Despite already clinching a spot in the playoffs the week prior, the LA Chargers took it to the LA Rams in Week 17 with a definitive 31-10 victory. The Chargers' momentum continues to grow as they did exactly what a playoff team should do against a bad team: beat them soundly.
The Chargers have now secured the sixth seed at worst with a decent chance of getting the fifth seed as long as they can beat the Denver Broncos in Week 18. While they are not playing for their playoff lives, they are still playing for something.
On top of playing for better seeding, the Chargers are also getting final lessons and tune-ups before the playoffs begin in these last two weeks. As far as Week 17 is concerned, there are 3 things that the Bolts (and the fans) should have learned.
1. The run game is the x-factor when it comes to the Chargers offense
Justin Herbert is under center and he is ultimately the one that gives the Chargers a tremendously high ceiling as he is an elite quarterback. However, to win the Super Bowl you have to have a complete offense and for the Chargers, that means getting the running game going.
The Bolts have not had much success running the ball this season while also having a disappointing offense. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi has rightfully gone under fire as he has not been able to utilize the immense talent on offense properly.
Don't get me wrong, there are many things the Chargers could do better in the passing game and it starts with Lombardi. But this game showed that having a rushing attack that the other team has to respect makes a huge difference.
The Chargers picked up 192 rushing yards in the game, which is the second most this season. This is also the first time that the Chargers scored 30 points since Week 5, which is their no. 1 rushing game of the season.
Those things go hand-in-hand. In the four games in which the Chargers scored 27 or more points they are averaging 156.5 rushing yards per game. In the team's bottom four scoring games this season the Bolts are averaging 56 rushing yards per game.