https://sports.yahoo.com/article/chargers-exorcise-demons-loss-colts-033514789.html
The offense topped 30 points for the first time all season.
The defense went from rattled to relentless.
And the special teams? The Chargers kicked three field goals in their 37-10 rout of Minnesota on Thursday night, but it’s what they didn’t do that was most resounding.
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For the first time in four years, the Chargers didn’t punt.
What a turnaround for a team that was embarrassed on its home field four days earlier.
“They just set their minds to it that they weren’t going to be denied,” said Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, whose team pulled out of a tailspin in dramatic fashion after losing three of their previous four games.
Read more: NFL Week 8 picks: Aaron Rodgers, Steelers beat Packers; Chiefs win
The wire-to-wire win was sweet redemption for a Chargers defense that faltered in a big way Sunday in a 38-24 loss to Indianapolis.
Thursday night, before a national audience, Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz was drowning in a sea of navy-blue-clad defenders, the Chargers sacking him five times, rarely allowing him to set up in the pocket, and finally inspiring him to fling his helmet in frustration on the Minnesota sideline.
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“We were just having guys stay fresh and rolling through and just calling the right calls,” linebacker Troy Dye said. “It’s easy when you can drop seven or eight guys and only have to bring four. It’s a fun time to play like that.”
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert throws during the second half against the Vikings on Thursday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The Chargers turned in the defensive gem without the services of All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr., the team’s leading tackler this season, who left in the first half with an ankle injury. His backup, Tony Jefferson, was likewise hobbled by a hamstring injury. That left those duties to rookie safety R.J. Mickens, who collected an interception early in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings converted just three of 11 third downs. Chargers defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe had two sacks, and Tuli Tuipulotu, Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh contributed one each.
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Mickens was one of several up-and-coming Chargers who made an impact, among them running back Kimani Vidal, promoted from the practice squad in Week 6, who ran for 117 yards and a touchdown.
The 207 yards rushing — 62 by quarterback Justin Herbert — were the most by the Chargers since the second week of the Harbaugh era last season. It’s just the type of dominance that’s embraced by the coach who is so enamored by establishing a ground attack. And Herbert had 25 pass attempts, less than half as many (55) in the loss to the Colts.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert carries the ball during the second half against the Vikings on Thursday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The decisive victory propels the Chargers into their mini-bye on a high note, washing away some of the bitter taste of the past month. Their next game is at the one-win Tennessee Titans on Nov 2. That means the Chargers will have more time to heal, vital recuperation for a team so banged up.
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Herbert threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns. He got off to a terrible start, though, with an apparent interception on his second snap. He threw a short pass to his left that wound up in the hands of diving cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, who climbed to his feet and returned the pick for an 18-yard touchdown.
The play was nullified, however, when replays showed the football touch the turf and moved when he hit the ground.
Having survived that scare, the Chargers took advantage of their new life with a 14-play touchdown drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown reception by rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II.
Chargers safety R.J. Mickens (27) shows his excitement after intercepting a pass from Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz in the second half Thursday. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
“The great ones are measured by what they do after something goes bad,” Harbaugh said of Herbert’s response. “After there’s an interception — that’s the worst thing that can really happen to you as a quarterback — then chart what they do with the next drive.”
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The coach said that kind of mistake would “shake” a lot of quarterbacks, but not Herbert.
“Having played the position, I know what that’s like,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, it’s like your brain, it’s searing. It’s like sirens and whistles and bells going off. And to be able to go ‘3, 2, 1, let it go’ and then come back and have a scoring drive. That’s another one reserved for the best of the best.”
Herbert has been pressured and hit more than any NFL quarterback this season, yet he got much better protection Thursday night, thanks in no small part to the return of left tackle Joe Alt.
Read more: Justin Herbert and Chargers can’t catch up to Jonathan Taylor and Colts in loss
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The Chargers built a 21-3 lead in the first two quarters, a script-flipped version of what happened in the Colts game, when they found themselves in a 23-3 ditch at halftime.
This time, the Chargers had 29 first downs to 12 by the Vikings.
The defensive performance was much closer to one the Chargers might have turned in last season when they led the AFC by allowing just 18.5 points per game. In the three games prior to Thursday, they had allowed an average of 30.6 points.
If the Chargers proved anything, it’s that they aren’t just scorers. They’re rebounders too.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/chargers-exorcise-demons-loss-colts-033514789.html
