After all misplays, mistakes and missed opportunities, after all the injuries, after all the makeshift lineups, the Chargers are right where they expected to be all along. A victory Monday night over the Indianapolis Colts will enable them to clinch their first AFC playoff berth since 2018.
Not all of the offseason upgrades to the Chargers’ roster, and there were many, paid dividends as expected. Free-agent cornerback J.C. Jackson suffered a season-ending knee injury in a disheartening Week 5 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars, for one glaring example.
Not all of their many injuries were so easy to overcome. Quarterback Justin Herbert fractured his rib cartilage in the final minutes of a Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and it was several weeks before he looked like his old mobile and creative self again, for one noteworthy example.
