Edge rusher, Joey Bosa of the Chargers tackles Bengals quarterback Joe Burrows forcing him to throw an incomplete pass during a game at SoFi Stadium a few weeks ago
The Los Angeles Chargers, coming off a tough loss in Kansas City to the Chiefs, will return home to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, in a game that has playoff implications for both teams.
The Chargers lost to the Chiefs 19-17 on a 31-yard bank-shot field goal with no time on the clock by kicker Matthew Wright. The kick hit the left upright and bounced through the goal posts for the win. The heartbreaking loss dropped the Chargers to 8-5 on the season and it put them in the sixth playoff slot in the seven team AFC playoff race.
Th Chiefs improved to 12-1 on the season and they clinched their ninth consecutive AFC West title. The Chiefs led 13-0 at halftime over the Chargers, but the Chargers turned it around in the third quarter, taking the opening kickoff and driving 79 yards in 13 plays, a drive that took 7:48 and culminated in a three-yard touchdown run by running back Gus Edwards.
After a three-and-out by the Chiefs offense, the Chargers drove 74 yards in four plays, with the drive ending in a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Herbert to wide receiver Quentin Johnston. The two big plays of the drive was a 39-yard pass interference call and a 24-yard completion to tight end Stone Smartt. The Chargers led 14-13 entering the fourth quarter.
After an exchange of field goals, the Chargers led 17-16 with 4:35 remaining in the game. The Chiefs got the ball on the ensuing kickoff and never gave it back. It took 14 offensive snaps and three third down conversions to set up the winning bank-shot field goal by Wright. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh could not fault his team's effort against the Chiefs.
"Two really good teams", Harbaugh said. "Nothing but respect for the Chiefs the way they play. Their physicality, their confidence, their belief in the system and in each other. We were trying to better that and we came up short. It was a battle."
The Chargers are two-games ahead of the 6-7 Indianapolis Colts and the 6-7 Miami Dolphins in the playoff race. There are four games remaining in the season. This weekend, the Colts are at Denver to play the Broncos, and the Dolphins are in Houston this Sunday to take on the Texans. This could be the weekend the Chargers get closer to officially clinching a playoff berth.
The Chargers are three-point favorites over the Buccaneers, but this Buccaneers team has played some very good football. The Bucs are 7-6 with a 20-16 win over the Detroit Lions in Detroit, their only loss of the season. The Bucs also beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 33-16, one of their two losses on the season. The Bucs lost to the Chiefs in Kansas City, 30-24 in overtime. They also have a win over the 8-5 Washington Commanders.
Tampa Bay will present challenges for the Chargers defensively. The Chargers lead the NFL in scoring defense through 13 games, allowing just 15.9 points per game. The Buccaneers are third in total offensive yardage per game in the NFL, averaging 379.2 yards per game and fifth in scoring, averaging 27.9 points per game.
The Buccaneers have a balanced attack, with both the passing and rushing offense ranked in the top ten in the NFL. They are currently in first place in the NFC South division with a one game lead over the Atlanta Falcons, but the Falcons swept their head-to head matchup this season with the Buccaneers, so a tie in the standings would favor the Falcons.
Both the Buccaneers and the Chargers are battling injuries. Bucs star rookie running back Bucky Irving is questionable with a back & hip injury. Wide receiver Mike Evans is questionable with a hamstring injury. For the Chargers, tight end Will Dissly has a shoulder injury and will miss the next two games. Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey missed the Chiefs game with knee and shoulder injuries. Chargers hope he will be back for the game on Sunday.
The game this Sunday, December 15 against the Buccaneers will start at 1:25 PM at SoFi Stadium and will be televised on FOX. The Chargers will be back in action four days after the battle with the Buccaneers, this time taking on the Broncos at SoFi Stadium, on Thursday, December 19 in an evening game that will start at 5:15 PM and will be available through streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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