Is it possible? Could the Chargers actually make the playoffs with a so-so offense and a superb defense? Could they actually make a deep run with a defense that dominated the Philadelphia Eagles, the Super Bowl champs, and the Kansas City Chiefs, the runners-up, in back-to-back weeks?
Here’s what we learned, what we heard and what comes next after the Chargers blanked the Chiefs in the second half on a 15-degree afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, taking a 16-13 victory that moved them closer to the playoffs and eliminated the Chiefs for the first time in more than a decade:
PLAYOFF DEFENSE
The Chargers’ bye in Week 12 was a time of reflection and then action. They were soundly defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 35-6, in Week 11, tying the worst NFL loss in Jim Harbaugh’s coaching career. They weren’t about to let it go, so they rested, recovered and regrouped.
The results have produced winning, defensive-dominated football over the past three weeks. They have defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 31-14, the Philadelphia Eagles, 22-19, in overtime and the Chiefs, 16-13, giving them a 10-4 overall record as they chase a playoff berth.
The common thread in each of those games has been the Chargers’ stingy defense. Let’s face it, the Raiders never had a chance, now 2-12 after their latest loss Sunday. The Eagles were in disarray from the start, with quarterback Jalen Hurts intercepted four times, including in overtime.
Next came a second-half shutout of the Chiefs, a team desperate to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. Linebacker Daiyan Henley and safety Derwin James Jr. came up with drive-halting interceptions in the fourth quarter, and the Chiefs lost a second straight one-score game to the Chargers.
So, back to the initial questions. Do the Chargers have a championship-caliber defense to offset an offense that’s slightly above adequate with so many injuries on its offensive line and with quarterback Justin Herbert playing with a fractured left, non-throwing hand?
Yes, said Henley.
Yes, said James.
“The (expletive) we put on tape before the bye week wasn’t us,” Henley said. “It showed a lackluster team that we feel like we are not. So, these past few weeks we’ve been trying to prove to ourselves more than anybody else outside the building who we are and what our identity is, and that identity we’re chasing is a playoff defense. So, we have to be in moments like this to prove to ourselves that we can be a playoff defense. So, week in and week out, we’re trying to consistently show that.”
James, thinking back to his days growing up in Haines City, Florida, put it this way, “When I was a kid, they always said defense wins championships, and that’s my motto. I believe in this defense. I believe in this team and not just the defense. So, let’s keep going. Yes, sir. Yes, sir.”
It was at that point in the conversation that linebacker Denzel Perryman jumped atop a stool in the locker room and pointed at James, shouting for anyone within the vicinity to hear, “Dog, straight dog.” Perryman meant it as the highest of compliments for James, who had a team-leading 10 tackles.
Perryman had nine.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Chargers didn’t clinch a playoff berth with Sunday’s victory, but it put them one step closer to a second consecutive appearance in Harbaugh’s two-season tenure as their coach. NFL.com gave the Chargers a 92% probability of advancing to the postseason after defeating Kansas City.
If the playoffs were to have started after Sunday’s games around the league, the Chargers, fifth-seeded in the AFC, would play against the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chargers defeated Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers, 25-10, with a dominating defensive effort Nov. 9 at SoFi Stadium.
WHAT COMES NEXT
The Chargers, winners of six of their past seven games, face the Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1) on Sunday in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys’ playoff hopes took a hit with a loss Sunday to the Minnesota Vikings, another team the Chargers’ defense throttled, 37-10, on Oct. 23.