Category: Chargers

Chargers pummel Patriots to clinch playoff spot

The Chargers clinch a playoff spot with a romp in Foxboro

The Los Angeles Chargers are going to the postseason in their first year under Jim Harbaugh.

The Bolts clinched a playoff spot in emphatic fashion, clobbering the New England Patriots, 40-7, on Saturday in Foxboro.

Justin Herbert threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns as LA improved to 10-6.

The Patriots were putrid, being outgained 428-181.  They had 85 passing yards.

The Chargers can finish with either the fifth or sixth seed in the AFC depending on how the rest of the games play out.

 

 

Ladd McConkey gives football to aunt after catching TD pass for Chargers

Ladd McConkey with a nice touch after a TD catch

The Los Angeles Chargers were stomping the New England Patriots on Saturday in Foxboro.

Rookie WR Ladd McConkey had two TD receptions and could have had a third if Justin Herbert didn’t overthrow him.

After the second TD catch, McConkey walked over to the stands and called down his aunt and handed her the football.

Chargers score 21 straight points, upend Broncos in key AFC West clash

Chargers’ second-half surge shortcircuits Broncos

The Los Angeles Chargers scored three touchdowns bridging the third and fourth quarters on Thursday and rallied to down the Denver Broncos, 34-27, at SoFi Stadium.

The Chargers’ victory left both teams at 9-6 but LA has the tiebreakers in the WIld-Card playoff picture in the AFC.

The Broncos used a different tactic in the last minute. They had two timeouts lest and trailed by 10. Rather than try for a touchdown, Sean Payton sent Wil Lutz out for a 55-yard field goal that he converted.

Trailing 34-27, Denver was set to try an onside kick. As Lutz was about to kick the football, Jim Harbaugh called a timeout.

After the reset, Chargers linebacker Nick Niemann collected the attempt and the Chargers held on for the victory.

Denver led 21-13 ar halftime. The Broncos’ lead looked like it would be 11 points but Harbaugh called for the rarely used free kick after a fair catch and Cameron Dicker connected from 57 yards to cut the deficit to eight.

 

 

Chargers’ Cameron Dicker hits first free kick field goal since 1976

Cameron Dicker with the rare free kick field goal from 57 yards

There is always the option to try a free kick field goal after a fair catch. It isn’t used too often but Jim Harbaugh put it to good use Thursday.

Cameron Dicker of the Los Angeles Chargers nailed the free kick on an untimed down at the end of the first half to bring the Bolts within 24-13/

The rule statses: “After a fair catch is made or is awarded as the result of fair catch interference, the receiving team has the option of putting the ball in play by a snap or fair catch kick (drop kick or place kick without a tee) from the spot of the catch or succeeding spot after enforcement of any applicable penalties (3-9 and 11-4-3). This includes the 15-yard penalty enforced from the receiving team’s 20-yard line as applicable if the fair catch is made or awarded in his end zone from fair catch interference or illegal contact with the receiver after he has made a fair catch.”

For some history:
The second-to-last successful free kick field goal in the NFC was executed by Mac Percival on Nov. 3, 1968. Percival kicked a 43-yard field goal with 26 seconds left to lift the Bears to a 13-10 victory over Green Bay. (The Chargers’ Ray Wersching nailed the last free kick in 1976, a 45-yarder against the Bills.)

From Bearsfansonline:

“People are still unaware of that rule, they don’t know about that,” Percival said in a 2011 interview with the Tribune Friday from his office in Houston.

“I swear, I don’t think any of us knew the rule at the time. And Abe Gibron (then a Bears assistant coach) was the one who told Cecil Turner, ‘Make sure you fair catch on the punt from Donny.’ So he did, and they said: ‘OK, let’s go out there and free kick.’

“Well, we had no idea what he was talking about. In fact he had to tell us, ‘Well, you line up like you’re going to do a kickoff.’ Then Richie Petitbon had his leg out like he always does to hold it. An official came up and said: ‘No, you’re offsides. Pull your leg back so you won’t be offsides when you hold the ball.’ Then they told me to try to kick it, which was fairly easy because there was no rush and no hurry. It was kind of like just being out at practice. It was quite exciting,”

 

Jim Harbaugh making Judge Judy honorary Chargers captain versus Buccaneers

Jim Harbaugh is a big fna of Judge Judy, who knew?

Jim Harbaugh wants his Chargers to lay down the law on Sunday at SoFi against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

To that extent, he’s bringing in a judge as an honorary captain for the Week 15 clash.

According to ESPN’s Lindsay Thiry, the head coach is a big fan of Judge Judy and will celebrate her against Tampa Bay.

Chargers fortify the offense in latest two round mock draft

Browns Wire editor and NFL Draft expert Cory Kinnan gave the Chargers two offensive prospects in a mock draft released on Tuesday.

Riding a four game win streak after a nail-biting win over the Bengals on Sunday Night Football, the Chargers have a while before they need to think about the 2025 NFL Draft.

Nonetheless, there are some glaring holes on the current roster, ones that Browns Wire editor and NFL Draft expert Cory Kinnan tried to fill for Los Angeles in his latest mock draft, published on the Daft on Draft Substack.

Round 1, Pick 25: Ohio State G Donovan Jackson

From Kinnan:

The Los Angeles Chargers have built a mean identity. They are a gritty team but need another mauler along the interior of their offensive line. Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson will fortify that for the Chargers, who are starting Trey Pipkins at right guard. Jim Harbaugh wants to beat up the team across from him down by down, and Jackson helps that cause.

Pipkins hasn’t been the most glaring issue for the interior of the Chargers offensive line, but his performance also hasn’t been good enough to warrant him going into next season as an unquestioned starter. With $6.75 million of potential cap savings if Pipkins is released this offseason, Los Angeles may be more inclined to move on if a mauler of Jackson’s caliber is available.

Round 2, Pick 57: Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr.

With Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland off the board by the time the Chargers pick at 25 in Kinnan’s mock, a tight end wasn’t a viable pick in the first round. Texas tight end Gunnar Helm comes off the board 12 picks before LA comes up, which leaves the Chargers with Fannin, a supercharged receiving option who has lit up Power 4 teams like Texas A&M and Penn State for the Falcons this season. Los Angeles needs a primary receiver at that spot – while Will Dissly’s career highs as a receiver have been a pleasant surprise, the Chargers need a more reliable weapon for Justin Herbert over the middle.

Crumbling Chargers find way to pull out win over Bengals

The Chargers somehow won after blowing a 21-point lead to the Bengals

Talk about a game with a split personality.

The Los Angeles Chargers downed the Cincinnati Bengals 34-27 on “Sunday Night Football,” earning an improbable victory in what was headed for a heartbreaking defeat.

The Chargers got the game-winning touchdown on a 29-yard run J.K. Dobbins with 18 seconds left.

That ended a Bengals run of 21 straight points.

Yes, in the third quarter, Cincinnati trailed 27-6 only to score three touchdowns on Joe Burrow touchdown passes in eight minutes bridging the third and fourth quarters to tie the game.

The Bengals had opportunities to go ahead twice but Evan McPherson missed left with two field-goal attempts in the final quarter.

Another brutal loss for Cincinnati, which is 4-7 and finds ways to lose.

The Chargers, who won five games in 2023, are now 7-3 and two games behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Burrow threw for 356 yards. Tee Higgins had nine catches for 148 yards and a touchdown for the Bengals.

Justin Herbert threw for 297 yards and had two touchdown passes for LA.

Jim Harbaugh returns after leaving Chargers-Broncos under the weather

Jim Harbaugh was ill at the Chargers-Broncos game

rThe Los Angeles Chargers were in Denver on Sunday to play the Broncos.

Jesse Minter was pressed into emergency duty during the early part of the game when Bolts coach Jim Harbaugh headed for the blue medical tent, then the locker room.

The team said Harbaugh was questionable to return but he did come back.

Harbaugh had to feel better when he saw LA was up 20-0 at the break.
:

Jim Harbaugh said he has atrial flutter, a type of arrhythmia that causes the upper chambers of the heart to beat 250 to 350 times per minute. A flareup is what caused him to leave the game.

NFL suspends Chargers DB Derwin James for one game

Chargers DB Derwin James hit with one-game suspension

The NFL warned players they could face punitive action for continued violation of playing rules. Los Angeles Chargers DB Derwin James learned the league isn’t messing around.

“During the third quarter of Sunday’s Chargers-Steelers game you were involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan said in a statement, explaining that James has had multiple offenses for personal fouls in previous years. “The video of the play shows that you lowered your head and made forcible contact to Steelers tight end, Pat Freiermuth. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.

Chargers stock watch: Who’s up, who’s down following win in season opener

The Chargers performed better than many expected in Week 1. Several players stepped up in a surprising way, while a few others disappointed.

Morale is high after the Chargers’ season opening 22-10 victory over the Raiders. Now, they are set to face the Panthers in Week 2 in an attempt to keep the momentum going.

In the opening win, several players stepped up in a big way, while a few others disappointed. Here’s a look at who is trending up or down following the Chargers’ season opener.

Stock Up: RB J.K. Dobbins

There’s no doubt as to who boosted there stock more in Week 1. Dobbins’ 135 rushing yards was the third-most across the NFL, and it came on a total of just 10 carries. His injury history is well known, but if he continues to be efficient, he should only continue to see more snaps.

Stock Down: RB Gus Edwards

While Edwards wasn’t particularly effective in his team debut, this one has more to do with Dobbins’ performance. It was unclear as to who would see a majority of the work at tailback, and it still remains a bit up in the air. After the opener though, Dobbins is trending upwards which only hurts Edwards in turn. The former Baltimore Raven averaged just 2.4 yards per carry across 11 attempts. Edwards also saw less work in the passing game, as he finished with two less catches than Dobbins.

Stock Up: DL Otito Ogbonnia

The Chargers’ defensive front was stifling in the opening victory, which was largely led by Ogbonnia and Poona Ford. The defense allowed just 71 rushing yards, a sustainable recipe for success moving forward. Ogbonnia performed admirably in his fourth career start. While he won’t provide much of a pass rush, his presence in the running game will be crucial as the season goes on.

Stock Down: WR Joshua Palmer

2024 is supposed to be the season in which Palmer breaks out in a big way. The Chargers lost its two best wideouts this past offseason, and presumed starter D.J. Chark was placed on IR just ahead of the season opener. Despite the team’s 22-10 win, Palmer was disappointing in the opener. He finished the day with just two catches on four targets for 15 yards. It should be mentioned that Palmer was ejected from the game in the second half as well. There is still plenty of time for him to step up though, including a favorable matchup in Week 2 against the Panthers.

Stock Up: WR Ladd McConkey

McConkey was labeled as a major winner of the Week 1 victory, and as a direct result, his stock is only on the rise. The rookie led the offense in targets, catches, and receiving yards in addition to the lone touchdown in the passing game. Some thought that it may take him some time before becoming the team’s top wideout, but he may already be just that for the Chargers.

Stock Down: OL Bradley Bozeman

It wasn’t the best of performances for the seventh-year veteran center. In his first start with the new team, he was a bit erratic, including allowing a sack. To be fair, he had a difficult task in trying to contain Raiders star defensive lineman Christian Wilkins. Still, Bozeman’s poor performance has raised additional concerns on the Chargers’ interior portion of the offensive line.