DENVER, CO—The Los Angeles Chargers wrapped up their 2022 season with a 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, January 8 at Empower Field at Mile High. At a mark of (10-7), the Chargers will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the NFL Playoffs.
This AFC Wild Card game will be at TIAA Bank Field Stadium on Saturday, January 14, kick off is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. on NBC.
The Jaguars reeled off five straight victories to capture the AFC South crown. This matchup features two up and coming teams being led by young dynamic quarterbacks, Chargers QB Justin Herbert and Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence.
Jacksonville visited in week 3 and mauled the Chargers, 38-10. Los Angeles has been playing great football over the last two months, so this matchup has the potential to be one of the premiere games of the weekend.
This game will be remembered and scrutinized over Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley’s decision to play his starters. Among rabid sports fans and analysts, the issue of resting players prior to the playoffs is always controversial and opens the floodgates of second guessing.
In the second quarter, Wide Receiver Mike Williams went down with a back injury in the second quarter, which resulted in him being carted off the field. Williams never returned to the game. X-rays came back negative. He will undergo further testing on Monday in preparation for next weekend’s game
Brandon Staley is a young, confident coach who has earned the respect of his players. His impulsive and bold decisions have helped guide the Chargers to their first playoff berth since 2018.
Some of the Chargers best players have been injured throughout the season. Staley believed this final tune-up against Denver was an opportunity for the first team offense to gel and find rhythm one final time prior to the Playoffs. Coach Staley said in the press conference, “you have to field a football team, we wanted to be competitive and keep everyone safe.”
Las Vegas has the Chargers as a slight favorite against the Jaguars, in spite of the Jag’s defeating the Bolt’s by 28 points earlier in the year.
