INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- It seems like what the Chargers (5-3) needed to bounce back after losing three out of the last four was to get their left tackle Joe Alt back.
That seemed to make a huge difference in the Chargers’ offense on Thursday night after they beat the Minnesota Vikings (3-4) 37-10.
Justin Herbert was averaging almost nine hits a game coming into this one, but the return of his left tackle settled things down. He did sustain four hits on the opening drive, but for the rest of the game, he was hit only four times. The way things had been headed, that was a win.
"We’ve definitely missed him," Herbert said. "It’s tough to replace a guy like that but I think the tackles that we’ve had the past few weeks have done an incredible job stepping up and just good to see Joe back out there."
Herbert diced up the Vikings’ secondary for 227 yards on 18-for-25 passing, adding three touchdowns and one interception. They also got an added boost from running back Kimani Vidal, who rushed for 117 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown. This was his second 100-yard rushing game in the last three.
"To lose two backs like that, that are as good as they get, it’s tough to replace them," Herbert said. "I think Kimani done such a good job of stepping up and making plays. The past couple of weeks he’s done an awesome job, whether it’s catching or running out of the back field."
This is the way Jim Harbaugh wants to win: running the football, not exposing his quarterback to hits, and playing sound defense.
"The team really responded and we’re just going to get back to work after Sunday and they just set their minds to it that they weren’t going to be denied," Harbaugh said after the win. "I thought it showed up really in the two lines – the offensive line and the defensive line – really coming off the ball on defense and did a great job – our offensive line covered guys up, sustained it and finishing."
Speaking of the defense, on Monday veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack said he needed to play more snaps and basically that the time for talking was over.
The defense lost safety Derwin James early to an ankle injury, but it stepped up. They sacked Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz five times, with Justin Eboigbe getting two and Mack adding one while hitting him six times and forcing an interception.
"We're not at our at our peak right now, but I think this is definitely something to continue building on as a group," defensive tackle Teair Tart said. "Everybody played a crucial role."
The Chargers’ offense got a scare two plays in when Herbert took a shot and threw a pass toward McConkey, but Vikings cornerback Isaiah Rodgers intercepted him and ran it back for a touchdown. After further review, officials noticed that Rodgers dropped the ball as he went down, so it was ruled incomplete.
Herbert would not let that be in vain. That would be his only incomplete pass of the drive, as he completed a 17-yard pass to Allen on 3rd-and-13. Then he hit Gadsden three times on the drive for 30 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-goal to put the team up 7-0 early.
“As soon as he got here for camp we knew he was going to be pretty good," Herbert said. "He made a ton of plays, picked up the offense really quickly and just found a way to get open."
The Chargers’ defense gave up one first down in the Vikings’ first two drives. They forced back-to-back punts, which was a big improvement from last Sunday against the Colts.
On their second offensive drive, the Chargers moved the ball up the field with runs from Vidal and Patterson. The big play came from Herbert on 1st-and-10 when he took off running and, instead of sliding, received a nice block from Vidal to get an extra nine yards. Two plays later, Vidal ran it through the returning Joe Alt’s side and found the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown. That put the Chargers up 14-0 early.
When the Vikings’ offense came back out, it was announced that they would be without left tackle Christian Darrisaw, who suffered a knee injury. Wentz was able to move the football with a 10-yard pass to Jefferson on 3rd-and-5 and an 11-yard pass to him again, but the drive stalled after a short 3-yard catch by Jordan Mason. They settled for a Will Reichard 54-yard field goal to get on the board, 14-3.
Herbert continued his great play, taking his team on a nine-play, 94-yard drive. He threw three passes to McConkey on the drive and had an 18-yard run right after the two-minute warning. He finished it off with a 27-yard touchdown pass downfield to McConkey to put them up 21-3 right before the half. McConkey had three catches for 58 yards on that drive.
The Vikings were able to move the ball up the field with 45 seconds left on the clock. Wentz hit Jordan Addison for a 15-yard gain, but after back-to-back sacks from Odafe Oweh and Justin Eboigbe, they faced 3rd-and-18. He found his favorite target of the night, Jefferson, for a 17-yard gain. Reichard came on for the 53-yard attempt but was short.
Coming out of the half, the Chargers moved the ball with three consecutive Vidal runs for 24 yards. Herbert then went to Vidal through the air for a 10-yard gain and McConkey for an 11-yard gain. Their offense stalled at the Minnesota 25-yard line, so Cameron Dicker came in and hit a 43-yard field goal to increase the lead to 24-3.
On the first Vikings possession of the second half, Mack made a big play on 3rd-and-5 when he sacked Wentz for his third of the season to force a punt.
Minnesota’s defense showed life when, on the first play, Herbert ran toward the left and threw a pass across his body that was tipped at the line and intercepted by Joshua Metellus. It was Herbert’s fourth batted-ball interception this season.
The defense went back to the mistakes that hurt them the last four weeks. They had held the Vikings to a field goal after starting with the ball on the Chargers’ 26-yard line, but Harbaugh wasn’t happy when, during the field goal attempt, they noticed they had two extra guys on the field. The referees called the five-yard penalty, and Minnesota decided to go for it from the 14-yard line. That resulted in a Daiyan Henley sack — but another mistake followed. Cornerback Benjamin St. Juste was called for illegal contact on Addison. Wentz then found Addison alone in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 24-10.
"It's just another thing about Justin Herbert that – I don't know how he does it," Harbaugh said. "It's nothing but respect to be able to actually throw an interception and then come back the next drive – that's the great ones that can do that. The great, great ones just measure what they do after something goes bad, after there's an interception. That's the worst thing that can really happen to you as a quarterback and then chart what they do with the next drive. That near interception, that shakes a lot of guys, not Justin Herbert, not the great ones."
After the Herbert interception, it was the Vidal show. He had two big carries — one for 18 yards and another for 21 — followed by an 8-yard run from Herbert on 3rd-and-4 that put them in the red zone. The drive ended with Herbert scrambling and finding a diving Tre Harris for his first career touchdown. His teammates ran over to celebrate with him as the team went up 31-10.
"It means a lot, man," Harris said. "Those guys they seen earlier in the game could have had a chance earlier. But they've been seeing it. They've been seeing the hard work I put in."
The Chargers sit at 5-3 as they hit a mini-bye, during which they need to get James, Trey Pipkins, and cornerback Tarheeb Still (who left with a knee injury) healthy.
"When we get healthier, that we’re going to have [guys] very battle-tested in there," Harbaugh said. "What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, that’s another one, maybe? Proud of the way the guys – just respect for what they’re doing.”
This team is still a ways away from the group that won the first three games of the season, but they’re getting healthier. The healthier they get, the closer they’ll get to that team.
Thursday night was a step in the right direction.
"All the wins are big, but trying to bounce back from from that Sunday loss, so this was huge for us, but just got to get get everybody healthy and get ready for the next one," Mack said.