Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!
We'll be running one of these every week during the regular season, so send in submissions for the Mailbag here on Twitter or by sending me an email.
Off we go...
Will the Chargers look to rest players this upcoming game or will they play to win and get the 5th seed? (Edward via email)
Happy New Year, Bolt Fam!
As it stands now, the Chargers will know by kickoff if they can clinch the No. 5 seed in Week 18.
Pittsburgh hosts Cincinnati on Saturday night, and a Steelers loss leaves the door open for the Bolts to claim the fifth seed with a win over the Raiders.
How will the Bolts approach it?
Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday that he didn't to deal with hypotheticals, but added that the Bolts certainly want to grab the fifth seed if possible.
"We're not locked into a seed, so we're playing to move up," Harbaugh said. "We'd love to be in the fifth seed. That gives you a chance to have a playoff game at home."
My thought?
If the fifth seed is available, the Chargers will obviously go all out to get it. That would mean a Wild Card date with the Texans, but as Harbaugh mentioned, a chance to potentially have a home playoff game is other Wild Card teams also advance.
If the Bolts are locked into the sixth seed, AKA the Steelers win Saturday night, I can see a scenario where the Bolts rest or limit snaps for some players.
That doesn't mean every starter can rest since roster sizes are limited, but maybe players who are banged up get at least a little chance to heal before the playoffs start.
All of this is speculative though, as we'll know more Saturday night.
Yes!
Players, coaches and staff got sweatshirts celebrating the playoff-clinching win in New England.
I'll try to snap a photo of one this week if I see it in the locker room.
What's the mark on Harbaugh's report card? It's a surefire 'A grade' from me.
I wrote about this a bit after Saturday's game, but Harbaugh has changed everything about the Chargers in less than a year on the job.
He's instilled a culture and a work ethic, yes, but mainly a belief that the Bolts can play with and beat anyone.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Chargers make some noise in the playoffs, even if they have to go on the road to do so.
And while I know the focus is on the present, the future is also bright if we take a big picture look at it.
Harbaugh and Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz revamped the roster on the fly this past offseason and should keep molding it to their liking in the coming months.
Plus, ample cap space and a chance to hit on another strong draft class means the Bolts are on the up and up.
We'll end with this good question.
Those are all good choices, especially Tarheeb Still. If you ask me, he needs to be on an All-Rookie team or two when those are announced after the season.
But I'm going to go with Daiyan Henley.
Entering the season, the vibe around Henley was that we were excited to see what he could bring to the field with his athleticism and instincts.
He's been a Pro Bowl player in the middle of the Bolts defense with his leadership, toughness and playmaking ability.
Henley leads the Bolts in defensive snaps (957) and has been a tackling machine. He has nine straight games with at least eight tackles ... and reached double-digit stops in eight of those games.
The hope with Henley was that he'd grow into a dependable starter in Year 2 after only playing 53 total defensive snaps as a rookie.
To me, he's been levels above that this season. He's now a centerpiece of the unit and should likely be a captain at some point in the future.
