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Find out when the Chargers and Texans will face off next weekend.
The NFL announced the full schedule for Wild Card weekend.
The Chargers will travel to take on the Texans next Saturday, Jan 11, at 1:30 pm PT.
The game will be televised on CBS.
Los Angeles won its final three games of the season and finished with an 11-6 record and the fifth seed. Houston finished the season 10-7 and champions of the AFC South.
The Texans know they’re either hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round.
The Houston Texans are locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC Playoffs regardless of Sunday’s outcome against the Tennessee Titans.
Their opponent? It rests in the hands of Justin Herbert.
The Texans’ options for next week’s wild-card round are down to the Los Angeles Chargers or Pittsburgh Steelers. Since Pittsburgh lost at home to the Cincinnati Bengals, the fate of the No. 5 seed belongs to the Bolts.
If Los Angeles (10-6) beats Las Vegas on Sunday, it will lock up the fifth seed and travel to NRG Stadium to play the Texans in the wild-card round. With a loss, Pittsburgh (10-7) heads south for a winner-take-all showdown in what perhaps will be the Amazon Prime game of the weekend.
Pittsburgh would earn the No. 5 seed because of its head-to-head win over Los Angeles back in September.
The team that nabs the No. 6 seed is in for trouble. The Baltimore Ravens, who bested the Texans in a 31-2 Christmas chaotic outing, clinched the AFC North and the No. 3 seed with a dominant victory over the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon.
The rest of the AFC is mostly set entering Sunday’s finale. Kansas City locked up the No. 1 seed at 16-1, while Buffalo is guaranteed the No. 2 seed.
Denver (9-7), Cincinnati (9-8) and Miami (8-8) are alive for the final spot.
With a win over the Chiefs, the Broncos are in at 10-7.
With a win over the New York Jets and a Denver loss, the Dolphins are in.
The Bengals did their job and have a head-to-head win over Denver, but they still need help to secure a postseason bid.
They’ll be pulling for the Chiefs and Jets to upset the Broncos and Dolphins, respectively.
Who will the Chargers face in the wild-card round of the playoffs?
The Chargers now control their playoff fate after the Steelers lost to the Bengals on Saturday.
If Los Angeles beats the Raiders on Sunday, they will lock up the fifth seed and travel to Houston to play the Texans in the wild-card round.
However, if the Bolts lose to Las Vegas, Pittsburgh will get the fifth seed, and L.A. will be locked into the sixth seed, sending them to Baltimore to take on the Ravens next weekend.
With a win required for the best-case scenario, head coach Jim Harbaugh will likely play his starters. If the Chargers have a big enough lead, he could elect to pull them and play the backups.
Once all the games finish at the end of the day tomorrow, we will know the date and time Los Angeles will play and the broadcast it will be televised on.
The Chargers still have a lot to play for in Week 18, as they can still get the fifth seed in the postseason.
It’s been a successful first season under Jim Harbaugh for the Chargers. They sit at 10-6 entering Week 18 with a playoff berth already locked up. It all comes down to seeding, as they can lock up the fifth seed with a win over the Raiders and face the Texans in the wild-card round.
That would give them a much easier matchup in the first round of the playoffs, so don’t expect Harbaugh to take this game lightly.
Here are some bold predictions for this weekend’s final regular season game against the Raiders.
Chargers finish as best scoring defense in the NFL
Heading into Week 18, the Chargers have the best defense in the NFL. They allow just 17.6 points per game, seven fewer points than the Chiefs and nine fewer than the Eagles. The Raiders offense ranks just 28th in the NFL with 18.1 points per contest. In other words, this one isn’t even really a “bold” prediction and seems more likely than anything. Still, imagine before the season if I told you Jesse Minter would lead the best defense in the league in 2024.
Defense holds Raiders to under 50 rushing yards
It’s not surprising when you look at the names in their running back room, but the Raiders have had the worst ground attack in the NFL in 2024. They average just 82.4 rushing yards per game, as Alexander Mattison’s 400 yards leads the team. In the matchup between these two back in Week 1, the Raiders finished with just 71 yards on the ground on 3.2 yards per attempt. In a game in which the Chargers should control from the jump, the Raiders will have trouble getting anything going in the run game in this one.
Derius Davis goes for career-high in receiving yards
Joshua Palmer, the Chargers’ second-leading wideout, has been ruled out for Week 18. Davis has recently seen an uptick in playing time on offense, and he’s earned all of it. In the last two games, he’s combined for four catches, 60 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. Now, his career high of 31 receiving yards was set back in Week 16, and it’s not crazy to think he can top that number in this contest. Davis has earned an increase in playing time, and Palmer’s injury only reinforces that further.
The Chargers have fallen victim to losing a key starter in a Week 18 game when they already secured a spot in the playoffs.
The Chargers are locked in with a playoff berth, with one game remaining in the regular season against the Raiders this Sunday.
With a playoff spot already secured, the question now becomes whether or not Los Angeles will play its starters with the hope of no one getting hurt.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh was asked about resting starters on the “Let’s Go Podcast” this past week, potentially hinting that he will play them.
“We’re going to be playing to win at all times,” Harbaugh responded. “That never changes. I like what Derwin James said, he’s our captain… He said, 11 wins sounds better than 10. So we’re, we’re attacking it.”
“We’re attacking it with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. The thing that doesn’t resonate right now is, you know, play the backups. What are we going to do? Dress 25 guys for the game?” he added.
Harbaugh and the rest of the team will have their eyes on the TV on Saturday, watching to see how the game between the Steelers and Bengals goes.
If Pittsburgh loses to Cincinnati, L.A. must beat Las Vegas to secure the fifth seed. However, if the Steelers win, the Chargers will be locked into the sixth seed.
The Chargers have fallen victim to losing a key starter in a Week 18 game when they already had a spot in the playoffs. Two years ago, Mike Williams suffered a low back injury that forced him to miss the postseason.
However, the consequences of resting the starters could be not getting live-game reps and potentially causing them to feel rusty from the extra rest time.
“I think going into the playoffs, it’s important to not get rusty,” edge defender Joey Bosa said. “Obviously I feel like I’m still really working back for my injury and have a lot to continue to improve.”
We will have to wait to see how Harbaugh approaches this game and what he does with the starters.
The Chargers will be without two offensive players this weekend.
The Chargers released their final injury report on Friday ahead of the regular season finale against the Raiders.
Los Angeles will be without running back Gus Edwards and wide receiver Joshua Palmer, who were ruled out.
Edwards is dealing with an ankle injury that kept him sidelined in the Week 17 game against the Patriots.
Palmer is still dealing with a foot injury that forced him out of last weekend’s game against New England late in the third quarter.
Derius Davis and D.J. Chark Jr. will be in line to receive more playing time with Palmer sidelined.
Linebacker Denzel Perryman is listed as doubtful with a groin injury. In his absence, Troy Dye will get the start alongside Daiyan Henley.
Alohi Gilman is questionable with a hamstring injury. Gilman was placed on injured reserve in late November and missed the last five games. He would need to be activated from IR to play on Sunday.
The Chargers have found a spark offensively while continuing to boast one of the league’s top defenses.
The Chargers head into the regular season finale on Sunday with a 10-6 record and a spot in the playoffs locked up.
Los Angeles has found its spark on the offensive side of the ball in recent weeks while continuing to boast one of the league’s best defenses.
With Week 18 coming up, how do the Bolts compare to the rest of the NFL? Here is where Los Angeles ranks:
| Category | Stat | Rank |
| Points per game | 23.0 ppg | 12th |
| Passing offense | 205.8 ypg | 21st |
| Rushing offense | 109.1 ypg | 18th |
| Total offense | 314.9 ypg | 23rd |
| 3rd down conversions | 39.61% | 14th |
| Red zone scoring | 56.82% | 16th |
| Sacks allowed | 43 | 19th |
| Turnovers | 9 | 2nd |
| Category | Stat | Rank |
| Points allowed | 17.6 ppg | 1st |
| Passing defense | 205.8 ypg | 8th |
| Rushing defense | 122.4 ypg | 16th |
| Total defense | 328.1 ypg | 12th |
| 3rd down conversions | 36.28% | 9th |
| Red zone defense | 44.74% | 1st |
| Sacks | 46 | 6th |
| Takeaways | 20 | 13th |
These three players are close to earning some extra cash for their play in 2024.
Players on new contracts are given incentives, which allow them to earn more money for reaching specific statistical milestones.
Three Chargers players can cash in due to their performances from 2024 when they close out the regular season against the Raiders: Cornerback Kristian Fulton, running back J.K. Dobbins and edge defender Bud Dupree.
Fulton needs one more interception to earn an additional $125,000. He already has one on the season.
Dobbins needs at least 58 rushing yards to get an extra $150,000. He is at 842 yards, and probably would have already surpassed this mark had he not missed four games due to an injury.
Dupree needs one more sack to get an extra $250,000. The veteran is at six sacks on the season.
Los Angeles plays Las Vegas this Sunday at 1:25 pm PT.
Three Chargers players were recognized for their efforts this season.
Three Chargers players have made the NFL’s 2025 Pro Bowl roster, the league announced Thursday.
Edge defender Khalil Mack, safety Derwin James and offensive tackle Rashawn Slater will start for the AFC team, which will be coached by Peyton Manning.
Mack is nowhere near his career-high 17 sacks that he totaled in 2023, but he can still get after the quarterback, currently with 47 pressures and seven sacks. He’s also impactful as a run defender. His PFF grade is 88.1 in that department.
James continues to be an imposing presence on the backend of the defense. He is up to 90 tackles, nine tackles for loss and six pass breakups. But James has also shined as a pass rusher, as he has a career-high 5.5 sacks.
Slater has cemented himself as one of the top tackles in all of football. A wall in pass protection, he has a 90.4 pass block grade, which ranks third. Running backs have had success running to the left side, largely because of Slater, who owns a 82.8 run block grade.
Several Chargers players were listed as Pro Bowl alternates: Quarterback Justin Herbert, kicker Cameron Dicker, wide receiver Derius Davis, offensive tackle Joe Alt, edge defender Joey Bosa, fullback Scott Matlock, linebacker Nick Niemann, center Bradley Bozeman and wide receiver Ladd McConkey.
The Chargers added a safety to the practice squad.
The Chargers signed safety Terrell Edmunds to the practice squad on Thursday.
In correspondence, Los Angeles released Emany Johnson from the practice squad.
Edmunds, 27, was a first-round selection by the Steelers in the 2018 NFL Draft, where he started 75 games. He notched 410 total tackles, 26 passes defensed, five interceptions, and five sacks during the five years in Pittsburgh.
Edmunds then signed with the Eagles in 2023 before being traded to the Titans during the season. This past year, he signed with the Jaguars and eventually joined his former team, the Steelers, on their practice squad.
Pittsburgh released Edmunds on Nov. 9.
Edmunds provides depth at a safety position that lost Elijah Molden and Marcus Maye, who were placed in injured reserve. Alohi Gilman could be activated off IR, but they still need bodies alongside him and Derwin James.
While he will start on the practice squad, Edmunds could be elevated to the active roster.
