Justin Herbert and Chargers showcase their offensive power in blowout win

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.

For the first time in four years, the Chargers didn’t punt.

🏈 Chargers 37, Vikings 10 — FINAL

Justin Herbert passed for 227 yards and three touchdowns, and the defense held the Vikings to 164 total yards as the Chargers bounced back impressively from Sunday’s disappointing loss to the Colts.

Cameron Dicker made a 45-yard field goal inside the final two minutes to provide the final margin of victory.

Kimani Vidal rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown in 23 carries and Ladd McConkey caught six passes for 88 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers improved to 5-3. Rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II caught five passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz completed 15 of 27 passes for 144 yards, with a touchdown and interception. He was sacked five times as Minnesota fell to 3-4.

It wasn’t all good news for the Chargers. Standout safety Derwin James Jr. sustained an ankle injury in the first half and didn’t return to the game.

🏈 Chargers 34, Vikings 10 — 7:01 left in the fourth quarter

Cameron Dicker kicked a 34-yard field goal — his second of the game — to add to the Chargers’ commanding lead.

The field goal ended a seven-play, 36-yard drive. The Chargers have 410 total yards to the Vikings’ 133.

The Chargers’ defense has sacked Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz five times. Wentz, wearing a large brace on his left shoulder is grimacing after every one of his throws in the fourth quarter.

🏈 Chargers 31, Vikings 10 — 11:53 left in the fourth quarter

Chargers safety R.J. Mickens, filling in for the injured Derwin James Jr., picked off a deep pass intended for Justin Jefferson to put the ball back in Justin Herbert’s hands.

The Chargers took over at their 32-yard line.

🏈 Chargers 31, Vikings 10 — 12:42 left in the fourth quarter

Rookie wide receiver Tre’ Harris caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to give the Chargers a commanding lead in the fourth quarter.

The touchdown came at the end of a 12-play, 73-yard drive following Minnesota’s first score. The possession included a 21-yard run by Kimani Vidal, who has 95 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries.

Herbert has completed 18 of 25 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. He also has rushed for 62 yards in what has been an impressive display of mobility by the veteran quarterback tonight.

🏈 Chargers 24, Vikings 10 — 4:36 left in the third quarter

Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz connected on a four-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison, capitalizing on a Justin Herbert interception and two Chargers penalties in the red zone.

Vikings safety Joshua Metellus intercepted a pass from Justin Herbert that was deflected at the line by Jalen Redmond, giving Minnesota the ball at the Chargers’ 26-yard line.

But the Vikings struggled, with Tuli Tuipulotu sacking Wentz, who then failed to connect with Aaron Jones on third-and-goal.

However, on a successful 32-yard field-goal attempt by Will Reichard, the Chargers had 12 men on the field, prompting the Vikings to then go for it on fourth down.

On fourth-and-goal from the nine, Daiyan Henley sacked Wentz, but there was an illegal contact penalty on Benjamin St-Juste, giving the Vikings a first down. On the next play, they scored their first touchdown of the game.

The Chargers got some good news during the drive — safety Tony Jefferson returned from a hamstring injury.

🏈 Chargers 24, Vikings 3 — 10:01 left in the third quarter

Cameron Dicker kicked a 43-yard field goal to extend the Chargers’ lead early in the second half.

The field goal capped a nine-play, 42-yard drive that included an 11-yard reception by Ladd McConkey.

🏈 Chargers 21, Vikings 3 — HALFTIME

Minnesota’s Will Reichard missed a 53-yard field-goal attempt as time expired in the first half to maintain the Chargers’ 18-point lead going into halftime.

Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz connected on a 17-yard pass to Justin Jefferson to move Minnesota back into field-goal range after back-to-back sacks by the Chargers, but Reichard’s kick was short.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed 14 of 18 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He also has 51 rushing yards. Rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II has five catches for 77 yards and one touchdown for a Chargers team that has 266 total yards.

Defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe has two of the Chargers’ three sacks.

Wentz has completed 10 of 16 passes for 99 yards.

The Chargers held the Vikings to just three points despite losing safeties Derwin James Jr. (ankle) and Justin Jefferson (hamstring) to injuries.

🏈 Chargers 21, Vikings 3 — 45 second left in the second quarter

Ladd McConkey caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to extend the Chargers’ lead before halftime.

McConkey broke free from Vikings cornerback Jeff Okudah in one-on-one coverage and made an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone.

The McConkey-Herbert connection was working to full effect on the impressive, nine-play, 94-yard drive — McConkey also caught passes of 16 and 15 yards to fuel the drive. The Chargers have 266 yards of total offense.

🏈 Chargers 14, Vikings 3 — 6:06 left in the second quarter

Cameron Dicker missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt — his first miss of the season — to keep it an 11-point game. It wasn’t all Dicker’s fault — the snap from Rick Lovato also was off the mark.

The Chargers came up empty despite rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II catching a 40-yard pass. Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard sacked Justin Herbert to stall the eventual seven-play, 44-yard drive.

🏈 Chargers 14, Vikings 3 — 8:55 left in the second quarter

Will Reichard kicked a 54-yard field goal after the Vikings finally found some rhythm on offense behind quarterback Carson Wentz.

Wentz completed passes of 10 and 11 yards to Justin Jefferson during the nine-play, 35-yard drive.

🏈 Chargers 14, Vikings 0 — 13:08 left in the second quarter

Kimani Vidal scored on a three-yard carry as the Chargers leaned on a run-heavy drive that accumulated 59 yards on eight plays.

An 18-yard run by Justin Herbert moved the ball into the red zone. The Chargers threw the ball just once during the possession.

It wasn’t all good news for the Chargers.

Safeties Derwin James Jr. (ankle) and Tony Jefferson (hamstring) each left the game and are listed as questionable to return.

🏈 Chargers 7, Vikings 0 — 4:01 left in the first quarter

Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert over the middle to give the Chargers an early lead.

Gadsden already has three catches for 30 yards a week after the rookie tight end caught seven passes for 164 yards on Sunday against the Colts.

The Chargers picked up 30 yards in one play when Herbert connected with Ladd McConkey on a 15-yard pass and Dallas Turner was called for roughing the passer, putting the Chargers into the red zone.

Herbert and the Chargers narrowly avoided disaster at the start of the 14-play, 83-yard drive when a pick-six for Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was reversed on review. One play after the close call, Herbert connected on a 17-yard pass to Keenan Allen.

During the drive, Chargers guard Mekhi Becton sustained a knee injury and is questionable to return.

The Vikings managed to pick up a first down on their game-opening possession before the Chargers pass rush forced Carson Wentz to throw away the ball on third down.

When the Chargers are successful — and they have won four of six games this season — you can most often trace the results back to two elite components: the arm of Justin Herbert and the leg of Cameron Dicker.

The football world celebrates the former. Herbert has pinpoint precision, even when draped in defenders. But the latter, Dicker’s record-breaking reliability, has almost become an afterthought. He’s going to make his kicks.

Nearly 80% of NFL games were decided by one possession last season, underscoring the value of a kicker who can deliver three points time after time. For instance, Dicker tied a career high by kicking five field goals in the 29-27 win at the Dolphins, including the 33-yard clincher — and in his five seasons he has never missed a field goal of 40 yards or fewer.

The Chargers finally got some good news about their beleaguered offensive line.

Chargers offensive tackle Joe Alt will be in uniform on Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings after missing three games because of an ankle injury.

Trey Pipkins III will also be back after missing two games because of a knee injury.

There’s a chasm forming in the AFC West between the good teams and bad.

On one side are the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, who for different reasons are climbing the charts. On the other are the Las Vegas Raiders, who are lousy.

The Chargers, who have lost three of four, are hovering over the divide, hoping to get some key players back from injuries quickly and return to their form of earlier this season. They’re like a sports car that’s really difficult to beat when finely tuned, but more often in the shop.

All Odafe Oweh had known was Baltimore. The 2021 first-round selection had made a home there as part of the perennial AFC title contender’s edge rush.

A year ago, Oweh posted career highs for sacks (10), tackles for loss (nine) and quarterback hits (23). But a contract extension didn’t come his way, raising uncertainties about his future with the Ravens.

“I was really trying to get an opportunity to be in a new system and prove what I can to people that are really trying to see that,” Oweh said Wednesday, “so I have a little animosity on my back.”

The Chargers had the look. All-gold uniforms. Retro logos. Powder-blue end zones with script from the nostalgic days of Dan Fouts and Don Coryell.

But their defense?

As dead as disco when it counted most.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s leading rusher, trampled the Chargers on Sunday with touchdowns of 23, eight and 19 yards in a 38-24 victory at SoFi Stadium.

What happened to the Chargers who started the season with three consecutive wins over AFC West foes?

Injuries along the offensive line and in the backfield account for some of the troubles — three losses in four games — but now the defense is breaking down too, especially against the run.

VIDEO | 01:09

Takeaways from Chargers’ loss to Colts

• Share via Close extra sharing options

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • Copy Link URL Copied!

Sam Farmer breaks down what went wrong for the Chargers in their 38-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

Enter the Vikings, who have alternated wins and losses all season and are coming off a six-point loss to Philadelphia.

The last time these teams met was two years ago in Minnesota, where the Chargers held on to win 28-24.

How the Vikings can win: Protect the football; Carson Wentz is coming off a couple of head-scratcher interceptions against Philadelphia, terrible throws. Even though they don’t have a top-tier running back, try to establish something of a ground game against a defense that has done a poor job of stopping the run the past two weeks.

How the Chargers can win: The offensive line is getting healthier with Joe Alt and Trey Pipkins III returning to the practice field and questionable for the game, so give Justin Herbert better protection and more time. Get Kimani Vidal the ball in space. Not much of a running game for the Vikings, but a premier receiver in Justin Jefferson and solid threats in Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.