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How the Chargers Are Attacking Short Week Ahead of TNF

241217_FTP

The Chargers had to flip the page right away once this past Sunday's game came to a close.

"[It's been] get back to work, and that's what we've done," Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said on Tuesday.

Khalil Mack added: "We got a short window to get ready for Denver."

It's quickly been all eyes on the showdown against the divisional rival Broncos with the Week 16 Broncos flexed to Thursday Night Football.

And despite the tough last game, a motivated Chargers team is looking at this week's game as a way to bounce back right away.

Even with three days less than they would have in a normal week, the Bolts hope to maximize the time they have ahead of Thursday night to get back on track.

"We're all in on the Broncos," safety Derwin James said on Monday. "It's a Thursday game, short week, so we can't dwell too much on this last game. We got to move forward."

Mack added: "You have to attack it. The time is an illusion. You can do everything to attack the week the same way you would with an extra three days. Just looking forward to the opportunity of getting out there and getting the taste out of our mouth."

The Chargers Impact Fund partnered with the Bikes for Kids Foundation, Pechanga Resort Casino and the Brady Hunter Foundation to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Chargers' holiday bike giveaway. Chargers Legends Terry Crews, Marcellus Wiley, Mike Scifres, Antoine Cason and Sean Culkin were on hand to surprise 400 students at Dr. Ronald E. McNair Elementary School in Compton with a brand new bike.

It's not a completely moving on from the last game either, though.

It's about finding the right balance of wanting to move ahead towards the big game against Denver, while also trying to work on correcting some things from the past Sunday.

According to Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter, both are important in a short week like this.

"I think you make it about us," Minter said. "You certainly want to quickly go on to the Broncos game and the game plan and everything, but at the same time when you have a game like that, it's crazy not to worry about that first and try to fix those issues and fix those problems.

"We'll spend some time on the game and look at ourselves, look at each other as players and coaches and know that we can do certain things better," Minter added.

With a Thursday night game also comes less time to prepare, however, as the practice week changes and reps will be limited.

This means this game will be more of what Minter called a "foundation game," where the Bolts could rely and trust on the work they've put in up to this point of the season.

"You go into a short week, it's a 'trust your training' type of game," Minter said. "You're not going to practice a ton full speed, you're going to get a lot of walk-through reps and try to do things in the game plan that the guys have familiarity with on a short week.

"It's a foundation game where you have to trust the things that you've done," Minter added. "That's what we'll look to do this week."

Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman added: "When you're three days out from the game, you usually have all the hay in the barn. This is totally different, so you're probably not going to reinvent the wheel this week with the guys in terms of what you're doing."

The Bolts took the practice field Tuesday, one of the few times they'll be able to run through some reps that aren't walk-though ahead of Thursday.

But the group is confident in what they've worked towards now 15 weeks into the season.

"You don't really have many reps to run through the games because you just play the games on a short week, but it comes down to trusting the preparation we have," James said. "I feel like we've played a lot of good ball out there.

"If we just rely on what we've been already doing this whole season, I feel like we'll like what we see," James added.

The recovery aspect is also something that is key in a week like this, as it's something that started right after the game on Sunday.

"We just have to get that ready to roll," Roman said. "The biggest challenge is for the players from a physical standpoint, getting ready to crank it up here in a few days. I know they started their recovery right after the game."

Recovery and getting their body back looks different for every player, but it's a process they work on to try and be ready to go come Thursday.

"Just attacking every day. Just getting ready for [the game]," Mack said. "Every day probably going to have some kind of recovery stuff going on."

James added: "Really just getting my legs back under me. Hydrating up, getting my legs back under me, get my body and my mind ready to go."

Ahead of an AFC West primetime battle that could have playoff implications, the Bolts are ready to go on a short week.

"I think that's every week, it is a test of wills every time you go out and play one of these football games in the NFL," Harbaugh said.

He later added: "We have about [48] hours until our next football game. Back to work attacking it."

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