Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!
The playoffs are here so the Mailbag rolls on. Send in submissions for the Mailbag here on Twitter or by sending me an email.
Off we go...
What are your thoughts rolling into the playoffs with the culture Jim Harbaugh has built? Justin Herbert turned in arguably his best season with a career-high passer rating, TD/INT ratio, and his most dynamic season as a rusher all while leading his youngest offensive cast yet. It's hard not to get excited about another offseason under Joe Hortiz and how wildly dangerous this team can be next year with another draft and lots of cap space. (Ben via email)
A great and detailed email from Ben to start us off.
My initial thought is this: the playoffs are the only thing that matters right now.
Even if I agree with the last part of his sentiment, nobody in the team facility has their eyes on the 2025 offseason just yet.
If you ask me, and this will answer the first part of Ben's email, there is no doubt in my mind the Chargers can put together a deep playoff run.
Because the culture that Jim Harbaugh has built here in one season is made for the postseason.
Ever since arriving in Los Angeles almost a year ago, Harbaugh has preached toughness, work ethic and togetherness.
Those are the traits a team needs to win in the postseason, especially on the road.
So, how can the Bolts win in the playoffs? By following the same formula that helped them go 11-6 and be one of the league's hottest teams as the playoffs begin.
The Chargers have won three straight ahead of Saturday's Wild Card date in Houston and will be looking to do some damage in the AFC playoff field beginning this weekend.
The key to doing that?
Win the turnover battle.
The Chargers had a plus-12 turnover margin in 2024, which tied for the third-best mark among all teams. And their nine giveaways ended up as the second-fewest in NFL history behind the 2019 Saints and this year's Bills.
Possess the ball.
Overall, the Chargers ranked ninth in time of possession this season at 30 minutes and 40 seconds per game. But over the past three contests — that hot streak I mentioned earlier — the Bolts ranked first in time of possession at 35:43.
Show up on third downs.
This is the money down. The Bolts offense finished a respectable 11th here at 40.27 percent. But over the past three games? Third overall at 53.49 percent. Defensively, the Chargers fielded the NFL's No. 5 third-down defense (35.71 percent).
Excel in the red zone.
Kicking field goals likely won't get you a playoff win, but holding the opponent to three points inside the 20-yard line is a recipe for success. The Bolts led the league in red-zone defense in 2024 at 45.0 percent. Offensively, the Chargers were 18th here (56.0 percent), a stat that might need to improve starting Saturday.
These may seem like obvious and trivial areas for where a team can succeed in the postseason. But how many times have you watched a playoff game and the losing team laments postgame about making just one or two more plays that would have flipped the outcome?
The Chargers will go into the playoffs with a proven head coach, a red-hot quarterback and a roster hungry for a taste of postseason success.
If the Bolts follow the script they have stuck to for most of this season, the path is there to make some noise.
Nope.
Sure, the Bolts are favored in Houston.
But you can bet that Harbaugh and his staff will be all about blocking out the noise ahead of the Wild Card Round.
Even if the Chargers enter the game with more regular-season wins than the Texans, it's the Bolts who have something to prove.
Houston just won a playoff game last season, a feat the Chargers haven't accomplished since 2018. There are some faces on the Bolts roster who have never felt a playoff win, and many who surely want to erase the bitter taste of how the Bolts most-recent playoff game went.
Put another way, I don't think the Chargers will be overlooking anyone now that the playoffs are here.
I'm combining these questions because both mostly focused on the offensive line.
A quick aside: there is no new update on Asante Samuel, Jr.
Back on topic, I do think the offensive line has turned a corner of late over the past month or so.
Rashawn Slate and Joe Alt were each stellar this season, but improved play from the interior really gave this group a boost down the homestretch.
Zion Johnson and Bradley Bozeman each picked up their games in December and January, and the same can be said about whomever was at the right guard spot (Trey Pipkins III or Jamaree Salyer).
For what it's worth, it will be interesting to see how the Chargers configure their starting offensive line in Houston.
Salyer and Pipkins had been rotating at right guard of late, and Harbaugh said that was going to be the plan again in Week 18 against the Raiders.
But Slater was a last-minute scratch so the rotation was a moot point as both Salyer (guard) and Pipkins (tackle) each started on the right side of the line.
Harbaugh said Tuesday that he would be comfortable with a rotation between the two even in a playoff game, so keep an eye on that spot against the Texans. Slater was limited in practice Tuesday but the hope is that he's good to go for the Wild Card Round.
As far as Houston's front goes, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, Jr. are both special players.
Only 11 NFL defensive players reached 11.0 or more sacks this season but Hunter and Anderson were among that group. In fact, the Texans were one of only two teams to have a pair of edge rushers with at least 11.0 sacks this season. The Vikings were the other.
Speaking of Minnesota, I saw Hunter up close for six seasons when I worked for that team and can tell you firsthand that he is as freakish an athlete as there is in the league. He looks like an action figure and can unveil a variety of moves that leave opposing offensive linemen shaking their heads.
I obviously don't know Anderson personally, but you don't get drafted No. 3 overall if you aren't an elite football player.
The Chargers will have their hands full with that duo on Saturday. Luckily for the Bolts, Slater and Alt are unquestionably the rock of their offensive line.
This will be two elite pairings going at it all game long. And I don't think it's a stretch to say that whichever team wins this matchup is the one that is likely to win in Houston.
Yes, Slater is working through something.
The Chargers said Sunday that he felt some discomfort in pregame warmups so the team decided to hold him out against the Raiders.
As for Fehoko, you hit the nail on the head here as his 21-day practice window was opened Tuesday.
In recent weeks, that has meant an immediate return to game action as both J.K. Dobbins and Alohi Gilman played in the days following that window being activated.
If Fehoko does play Saturday, look for him to provide a jolt to the squad. He can make a play or two on offense but had also grown into one of the Chargers best special teams players before he injured his elbow against the Browns.
Again, with everything magnified in the playoffs, a game-changing play on special teams could be the difference between the Chargers and Texans.
