The Chargers ended the regular season with a wash of a game where their backups did their best against the Broncos starters. They fell 19-3 and their sights are now set squarely on their wild card matchup against the Patriots.

Let’s go ahead and see where they landed amongst the final regular season power rankings.

CBS Sports – #11

They have a defense that can win in the postseason and a quarterback who can make plays. But the offensive-line injuries might be too much to overcome. – Pete Prisco

Pro Football Talk – #11

*They need more pieces to climb...

Good morning, Chargers fans!

You know what to do!

And now for today’s links.

Chargers News:

Five takeaways from Monday’s press conferences for the Chargers (Chargers.com)

Five things to know about this week’s wild card matchup (Chargers.com)

The Chargers signed a former Ravens offensive guard after he was released from Baltimore (Chargers Wire)

Mike Vrabel said what Chargers fans are afraid to say about their team (Bolt Beat)

NFL News:

Check out the final regular season grades for the NFC North (Sports Illustrated)

Daniel Jones would love to come back and be the starting quarterback for the Colts...

The Chargers trotted out a bunch of backups against the Broncos starters and the game went about as good as you’d expect. Los Angeles lost 19-3 and barely managed to put up a fight outside of a few drives where they managed to cross the 50-yard line.

Understandably, there wasn’t a ton to write home about here. If you’re still interested in how some of the team’s second and third-stringers performed, you can check it all out below.

Offense

Best (min. 20 snaps)

OL Trevor Penning – 81.9
WR Keenan Allen – 65.9
TE Oronde Gadsden II – 65.0...

The Los Angeles Chargers are playoff-bound for a second straight season after finishing the regular season with an 11-6 record.

The Chargers will travel to Foxboro to take on the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football for a chance to advance to the Divisional Round, where the team would play the Denver Broncos.

The Chargers are the No. 7 seed in the AFC, which is part of the reason why FanDuel Sportsbook lists the Chargers as a 3.5-point underdog against the Patriots, who finished the season with a league-best 14-3 record.

The Chargers may have lost the last two...

Good morning, Chargers fans!

You know what to do!

And now for today’s links.

Chargers News:

The Chargers will face the Patriots on Sunday Night Football in the wild card round (Chargers.com)

Five takeaways from the Chargers’ regular season finale (Chargers.com)

Check out all the information you need to tune in to this weekend’s playoff game (Chargers.com)

History will not remember Kenneth Murray well after year with Cowboys (Bolt Beat)

NFL News:

The Browns fired Kevin Stefanski as head coach (ESPN)

The Falcons have moved on from both Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot (ESPN)

Five candidates for the...

The Chargers are looking toward the NFL playoffs, and their draft position won’t be completely finalized until they either are eliminated in the postseason or win the Super Bowl. But the conclusion of the regular season did crystallize the draft order for the teams that were eliminated from postseason contention.

Heading into Week 18, the Raiders, an AFC West rival, was penciled into the first overall pick after their Week 17 loss to the New York Giants, who had held it previously. After Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, the Raiders stick at No. 1 overall.

Elsewhere in the AFC West,...

It’ll be a few months before we have the times and dates for the Chargers’ 2026 schedule, but we do know for sure which teams the Chargers will face next season, as well as which of those games will be at home and which will be on the road.

In addition to the usual home/away matchups against the rest of the AFC West, the Broncos, Chiefs, and Raiders, the Chargers will face the AFC East (the Patriots, Bills, Dolphins and Jets), the NFC West (the Rams, 49ers, Cardinals, and Seahawks), plus the Texans, Ravens, and Buccaneers.

One of the Chargers’...

The Chargers will finish their 2025 regular season on the road against the Broncos, the latter of which will be fighting for the shot at the AFC’s No. 1 seed. That means that backup quarterback Trey Lance will get everything he can handle from Denver’s starting defense.

Los Angeles just wants to get past this game as fast as possible to lessen any chance of more injuries piling up right before the playoffs, so expect a run-heavy script from Greg Roman.

Prepare yourself as this may not be all that fun of a game to watch, but it’s Chargers football...

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos, January 4, 2025, 1:25 p.m. PT

Location: Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, CO

Broadcast: CBS, Paramount Plus

The Los Angeles Chargers are closing out the regular season with a divisional showdown against the Broncos.

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The Los Angeles Chargers are getting ready for their Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High.

The Chargers have clinched a playoff spot, so they are opting to sit a few of their key players against the Broncos.

Defensive back Elijah Molden (hamstring), defensive back Derwin James Jr., running back Omarion Hampton (ankle), quarterback Justin Herbert, outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, offensive tackle Jamaree Salyer (hamstring) and center Bradley Bozeman (concussion) are the inactives for the Chargers.

With Herbert out, Trey Lance will get the start for the Chargers at quarterback.

Meanwhile, cornerback Reese Taylor,...

Justin Herbert will be on the sideline this week when the Chargers take on the Broncos in Denver, and it’s no shock that the Broncos — the top seed in the AFC — are favored in this one. The worst possible outcome for the Chargers this week is still a Wild Card spot, and the division is out of reach anyway with the Bolts two full games back from Denver.

But the Chargers still could move up a couple of spots to the No. 5 position depending on some outcomes in Week 18.

If the Chargers do manage to beat...

Welcome to game day, everyone!

It’s the regular season finale for the Chargers as they are in Denver today to face the Broncos. Justin Herbert and a host of starters will not be playing as they prep for their wild card matchup a week from now. In his place, Trey Lance will get the start while many other backups will also see an opportunity to show that they should be a part of the team’s future plans in 2026 and beyond.

There’s unfortunately nothing on the line this week aside from bragging rights and the chance at sweeping the division,...