MINNESOTA vs LOS ANGELES 

CHARGERS WIN 37 – 10

• Story of the Game – Herbert and company get back on track as the Vikings OL and QB issues continue 

From the very second the Chargers gained possession, aside from an ugly INT that was ruled incomplete, it became very clear that Justin Herbert was ready to have incredible day as he recovered from the early mistake by leading a dominant drive through MIN’s constant blitzes by dicing up their second and and using his legs a back breaking extension to his game. As MIN adjusted on defense by showing and bringing less pressure the Chargers got under center and started to establish their run game with Vidal and that only made it easier on Herbert as once again used his legs and arm to break the Viking defense. This trend continued for the large majority of this game as MIN had no answer the Chargers offense and offensively the Vikings once again fell flat due to a lack of consistency along the OL, in pass protection especially, and poor QB play as Carson Wentz was taking a beating and it showed in late in the game as frustration and pain built up throughout the game. With no real adjustments to made for the Vikings up front you begin to question what this season can really amount to and what that means for JJ McCarthy, who was the emergency 3rd QB in this game. The Chargers on the other hand were able find some footing after a couple rough weeks and a number of injuries that have limited them as a team which hopefully can build some momentum moving forward as they continue to get guys back on the field down the stretch of this season.

• Key Notes for the Chargers 

As I talked about in the opening paragraph Justin Hebert was playing out of his mind, especially early on, in this game. The Vikings brought a ton of blitzes/blitz looks all day long and it did look like it was going to pay off as they got a free rusher off the left side of the Chargers OL on the first play which led to an INT for a TD but it ended up being a completion as Rodgers was unable to hall in the pass but from that point forward Herbert absolutely lit the Vikings defense up. No matter the down and distance or situation they were put in Herbert found a way to avoid and/or counter the pressure from the Vikings and found ways to extend drives for scores with both his arm and legs. As the game wore on and MIN started to back off the blitz looks they were showing and/or bringing at Herbert.. he just continued to tear apart that secondary and elude any pressure that was coming through. One of his best games of the year which is saying a lot as he’s been very impressive for the large majority of this 8 week season.

Along with Herbert playing one of his best games of the season I thought this was one the best performances from the Chargers run game all season as well. They didn’t necessarily break off explosive after explosive as their longest run was 21 yards but their ability to get under center and get 4/5 yards a carry with Kimani Vidal, especially in the red zone, was crucial to their performance down the stretch of this game. 

While the Vikings OL has struggled all season it was nice to see this defense get consistent pressure up front as Odafe Oweh, Khalil Mack, and Tuli Tuipulotu wracked up 3 sacks, 4 TFLs, and a forced fumble off the edge with Justin Eboigbe wracking up 2 sacks and 2 TFLs from the interior as well. If this group can find ways to effect games up front like this consistently paired with how well coached and tied together the second and third levels of this defense are this group could take a real step to not just being a good defense but truly elite group in the NFL.

• Key Notes for the Vikings 

The OL continues to struggle and it’s bringing down the entire offense. While last year they had their struggles after a back breaking injury to LT Christian Darrisaw occurred it seems even he can’t save this group as the pass protection and run blocking have been flat out poor nearly every game this year. I don’t know where this team can go offensively with the OL playing the way that they have this season so no matter how the QB is (Wentz now out for the season) I don’t believe this group really has a chance at being a competitive team on offense and on top of that I worry about JJ McCarthy and situation he’s now put in. The receiving talent is outstanding but if you can’t establish any sense of a run game and your pass protection may be even worse which negates any ability to use your great receiving talent than where do you go…

The defense as a whole looks over taxed as they lost some key players this offseason and injuries have caused key players such as Blake Cashman to miss crucial time early on. This defense and really the team as a whole is lacking depth due to unsuccessful draft after unsuccessful draft and it’s showing up on this defense as they looked like a completely different team this week than they did early on in the season. They were pushed around by an equally injured Chargers’ OL in the run game and their secondary was put in tough position after tough position as they were blitzing constantly up front. While I love Brian Flores and what he’s been able to do in Minnesota it seems like this group may not be playing at the level he needs them to run that scheme both up front and in the secondary which is only more apparent as the game gets out of hand due to their offense struggling the way that it has. I believe this defense can still be a really tough group and I trust Brian Flores to figure it out but when they’re forced to be on the field due to 3 & Outs from the offense I don’t know that they’ll be able to make up for that as I don’t view them as an elite group like the Texans.

• Standout Performers

LAC

Justin Herbert – 18/25  227yds  3/1 – 7/62 rush 

Kimani Vidal – 23/117  1 TD – 1/10 rec

Oronde Gadsden – 5/77  1 TD 

Justin Eboigbe – 3 Tackles (2 Solo)  2 Sacks  2 TFLs 

Khalil Mack –  2 Tackles  1 Sack  1 TFL  1 FF 

Cam Hart –  4 Tackles  3 PBUs

RJ Mickens – 2 Tackles (1 Solo)  1 INT  1 PBU

MIN 

Justin Jefferson – 7/74 

Blake Cashman – 11 Tackles (6 Solo)  1 TFL

Jonathan Greenard –  6 Tackles (5 Solo)  1 Sack  3 TFLs