The Chargers’ matchup with the Jaguars is likely to be the favorite playoff game of the Wild Card Weekend—for many good reasons.
Los Angeles and Jacksonville are hot at the right time of the season, and both teams are led by young franchise quarterbacks in Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence.
The Bolts have won four of their last five games to earn the top Wild Card spot in the AFC and are in the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The Jaguars won their last five games to earn the AFC South title and the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoff bracket. This will be Jacksonville’s first postseason appearance since 2017.
“I think our seasons are probably similar that way in that we played our best football at the end,” Brandon Staley said. “They’re a complete football team; offense, defense and special teams. What makes a team a formidable team, those elements are still there, and they’ve improved.”
The teams last met in Week 3 earlier this season, where the Jaguars defeated the Chargers in a 38-10 victory.
The game was a low point for Los Angeles. Justin Herbert was a week removed from his fractured rib cartilage. Keenan Allen did not play. In addition, the team lost Rashawn Slater, Joey Bosa and Jalen Guyton to their respective injuries.
For Jacksonville, the win was not only a confidence boost but also proof that the offense, especially Lawrence, was getting comfortable under head coach Doug Pederson’s scheme.
“They are a different team,” Staley said. “They have been through a lot since the game we played them. Their season was kind of a rollercoaster, as well. They were 2-6 at one point, and then really got hot at the end.”
The Chargers and the Jaguars are completely different squads from their matchup earlier in the regular season.
Los Angeles has found its stride in all phases, and the roster is near full strength, with Slater being the only key player still out. Jacksonville has ironed out any schematic issues. Lawrence has grown more comfortable under Pederson, and they’ve tinkered with the defensive scheme.
The postseason matchup is a testament to each team’s immense improvement throughout the season, and it should be must-see television.