LAS VEGAS — On Sept. 8 at SoFi Stadium, after the Chargers began their season with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders, outdoors linebacker Joey Bosa interrupted Jim Harbaugh’s postgame speech to repeat one of many coach’s favourite phrases.
“Turn the worm!” Bosa shouted, eliciting cheers from his teammates.
4 months later and in a locker room almost 300 miles away, the message nonetheless applies. Dealing with the identical group they opened their season towards, the Chargers proved how far the franchise’s destiny really has turned by delivering a clutch 34-20 win over the Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium to complete the common season and clinch the No. 5 seed within the AFC.
The group lengthy recognized for devastating defeats was not simply content material to make the playoffs for the primary time since 2022 and accept tougher street matchups towards the Buffalo Payments or Baltimore Ravens. The Chargers (11-6) completed with three consecutive wins to earn a street playoff recreation towards No. 4 seed Houston on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PST.
From 5 wins final yr to the fifth seed, the Chargers’ six-win enchancment is the franchise’s greatest single-season turnaround since they went from 4 wins in 2003 to 12 wins in 2004.
Tucker Fisk (42) spikes the ball for tight finish Will Dissly (81) after his landing catch towards the Raiders.
(John Locher / Related Press)
“We’ve built something really special here,” working again J.Ok. Dobbins mentioned. “Nobody expected us to be this good.”
The Chargers accomplished their first season sweep of the Raiders since 2018.
When the group threatened to stay as much as its status of faltering in essential conditions by getting blown out at dwelling by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 15, the Chargers responded with three must-have wins. They held off the Denver Broncos on a brief week in prime time. They dominated an overmatched New England group in an early kickoff on the street to clinch the playoffs.
Harbaugh informed gamers this week that issues have appeared to simply fall in place for the Chargers this season. A loss by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday towards the Cincinnati Bengals was the most recent break that opened the door for the Chargers to maneuver into the No. 5 seed so long as they might beat the Raiders (4-13).
Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley (0) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a go towards the Las Vegas Raiders through the first half Sunday.
(John Locher / Related Press)
“Some people call it luck. Harbaugh doesn’t believe in luck,” mentioned linebacker Daiyan Henley, whose first profession interception helped the Chargers rating 11 factors within the remaining 65 seconds of the second quarter to return again from an early 10-3 deficit. “He’s more so a guy of action, and things fall our way because we make it that way.”
Practically the whole group watched the top of the Steelers recreation Saturday night time. When Pittsburgh botched the ultimate drive, unable to get into discipline objective vary in a two-point loss, Chargers gamers cheered.
Quarterback Justin Herbert, monitoring the sport from the subsequent room whereas ending conferences and watching movie, may hear the celebration.
“It’s always up to us,” Herbert mentioned. “It’s about those guys in that locker room, the coaching staff in that room.”
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert scrambles as Raiders defensive finish Charles Snowden offers chase through the second half Sunday.
(Abbie Parr / Related Press)
Herbert dazzled with 346 yards passing and two touchdowns, finishing 28 of 36 passes because the Chargers scored at the least 34 factors for the third consecutive recreation. Receiver Quentin Johnston propelled the offense with what the second-year professional known as maybe his greatest recreation ever, setting profession highs with 13 catches for 189 yards.
The starters in all probability would have been sidelined for a lot of Sunday’s recreation if the Chargers already have been locked into the No. 6 seed. A part of why gamers have been watching Saturday’s recreation so intently was as a result of everybody needed an opportunity to get on the sphere to go away their mark on the season, Henley mentioned.
“That’s really the DNA of our team, our players, coaches, everybody in our organization: we’re all about executing and going to get what we want,” offensive lineman Zion Johnson mentioned. “Nothing’s going to come to you in this game. If you want to win, if you want to be in position to go to the playoffs or be in a nice spot, you have to go get that.”
A couple of yr in the past, security Derwin James Jr. was sitting on the similar nook locker in the identical chilly locker room. He was simply ready for a misplaced season to return to a merciful finish after the Chargers gave up 63 factors to their AFC West rivals.
On Sunday, he was able to strut out of the locker room to the group bus realizing he had a visit to Houston ready.
“It’s a way better feeling,” James mentioned with a smile. “For sure.”
