.
Most sacks in the NFL since 2016 (
@Stathead
):
1) Aaron Donald, LAR (78)
3) Chandler Jones, LV (71.5)
6) Joey Bosa, LAC (58)
7) Khalil Mack, LAC (57.5)
8) Von Miller, BUF (55.5)
All five playing at SoFi Stadium in Week 1.
Keenan Allen was the longest-tenured member of the Chargers. Will be strange not seeing him in powder blue. Arguably the greatest WR in team history.
WR is incredibly deep in the draft, and at the top there are three blue-chip players (Harrison Jr., Nabers and Odunze). New era.
New Chargers S JT Woods ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the combine. He led the Big 12 last season with six interceptions.
He’s fast, can get the ball, and will share a safeties room with Derwin James and Nasir Adderley.
Chargers LB Kenneth Murray (with a Kyle Van Noy cameo) on the Chargers’ “elite” third-down defense.
They’ve held their last three opponents to a combined 6-of-32 on third down. Tonight the Colts were 0–of-10.
Exactly a year ago, Chargers beat the Cowboys 28-6. Philip Rivers threw for 434 yards and 3 TDs,
@Keenan13Allen
caught 11 balls for 172 yards and a TD, and
@blaqbadger14
had a 90-yard pick-six — the first of his career.
The Chargers have selected a Pro Bowl or All-Pro player in each of their last seven drafts: Melvin Ingram ('12), Keenan Allen ('13), Jason Verrett ('14), Melvin Gordon ('15), Joey Bosa ('16), Desmond King ('17), Derwin James ('18).
DE Joey Bosa and C Corey Linsley were teammates at Ohio State in 2013. Bosa was a freshman; Linsley a fifth-year senior. Now reunited with the
@Chargers
in Los Angeles.
Over the last five years,
@Chargers
GM Tom Telesco has drafted a Defensive Rookie of the Year (DE Joey Bosa, 2016) and an Offensive of the Year (QB Justin Herbert, 2020).
Bosa is 25. Herbert will be 23 next month.
Chargers QB Philip Rivers will make his 209th consecutive NFL start Sunday vs. Indianapolis, breaking a tie with two all-timers — QB Peyton Manning (1998-2011) and LB Derrick Brooks (1996-2008).
Since Joey Bosa entered the league in ‘16, the Ingram/Bosa tandem has combined for 72.5 sacks. The only current NFL teammates who have more during that time are the Vikings’ Hunter and Griffen (83).
A big reason for their success in Minnesota: new Chargers DT Linval Joseph.
RB Austin Ekeler is a second alternate for the Pro Bowl despite having a career season, and one of the best at his position.
He’s second in the NFL in total TDs (17) and second among RBs with 1,347 yards from scrimmage.
.
@Chargers
QB Justin Herbert has: i) elite WR in Allen, ii) pass-catching RB in Ekeler iii) TE1 in Henry.
Now, look at these 2020 numbers from the WR trio of Williams, Guyton and Johnson: 88 catches for 1,522 yards and 10 TDs.
All of these players are 28 or younger.
The last
@Chargers
quarterback not named Drew Brees or Philip Rivers to start a “Monday Night Football” game was Stan Humphries 24 years ago against the Detroit Lions (Nov. 11, 1996).
After last night, Chargers QB Justin Herbert leads the NFL with five fourth-quarter comebacks in 2021.
Lamar Jackson has four; three other QBs have three.
Entering Week 4,
@Chargers
WRs Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are both top 10 in the NFL in targets, receptions and passing yards.
Williams is tied for second in the league with four receiving TDs.
Ben Roethlisberger postgame on Justin Herbert: “He’s a great young football player. He ran all over the place today, made throws. What a special talent. He’s the next generation.”
A win this Sunday in Denver would give the Chargers their first 3-0 start in the AFC West since 1996.
Bobby Ross was the coach, Stan Humphries was the QB, and the Seattle Seahawks were in the division.
If the Rams beat the Ravens and the Titans beat the Dolphins in the early window on Sunday, the Chargers would control their own destiny for an AFC wild card spot entering the 1:05p matchup with the Broncos.
Safety Alohi Gilman says he was “channeling my inner Troy Polamalu”on the fourth-down stop of Nick Foles. A huge play on a night full of them for the Chargers D.