Chargers dominate Dallas, showcasing complete game and newfound defensive strength. This dominant win signals a serious AFC playoff contender is emerging.
The Los Angeles Chargers may have played their most complete game of the season in a 34–17 handling of the Dallas Cowboys at Jerry World. After the game opened looking like it could turn into a real shootout, Los Angeles found a way to keep pouring it on Dallas offensively while finally locking things down on the defensive side of the ball.
The win moved the Chargers to an impressive 11–4 and with Denver losing to Jacksonville, Los Angeles now has a very real chance to win the AFC West. This performance against Dallas showed that the Chargers don’t just have an outside shot at stealing the division from the Broncos — they also have a real opportunity to make noise in the AFC playoffs.
Greg Roman and Jesse Minter both called excellent games. After Dallas’ first three offensive drives the Cowboys were essentially taken out of the game. The Chargers dictated the flow on both sides of the ball and overwhelmed a Dallas team that at times this season has given opponents fits purely based on offensive talent.
The AFC playoff picture feels close to set in terms of which teams will get in. Along with the Chargers it’s likely Denver, New England, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville and Houston. Los Angeles still has an outside path to hosting a playoff game and even a real chance to climb to the two seed if they win the division and get some help from other results.
If there’s any team built to win on the road it might be this one. The Chargers have played enough games using a silent count in their own building that walking into a hostile playoff environment shouldn’t require much adjustment at all.
Omarion Hampton continues to add real juice to the run game on top of what Kimani Vidal has already given the team (hopefully Vidal’s injury is nothing serious). Quentin Johnston’s return opened things up offensively even if it came against a rough Dallas defense. Justin Herbert looked almost on autopilot playing as comfortably as he has all season.
An MVP case might be out of reach but if Herbert leads this team to a 13-win season and an AFC West title he’ll be right on the doorstep of that conversation.
Regardless this win in Dallas should put the Chargers firmly on the radar of every team in the AFC playoff field. Even teams that have already beaten them — and so far that list only includes Jacksonville — are seeing a Chargers team that looks completely different from the version that existed before the bye week.
An important home game against Houston will likely determine how far this team can go. Denver faces a battered Kansas City team on Thursday so the Chargers must win to keep their hopes alive. If they do the pressure on Denver heading into Week 18 will be enormous.
Fans better be ready for Saturday. The team is going to need all the help it can get.